Tickets and Planning
My friend and I purchased two 10th row tickets on the right of the stage for this show. We paid about $200 a ticket and this was my friend’s first BSB concert, with the exception of the teen heartthrob Oprah taping I took her to a few years back. We decided to make a whole day of it by going to the Shedd Aquarium too and that way we could stay in air condition if need be.
Early Start to Our Day
The day of the show, I awoke early because I was excited for the show and to see Nick, but also because it was pouring rain. I never heard the rain pouring so hard and thought, oh crap. But the rain stopped and we ended up just being drizzled on throughout the day. The sun ended up coming out too and it was muggy. I watched the boys on WGN news for their free Kids Back To School Fair that had the BSB. The guy interviewing BSB was very good and did his research. They also sang some songs. This would have been great to go to because I’m sure I would have gotten to talk to them for a bit and as mentioned above it was free. Since I was going with a friend, I had to take her into consideration and I knew she wouldn’t want to go that early. So I watched it on tv until we got our ride to the train station. She picked me up at around 8:20 a.m.
Our Station, to Union Station, to Shedd
We got to the train station and we decided to get round trip in the station (it was a good thing we did). So we paid $14.50 for that and the stupid guy shorted my change by a quarter but I didn’t say anything (I ended up finding a quarter anyway). So we boarded the train and this happened to be the first day of Lollapalooza (which made everything more difficult) so there were a bunch of that crowd on the train. We had a good train ride except we did have a delay because of another train but it didn’t matter.
So we got to Union Station and my friend suggested we take a bus instead of a cab to save money and I agreed so we made a right outside Canal St. and crossed the street and took the #130 bus to get to the museum campus, where the Shedd is and the venue. A family was sitting in front of us on the bus and they weren’t holding on to their 3 year old and he ended up flying out of his seat and landed on his head. I thought we would have to stop the bus for an ambulance, but the boy ended up being alright. I thought the parents were pretty stupid not to be holding onto him. Anyway, we got dropped off across from the Shedd.
Museum Campus
So after taking a few pics of us with the lake in the background, we walked closer to the Shedd and quickly realized that the line was very long to get inside. It ended up being literally an hour wait to get inside. I was getting irritable because I brought a hoodie in case of rain and wore it in the hot humid sun because I was afraid I would get sunburn. I had sunblock, but I hate how greasy they all feel. It was crappy to have to stand this long and throughout the whole day and it also sucked because we had to stand on stairs the majority of the time and I felt very unbalanced. We finally were able to get inside. We checked online before our trip to see what the price would be and it said $8 just to get in. Well, when we got inside they have a sign with their prices and the $8 wasn’t listed on there. We had no problem purchasing the $8 tickets, but I think that’s a sneaky thing to do because I think a lot of people just thought those would be their only ticket options and paid around $35 and up to get in. Granted, we didn’t get to see certain exhibits or a 3D show, but I think we saw a majority of the whole museum. I would have liked to have seen Planet Earth (from Discovery Channel) in 3D and see the jellyfish exhibit, but not for that price and I don’t think we would have had enough time anyway.
Shedd Aquarium
Of course we looked at fish, crab, seahorses, plankton, jellyfish (one tank outside the jellyfish exhibit), turtles! (one of my favs), penguins, sea otters!, dolphins!, seals!, and a beluga whale. They also had snakes, the biggest ants in the world (yuck), and monkeys (yuck too).
We ended up eating at their café and of course we paid an arm and a leg. Around $16 for lunch and it was okay at best. My friend did manage to snag us a table with a wonderful view of Lake Michigan. We also looked at the gift shops. Yes, there is more than one of course. I ended up getting a dolphin magnet that has blue water in it and a dolphin inside of it. I seen some other stuff I liked, but didn’t get and that was a good thing for multiple reasons. They did have a cute plush tiny turtle, a glass stingray that glowed in the dark (which could have replaced my glass fish that chipped but it was $16), and a key chain that had my name on it and when moved, a shore wave would cover up the name.
