Dinner and a Show with Nick in Miami!

Hi all! I feel like it's been so long since I last blogged, but I'm so glad I have some time to write now. I had a blast on both BSB Cruise 2014 and at Nick's show the night before and thought I would write reviews to both share with you and hold onto the memories. Here's my review of Nick's dinner with my cruise experience to follow in a future post.

Dinner and a Show with Nick in Miami: Thursday, October 23rd

Getting a Ticket

A few days before I was to leave for Miami for BSB Cruise 2014, I spotted Nick's tweet about possibly doing a dinner and a show before the cruise. Well, when the event was finally confirmed and tickets were on sale through his website, I quickly bought a ticket. I figured since I never did this kind of event with Nick before and would be in the area, I just had to be there and thought it would be a great way to celebrate the start to my BSB vacation. I was a little reluctant at first because no time and location were announced right away, but it felt a little good to be spontaneous and I figured since I should be in Miami around 2 p.m. that day, I would be okay time-wise. Come to find out that it would be held at the Hard Rock Café. I was happy about that because there's a free shuttle that takes me from my hotel to Bayside Marketplace where Hard Rock is at and last year a friend and I ate there for dinner so I was somewhat familiar with the area. Also, it gave me an opportunity to buy some KISS merchandise for my brother.

As far as price goes, of course it would have been nicer if it was cheaper, but it was the same price as a Nick VIP for Nick & Knight so I thought it was pretty fair.

Welcome to Miami

I had to use a cab service to get to O'Hare Airport and had them pick me up at my house at 5:30 a.m. to make sure I had plenty of time for my 9 a.m. flight. As far as their service goes, they got me from point A to point B, but I could have done without the question probing on the way there. I mean, it was 5:30 a.m. I was not awake and didn't feel like talking lol. Also, I don't understand why the cab driver needed to bring her boyfriend with. Kind of unprofessional, but whatever, I got to the airport.

I didn't have no trouble getting my tickets and checking my luggage, but it felt like forever waiting for my flight to board so I had some breakfast to kill some time. I was really anticipating the Miami palm trees and the cruise so when it was finally time to board, I was happy. It was about a three hour flight that went very well. I even had an empty seat next to me so I was able to have more room. I was enjoying looking at the clouds and listening to music.

When I finally arrived in Miami, I quickly got my luggage and headed for Super Shuttle, noticing that the weather was dreary, windy, and rainy...which sucked. I could have stayed in Chicago for that kind of weather lol. After waiting a little while, I ended up being in a crowded Super Shuttle van and thought since I was the last one to be picked up I would be the last one to be dropped off, but luckily I was the first to be dropped off. The guy did try to charge me more though, but I pointed out how the receipt had a certain price and he changed his tone. At first I thought he wasn't going to give me change and assume that was his tip, but he didn't.

Anyway, I arrived at Marriott Biscayne Bay and was able to check-in early. This was the same hotel I used last cruise and it's the one Rose Tours partners with. It's a pretty good hotel. After I checked out my room with a balcony and king size bed, I grabbed my camera and headed downstairs from the 21st floor to take some pictures. I ended up taking pictures of the hotel's pool and hot tub, which sadly I didn't get to utilize because of the weather and because I had a dinner with Nick to go to lol. I also took some pictures of the stores that are connected to the hotel and had a quick bite at an Italian restaurant. OMG, real imported Italian salami and strawberry gelato...yum! Also, I really enjoyed hearing the husband and wife owners speak to each other in Italian.

View outside my balcony on the 21st floor.

My hotel's pool and hot tub. I wish I could have used the hot tub.

My balcony! I enjoyed the view, but rediscovered I'm afraid of heights.

I see the tail of Carnival Ecstasy!

Oversized chess board. Too bad I don't know how to play.

Puppies! They were at a doggie salon getting pampered.

I wanted to get a palm reading, but it was too much. I wonder if they would have said anything about the cruise???

Took a picture of this place because it reminded me of Nick and his wheatgrass lol.

The Italian restaurant I went to for a late lunch.

Real Italian salami!

Best all-natural strawberry gelato!



Getting to Hard Rock Café

After walking around a bit and checking things out, I changed and made my way to the shuttle bus pickup. After getting rained on, I decided to go back up to my hotel room to retrieve my jacket and tried leaving again. While outside, I heard some fans say that Brian and Leighanne's Wylee vehicle was just outside my hotel picking people up who won the contest they were having to get a ride to their Wylee party. I did enter, but didn't win and decided that I wanted to make my way to Nick's event. It would have been really nice to go to the Wylee event, but there wouldn't have been enough time. I also decided not to see them at the hotel since I thought that would take time too. I was really excited for Nick's event and wanted to get there as soon as I could.