We looked around some more and almost missed out on the real cool exhibits downstairs with the bigger animals like the seals, whale, and dolphins. Good thing we didn’t miss out on that. We ended up seeing a penguin informational show and how they train the beluga whale. We looked at one of the giftshops one more time. They need more seats in there, and more air condition (especially in the bathrooms) and when I got my souvenir they ran out of bags. Also, we got water there to take to the concert since it would be cheaper but the machine didn’t work so we had to go to another part of the museum to get it elsewhere. We stayed until they closed at 6 p.m. and that is the same time the doors open to get into the concert venue.
On to the Concert
We started walking to the planetarium (about halfway to the venue from the Shedd) and realized that the line was all the way down to the planetarium. I asked some girls in front of us if we were in the correct line and she had a stuck up bitchy attitude and said I hope so. But, it ended up that we were in the separate line to get a wristband for drinking alcohol so who was stupid now? Lol So we quickly got into the other line which was just as long and they didn’t open the venue until 6:30 p.m. even though it was supposed to be 6. When we finally got inside, the guy told me to open up my purse and he didn’t even care. Then he had a fit about my water. (I should of hid it but I was holding too much stuff as it was). He told me to throw away the cap. I apparently didn’t take it off quick enough for him and he yelled at me. I threw it away and was pissed. I told my friend and she got mad thinking he was on a power trip and she was able to bring hers in. So I was instantly in a bad mood thinking I would spill it on my pants and it would look like I peed my pants lol.
Merch Booth
So then we go by the merch booth because I knew I wanted a program book and a t-shirt. I previously emailed the venue through facebook asking if I would be able to use credit card for the merch. They replied quickly and said yes (I also asked them about where to get a cab after the concert and they said by the planetarium). Also, we waited like 45 minutes just to get up to the booth and I noticed at the beginning they did have a credit card machine so I wasn’t worried. When it was finally my turn (my friend decided not to get anything) I first asked if they had a program and he said no. That sucks, especially since it’s the 20th anniversary of BSB and Kevin’s back but okay whatever. (And to those thinking they are so smart that there wouldn’t be a program book since it’s the first concert of the tour, they could have used pics from China so duh back to you). Then I ask about the credit card just to make sure. He looks at the machine and says that it isn’t working. I was counting on it working especially since they told me it wouldn’t be a problem and so I check my money and I only had $34 at this point (should have used credit at the Shedd). I asked my friend if she has a dollar to spare since the t-shirt was $35 (it’s only $25 on the BSB’s merch website). She said yes, and then I asked her if she had enough for a cab for us and she said yes. I then said I’m going to get it because we would have waited in line for almost an hour for nothing. So at this point I have no money and I brought a decent amount of money with me but I should have used credit card for the Shedd and that lunch of theirs was a rip off. Also, the merch booth was all muddy just like the Jimmy Buffet fans said it was for them but not as bad as that.
Food Booth
Then my friend wanted some food and she asked if I wanted anything and I said no. She bought a hamburger for $7 (crazy) and then we went by the condiment booth and there was nothing. They can’t even fill up the napkins and ketchup. Come on. She ate her food right there and I tried to count the money I spent because it seemed hard to believe that I used all my money. At first I thought someone shorted me but I counted all my change and when I got home I realized it was correct. Thank God. Can’t afford to lose money.
Our Seats
Then we went into the seat part and our seats were pretty close. 10th row and the pit seats didn’t affect us but they affected those in the middle sections, pushing them back. We had our own problems in our area anyway. So no one was in front of the row in front of us until the BSB came on. I thought we were too far on the side and maybe it would have been better to be in the middle but farther back. Oh well. Then this always happens to me where all the seats around me are vacant but everyone is bunched up by my seat and my row. Ugh.