The shuttle came pretty quickly and was crowded because of the downpour, but I did end up getting a seat and a nice older guy told me where to get off at that would be closest to Hard Rock. I took some pictures and after briefly browsing some of the shops, I made it to Hard Rock.



Smiling and all ready to go to Nick's dinner.

Thought this bird was pretty and it's "black and blue" ;)

I Made It!

When I got to the Hard Rock Café, there was about five or so girls in front of me, one of who was my BSB friend Laura who I was very happy to see and it was nice that we were able to chat while waiting to get in. If I remember correctly, I think I arrived around 5 p.m. and we were told to be there by 7 p.m. I'm glad I arrived early and the line quickly got really long. In my mind, when Nick tweeted that it would be intimate, I pictured 50 fans, but I guess that was a naïve thought. I also remember it being tweeted that it was almost sold out so I thought that they weren't going to sell as many tickets, but that was probably a tactic to get more tickets sold. Regardless, I still felt it was intimate.

Me waiting to get inside to see Nick. The wind already screwed up my hair and makeup lol.

I'm Inside!

I was so fortunate to be one of the first ones in and thanks to a good BSB friend, I was able to sit at the table that was right in front of the stage! Inside my head I was flipping out that I had such a wonderful seat for the dinner! This right here made everything worth it.

Had to take a picture of this Metallica memorabilia.

Once our drink orders were taken, we made our way to the buffet. There was chicken tenders, fried chicken, spicy eggrolls, macaroni and cheese, fruit and cheese plates, salad, and some desserts to try. Overall, it was a good spread and looked pleasing to the eye. I didn't get too much to eat and regretted it later that night when I was starving, but I was too nervous to eat knowing Nick would be around soon. I didn't want to have a shovel of food in my mouth when he came to our table lol.

Nick's Here!

Nick came out into the dining area pretty quickly and he started making rounds to each table talking, signing autographs, and taking pictures. Since our table was closest to the stage, we were the last table to get a chance with Nick, but I spent the time eating and watching Nick interact with other fans.

I was trying to think of something to say to Nick while I was eating, but kept getting distracted with watching what was going on and seeing BSB's videos played on tv so I ended up deciding on focusing on the music.

When Nick did get to our table, it was very exciting. After a few fans from our table got their time with Nick, it was now my turn! I was able to exchange hugs with Nick, get a picture of him and I, and then I asked him if he was going to sing "Just Kids." He said that he wasn't but that he should have and then I asked about "Prisoner." He said that he wasn't going to sing that one either. I then said that his show was going to be great and he smiled and went to the next fan. I wish I would have thought of something better to say, but I wanted him to know that I am a big fan of his music, so much so that I know tracks that weren't released, and I wanted him to know that I love those songs (I frequently watch the youtube videos of Nick singing these songs for one of his birthday events he did in the past. Here's a link to "Just Kids" and another to "Prisoner." Be prepared to have goosebumps.)

Nick's at our table! Yay!

Trying to keep my cool lol.

A Nick hug :)

LOL I look so giddy there. So much for playing it cool...

Our photo! Turned out nice! I'm so happy :D

Despite Nick not choosing these two songs to sing during the dinner, I really enjoyed the show...so much so that I think this event might have even topped the cruise for me *gasp!* I say this just because I liked the more relaxed atmosphere with no pushing and shoving and enjoyed having the best seat in the house while watching Nick's soul pour out through his songs. Everyone pretty much behaved themselves at this event, with the exception of some girls sitting on the steps leading up to the stage right in front of me. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the cruise but I suppose that could have been worse.

I think it was maybe afterwards with Nick that I was able to ask Mike, Nick's bodyguard for a picture. He was really nice and said of course. I respect him for taking care of our Nick and making sure no one harms him.

Mike and I

Nick's Concert!

After Nick socialized with a few more fans, he got on stage and talked for a little bit. He thanked us for coming and apologized for the crappy Florida weather. He mentioned that some fans were complaining that he was chewing gum and he said it was only because he thought he had bad breath lol. I can't believe someone would tell someone else to stop chewing gum lol. At least I'm glad I didn't say that to him! He also mentioned the cruise and of course a lot of us were going to be going so that was nice of him to bring it up.

I liked the stained glass behind the stage.

Nick!

I love this picture! Nick looks so handsome!

Nick ended up singing seven songs. I wish we could have just stayed there forever and heard Nick sing, but I enjoyed the songs he picked which were "I Got You," "Quit Playing Games," "Falling Down," "I Want It That Way," "Help Me," "Incomplete," and "Halfway There." A good mix of solo songs, BSB, and Nick & Knight and I'm glad he did more solo stuff. I enjoyed hearing "I Got You" because it's from his first solo album and "Falling Down" because it's always an emotional song. "Help Me" was awesome to hear because it brought back memories from the Now or Never tour and I enjoyed hearing "Halfway There" without Jordan lol. Hey, I'm a Nick girl ;)

I was trying to achieve the perfect balance of recording and just being in the moment so I ended up just taking video of each song's chorus because I just wanted to be there and not play photographer. At the same time though, I wanted video to watch later on when I miss hearing Nick sing.

I think I was lucky enough to get some eye contact from Nick while he was singing and that's always surreal to me. Part of me wants to look over my shoulder thinking he must be looking at someone else lol.

At the end of the show, Nick said he loved us and he'll see us on the cruise! He's so sweet! Then he took a group picture of us and video of us that he posted on Twitter. You can see me waving at the end!

Throughout the show, I kept noticing Nick drinking out of his water bottle and then having to throw it down to the ground (can the guy get a small stool to put his stuff on???) so when the show was finished, I ended up asking a nice stagehand guy to give me the water bottle LOL. I know, I kind of felt a little weird asking for it but I figured someone else would have just done the same or it would have gotten thrown out. I guess the guy sensed I felt weird asking because he said that he gets it and would do the same if his favorite artist was just up there. He made me feel better about asking and was nice enough to give me some tape to tape around the top.

I had a little fun with this with my friend and wanted to get a reaction out of her. When I came home from the cruise, I told my friend (same friend who went to Nick's vip with me) that I got the water bottle and that I drank some of it and then poured the rest of it all over my body. She started laughing and asked if I really did that. I asked her what she thought and she said she thought I was joking. I said "was I?" and she started laughing some more. Well, I came clean and told her that yes, I was just joking. She said she knew and then said, good thing you are joking because you would be a weirdo if you did LOL. It was fun to get that response from her! I wish I would have been more convincing though but I kind of cracked up haha!

Back to the Hotel

Well, after the show it was time to get my brother's KISS shirt and pin and then go back to the hotel. It was after 10 p.m. so the free shuttle wasn't an option. I ended up finding a cab and had the singing taxi driver take me back to the Marriott. I really think he purposely took me a little farther out to charge more, but I was just glad to be back at the hotel.

I promise I usually don't take this many pictures of myself lol.

Once I was in my room, I just ended up taking a shower and getting ready to leave for the cruise the next day. I was exhausted already, but was still having a hard time falling asleep because of all the excitement of getting to talk to Nick and hear him sing and knowing I'll be on the cruise the next day. Also, I was starving and there was nothing to eat. When I did fall asleep, I'm sure I had a smile on my face thanks to Nick :)

Thanks for reading and I'll be continuing my posts with my BSB Cruise 2014 review!

The Cruise is Next Week...Ahhh!

I’m very excited and nervous for the cruise next week! I can’t wait, but I still have to pack, empty out my camera memory cards, and make some sort of door decoration. I can’t believe it’s coming up that soon and that I’m going again…seriously pinch me!

Not only am I fortunate enough to go on the cruise, yesterday I purchased a ticket for Nick’s dinner that he’s doing the night before the cruise starts. Still don’t know the location and time, but I’m that crazy for Nick and it feels good to be a little spontaneous lol. It was tweeted that it's almost sold out so I don't regret purchasing the ticket this quick. I also hope we keep this intimate and not have a huge group. 

Nick did tweet that it will be near the port of Miami and since it’s a dinner, I should be in the area for sure around that time. This will be something different for me so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. Meet and greet, dinner, and Nick singing and playing his guitar sounds like a perfect way to celebrate before the cruise. Plus, I’ll count this as Nick’s solo event that could have been on the cruise. (Kinda bummed that Nick, Brian, and Kevin have no solo events on the cruise. I didn't try to participate with Howie and AJ's casino stuff because the only card game I know how to play is solitaire.)  