Baylee
Baylee came on and sang a couple of songs. A Mariah Carey song and a Jackson 5 song. He is so cute and growing up. He did such a great job. His sound screwed up and that happened the whole night to everybody else, including BSB. Come on. On a positive note, I love how Baylee wore a Cubs t-shirt. He did that last time he was in Chicago too. Brian came out on stage to help Baylee when his mic gave him trouble.
Pauly D
Then Pauly D came out. Mind you this is 7:40 p.m. and the opening acts were supposed to start at 7 p.m. I enjoyed his set, but not that much to miss it if he wasn’t there. I just like the dj thing. He did a decent job. I liked how he played club music, rock, some older songs and such. He could have had more energy at some points. He was also on too long. I would have much rather seen DJ Nicky ;) but then he would be exhausted to do that plus the show.
Jesse McCartney
Then after waiting some more, Jesse McCartney came out. I don’t like him at all. He did okay for what he does, but I wouldn’t have missed him at all. The only song I sort of like is that one hit of his Beautiful Soul I think it’s called. He also played too long. He reminds me too much of a copycat. I say keep it in the family and have Aaron Carter.
Seats are Filling Up
About this time, the seats filled up in front of us with three really big and tall guys with a mother and a girl. The girl was constantly standing on the chair and the men were blocking my view the whole time. I could tell they were out of place and sure enough they ended up being a bodyguard’s family and they got the tickets for free from him. He came by and said hi to them. Now, you know they are big because the three men could have been bodyguards themselves. I knew the whole concert would be ruined pretty much for me and my friend. It sucks that they know how big they are and how there are regular fans behind them that actually paid to see BSB and won’t be able to see because of them. (On a side note, I think either Kevin/Brian’s family members were in front of the men because this guy kind of looked like Kevin and he seemed out of place too. Cute too lol. He was with a lady that I don’t know if they were dating or if it was a relative but if they were dating he could do better lol.)
BSB Time…Finally!!!
Then we had to wait some more for BSB to come out. They came out the fastest out of everyone.
They started the show with the 007 music and showing their faces on the big screen in front of them. Then there was some smoke and BSB came out and sang The Call. I think the entrance needs to be more dramatic. (The best entrance they did in my opinion was the one where they showed them walking and they ended up jumping out of the screen that kind of looked like blinds up close. I was so surprised with that entrance.) Another suggestion: The transitions between songs should be more quick and go more smoothly.
The sound sucked thanks to the shitty venue and Brian’s voice wasn’t doing so well. (I’m worried about him. I hope nothing serious is wrong). We also couldn’t see the whole stage to see the light show they were putting on which was another shitty thing. Also, I’m pretty tall 5’7 and everyone around me were Amazons lol. Should have gotten the middle section farther back. Oh well. Nick was also favoriting the other side of the stage of course L but he did come to our side a few times.
I also thought it was stupid that Jesse McCartney, an opening act, gets a band but not the BSB. I understand that there might not have been room for it on the stage, but then the stage should have been made differently. Thank God Brian, Nick, and Howie played guitar and Kevin on the keys.
There was also a part where those who paid got to go up on stage while BSB sing in a more acoustic setting. They all wore white as told and it was nice, but I heard the girls were pissed because they were behind the guys and just saw their backs. Well duh, you can’t be in front of them because the rest of the audience wouldn’t see them.
This Venue Sucks
I wanted to hear more new songs off the album, but then everything turned into complete utter crap. Since everything was running late, BSB got the spotlights turned on them in the middle of Love Somebody. My friend thought that maybe they were just hyping up the crowd by saying, we just want to do one more song but the cops weren’t letting them. Apparently, they were past the 11 p.m. curfew. This is laughable considering Lolla was close by and they went on a little after. BSB spent time trying to figure things out on stage and plea to them to get to play. They were going to sing accapella but they turned off their mics the minute they tried. They all looked really pissed, especially Nick. He said that he would go to Chicago jail. (I was thinking I wouldn’t mind getting locked up with him LOL). AJ said he would beg. Nick kept sitting on the stage because they didn’t want to leave the stage. I couldn’t believe this circus operation going on. They ended up shaking some hands and AJ had to scream out since the mics were turned off that they will come back to Chicago. My friend and I went further up to the stage at this time but nothing came out of it. Fans started singing I Want It That Way. I couldn’t record this part of the show because my battery went dead.
We left the venue with the big crowd while they were chanting "bullshit" and one girl threw a chair by us. People were pissed. I was curious if they couldn’t do the after party at the venue as planned (I later found out they were able to because it wouldn’t be that loud as the concert which I have mixed feelings about. I understand you can’t punish those that paid for the afterparty, but regardless it feels like a slap to the face).
Things Get Worse
Now if you think that is bad, this is where shit really hits the fan. So we are avoiding mud to get out of there and we go by the planetarium where the cabs were supposed to be and of course none were there. We ended up walking all the way to Michigan Ave. to try to get a cab. We still couldn’t get a cab! Now, I’m getting worried because it ends up being midnight and the last train is at 12:25 a.m. I go on a bus to ask the bus driver what bus to take to get to Union Station and he acts like a mute and doesn’t say nothing. Then a bum on the train tries to tell me what to do. My friend was waiting outside the bus and I knew this guy was crazy so I got off the bus. He starts yelling on the bus, she doesn’t believe me, can you believe that? She doesn’t believe me! That kind of scared me but I was too panicked to really think about it. The bus driver acted like he was dumb and didn’t know shit. Come on. Then I asked this lady riding one of those bike taxi things if she knows of a way to get to Union Station. She says that she could take us there. I tell her we have to be there by 12:25. By this time I can barely talk because I’m freaking out. Then a guy came by with his bike thing and she says that he is faster. We end up going up to him and my friend asks him. He says it’ll be $30 because we need to be there at 12:25. My friend asks what he would normally charge and he says $20. She looks at me and asks me what I think. I then say well we better decide because it’s already 12:08. The guy notices we can’t make up our mind and he says if he doesn’t make it there in time that we get the ride for free. My friend decided to do it at this point so we get on. (By the way, the reason the cabs were worse than usual is because of Lolla. They were all there picking up drunks and high as a kite peeps).
Straight From a Movie
NOW, this is where I feel like I’m writing out a movie script. Straight from the movies. So there’s my friend and I on a bike taxi and he’s peddling like crazy. My friend holds my arm because she’s afraid we are going to fly out. I didn’t mind at all because I knew she was scared. I was starting to tear up because I couldn’t believe this shit. So all these drunks and druggies from Lolla are walking on the street. They scream to the bike guy a gay remark and our driver gives them the bird, which I thought was funny lol. (The bike guy was a little older than us and very nice. I felt safe with him despite his fast peddling but that’s what we needed him to do). Then we see a girl all by herself walking down the street dancing to the song in her head lol obviously high and I said a prayer for her because she’s by herself and is high so she clearly isn’t cautious of her surroundings. Meanwhile, our movie continues lol. I felt sorry for my friend because she’s not used to this crap and I kept asking her if she was okay and she kept saying this is like being in a movie lol. (Between the concert ending too soon and this manic crap of getting back to the station and all these high people I think I have no shot getting her to come see BSB again lol).
Bubble Time!
Then this is the crazy part. Yep, gets better So there ends up being another bike taxi in front of us with two intoxicated girls from Lolla in front of us. She yells to our driver in a funny out of it voice, "I’m going to blow bubbles!" LOL LOL So she starts blowing bubbles and they are flying into our faces. OMG! Now, before this I was ready to start crying and that would have freaked my friend out because I’m older and supposed to know what I’m doing lol. So I needed this crazy bubble thing to happen because I start laughing hysterically. I could not hold it in anymore. So the guy is peddling like crazy and there’s tons of bubbles around us and flying in our faces. Wow, still can’t believe it! Now, I can really laugh and think of it as a fun adventure, but God, when it was happening I was stunned with the whole situation and worried sick.