Update: Just checked Twitter and Eddie said it'll be at the Hard Rock Cafe and that's the same restaurant me and a BSB friend ate at last year before the cruise. How funny! The food was good, but could have been better. Also, maybe I'll be able to pick up some KISS merch for my brother there. What's even more funny though is yesterday when I heard about this, I was telling my dad that I think the Hard Rock Cafe would be big enough for this and then I was concerned about the time and me being able to make it there. I said if it's dinner it shouldn't be any earlier than 4 p.m. because we aren't old people lol and Eddie tweeted something along those lines.So many Backstreet coincidences lately. It'll be really easy for me to get there too! Yay!

I really need this vacation so I’m highly anticipating everything! Got my outfits all ready for each party. Not too happy about how my Studio 54 outfit is coming along just because it doesn’t look too 70ish to me, but I didn’t go the hippie route because Studio 54 was more glamorous than that. Also, I have to come up with my outfit for Nick’s dinner. 

As for the Wylee party, I’ll only be going if I win Leighanne’s contest. Otherwise, I’ll be utilizing the pool and hot tub at the hotel for as long as I can lol. 

Definitely won’t be swimming with dolphins since I’m doing Nick’s dinner and I won’t be doing any excursions at Half Moon Cay. I did want to visit South Beach this time since last time I ended up going to Bayside Marketplace, but I don’t think I’ll have time to go to South Beach. Kind of wish I arrived in Miami Wednesday, but too late for that now and that would mean more money spent on another hotel stay. 

I’ve realized I’ve had so many firsts thanks to BSB-cruising, Bahamas, soundchecks, after parties, making a duct tape outfit…this list could go on. They really help me to live life to the fullest! 

Oh, the nerves and excitement!

Nick & Knight Chicago Review 9/27/14

Day 2: Getting to the Show

At this point, it's my second Nick & Knight show and I'm still on a high from such a fun time I had the night before that I had hardly any sleep. I had to post my pictures on Facebook and comment on all the great moments that had happened. I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't turn away from my computer and was reminiscing on Nick being so great at the first show! So after dropping my friend off around two in the morning and posting online, I probably didn't try going to sleep until around 4 a.m.

Anyway, I got up around 10 a.m. to start getting ready for the next show! I ended up talking my brother into going to this one otherwise, I would have had to take the train and it's always more fun to go with someone else anyway.

I knew he wanted me to come with him to his guitar lesson so he wouldn't have to drive back to pick me up, but he kind of surprised me on how early he wanted me to be ready by. Luckily, I had my outfit picked out a couple days before (although I wasn't completely sold on my outfit, I'm glad I had something prepared) and quickly got ready and drove to his house. Once I got there, I played with the pups, Sophie and Star, and after about an hour we left for his guitar lesson. I was able to get ready a little bit more at his house but wish I would have had more time for my makeup. I guess I was lucky he was going and driving lol.

Here's a picture of my brother's adorable dogs, Sophie (dappled long-haired dachshund) and Star (Welsh Corgi).

It took awhile to get to his guitar lesson and I ended up waiting in the car trying to sleep, but couldn't, thanks to a loud-mouthed guy who parked right next to us and was talking on his cell phone about his bitchy ex-wife. He sounded like a girl talking to his girlfriends gossiping lol. So after enduring that, we were finally on our way to the show after a quick stop at McDonalds.

At first I thought we were leaving too early, but I'm glad we left when we did. Usually driving to Chicago would take about an hour for us, but with all the stupid construction it was more like over two hours. We still arrived to the House of Blues early, around 2:30 p.m., and at least I didn't have to worry about getting to VIP late. We stayed in the car and I ended up going in around 3 p.m. I think. I went straight to the Nick VIP line and this time sat on the floor waiting. So glad I was able to sit lol. I think I ended up being a little further down the VIP line than the previous night just because this VIP had more people. That surprised me because I thought the first concert would be more crowded. Meanwhile, my brother waited in the car lol. I told him he could come into the House of Blues, but he didn't want to just yet.

VIP

Waiting for VIP was pleasant as I was able to sit and ended up talking to a nice girl next to me in line. Her name is Carrie and she has a lovely English accent. We talked about life, Nick of course, the cruise, health care in England vs. here in America and other things. It's always fun to chat to other fans who appreciate Nick as well. If you happen to read this, Carrie, contact me! Would love to keep in touch.

So the VIP process went pretty much like the day before and before I knew it, I was in the same back area waiting for Nick to come out!