OMG! We Finally Make It!
So the bike guy keeps asking us for the time and then I tell him we have to get dropped by Canal St. He says okay and we do end up getting there at 12:18. OMG. So we quickly pay him and tip him and we both kept saying thank you and I said we gave him his workout lol and he was so nice that he said that he likes to earn his money. We ran for the station and I got worried again that we wouldn’t find our way because he did drop us off on Canal, but not the same door. Luckily, my friend ended up picking the right hallway and we got on the train.
When we got on the train, the whole damn train was filled up with Lolla asses. So I kept walking really fast to go through each car to find a seat. I kept forgetting there’s a step at the beginning of each car and was tripping at each step missing it completely. I’m sure I made a couple of the stoners laugh. Thankfully, I didn’t fall on my face. I did that like 3 shittin times. Really? Then I kept going and my friend yelled to me that she found a seat. I swear, if she didn’t do that I probably would have ran all the way to the beginning of the train and run right into the wall LOL. I was just going frantic. So the whole way we were surrounded by Lolla heads. It wasn’t that bad though because I would rather have that over bums. The car that had the spare seat turned out to be the car with the toilet so all of them were going in there to mess around or get high. I don’t think my friend noticed but I didn’t tell her. I asked her to breathe and if she was okay. She couldn’t believe all of that. (If we wouldn’t have made this train, I would have had to use my credit card to book a hotel room and she didn’t want to stay over night and neither did I.) I told her that the bike ride reminded me of the 1971 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Wilder is on that boat and they see weird crap on the sides and all sorts of colors and then the other scene with the bubbles OMG, straight out of a movie LOL. Then I started laughing again. Who knows, maybe I was getting a buzz from the Lolla kids lol. See, when you have a life like mine you don’t need to get high, you get high naturally lol.
So we called our ride and everything pretty much went smooth sailing from there. (Btw, we even had a few minutes to spare before the train took off.) The only thing is, we paid an extra 25 cents for our train tickets, but that’s the least of our problems. Man, metra really wanted an extra quarter from me yesterday.
Also, after all the Lollas left, we ended up realizing two BSB fans were two seats in front of us. They heard us talk about the show. They actually live the next town over. Very nice ladies and we talked about it. They were pissed. They said that they weren’t going to another BSB show unless it was free. I told them about the afterparty and they said that would be bullshit and they’d be more mad if they find out the afterparty happened at the venue (which it did). I then told the one girl about Nick’s movie and she didn’t know. I told her where to go to donate money and she said that she wouldn’t donate because he’s rich. I kept my comments to myself. I did say that he’s matching the funds. They were just really pissed. Then I told them our adventure and got them laughing. They were lucky to get a cab, but they said it was hard. They didn’t know that the train we were on was the last one and then they freaked out a bit. Then they were pissed that the opening acts had to be there. We said bye because our stop was before there’s and that’s it.
The Adventure Ends
All ends well. Just had a couple of meltdowns in between. What an adventure! All for the BSB! Lol I really do hope they make it up to us somehow. Please. I would love to tell them this story lol. It also reminds me of This Is The End movie because it was crazy like that and also Detroit Rock City (a KISS movie…my bro loves Kiss so I know everything Kiss and have been to multiple shows). Wow!
What’s Next?!
Now, I’m thinking about the cruise. Please don’t let it be as unorganized as this or God help us all. And for this one it’s just me. Maybe I can finally get some decent sleep. Still wired over all of this and it’s the night after as I write this. I’m also listening to In A World Like This. Can’t believe the tour is called that and we didn’t even get to hear that song. We missed like 5 songs. Chicago government sucks and the opening acts should have been cut down for BSB and I’ll leave it up to you who to blame for that.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading.
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