Nick arrived! He gave us all hugs and we started the question and answer portion of VIP. I don't remember too much of the questions asked because I was focused on remembering mine but I remember a funny moment and I'm pretty sure this happened during the second show VIP. A girl wanted Nick to sign her Nick & Knight cd on the bottom of the cd because track 6 (I think it was track 6) wouldn't play. Nick ended up signing it "just kidding" and I thought that was funny. I actually had something similar like this happen to me and my I'm Taking Off cd because there's skipping during Falling Down. I play that song a lot, but it was like that from the beginning.

Another question I remember that was hard to forget was one girl asking Nick what his favorite sexual position is. Me personally, I wouldn't ask something like this but at least it wasn't a boring question lol. I could sort of feel Nick was a tiny bit uncomfortable with the question, but he still answered it (to me kind of dismissing it) by saying all of them lol. Typical guy.

I also remember someone asking him when he is going to have kids. Another question I personally wouldn't ask just because people are asking me that and it gets on my nerves. I think he said maybe a year from now and then mentioned how he's getting old lol. He'd be a great dad.

I was able to ask a question! I asked Nick what his favorite dance move is on this tour. He said he likes dancing to "Drive My Car" and then when he's on the floor for the "Pony" song lol. I would have to agree with this answer ;) Plus "Drive My Car" is one of my favs off the album.

I was pretty much in the same spot during q and a as the day before and I didn't take any video or pictures because I wanted to fully enjoy the moment, but I'm hoping someone posted something on Youtube.

Now it was time to take some pictures! I felt like I wasn't as prepared as the day before for VIP, but still managed to come up with a question. I absolutely had no idea what I was going to say to Nick this time and wish I was more prepared, but everything still turned out wonderful.

I had Nick sign my laminate. I wish I could've had him sign my copy of  Facing the Music but I didn't want to hold the book the whole day. Guess I could have just brought the book jacket, but usually it's signed inside the book. I also wish I could have had Nick personalize my laminate, but I felt like I didn't want to be too pushy or ask for too much.

While Nick was signing my laminate, I had time to talk to Nick for a bit. I didn't think of what to say beforehand so what came out was "thank you for being so nice." I really did want to thank him for being so nice the previous day and for just being a nice person in general because every time I get to interact with him, he's nicer than the last time. That's one of the reasons why I'm a fan of his because I wouldn't be a fan of anyone who thinks they are above anyone else or is rude to their fans and he's really just an average person like one of us and gets it. However, I wish I would have thought of something more clever to say. Nick said "thank you" and then winked at me, which was kind of surprising (that's kind of Howie's thing lol), but so sweet. We took our selfie and our picture.

I did have this plan to "return the favor" of the kiss he gave me the day before with kissing him on the cheek for this picture, but I didn't have the guts lol. I think it was because it was a bigger VIP crowd this time around and also because I'm a big ol' chicken haha! Plus, it took all my guts the day before to muster up the courage to ask Nick to kiss me that I didn't have nothing left lol. I ended up hugging Nick and that's the best feeling right there :)

Soundcheck

Geez, I don't remember too much about the soundcheck. See, this is why I usually like to write these reviews up as quick as I can...damn work! I think this was pretty much a repeat of the previous soundcheck, but still awesome to be there and hear Nick and Jordan prepare for the show. This time, I made sure to be on the right side of the stage because even though Nick and Jordan work the stage well, Nick tends to favor the right side and plus I wanted to be front and center for his "pony" dance lol.

I do remember thinking that the Jordan fans were wooing a lot and I wanted Nick to get his fair share of woos so I wooed lol. I also remember Nick dancing and me yelling "Go Nick!" and then the group of girls laughed at me. Whatever. I kind of felt like Jordan was getting more attention and I wasn't going to let that happen haha!

Jordan was also acting diva-ish during this one too, but I can appreciate his passion and can tell he's a nice guy...just not as nice and laid-back as Nick :P

Didn't take any pictures during soundcheck because due to the rush in the morning, I didn't clean out my cameras and didn't have that much memory left.

The Show!

Well, I had to endure the same opening act again. I just didn't want to do an extra hour of standing.

What was cool though was that they ended up playing their girly slow version of a Metallica song and I thought my brother might appreciate that...or think they butchered it lol. I remember the Jordan girls surrounding me asked who sings this and I had to tell them. Thanks to my bro, I know a lot of heavy metal, rock, and eighties hair band facts and have a certain appreciation for it all, but I prefer some genres over others.

Speaking of my brother, I called him after the soundcheck to let him know that they are letting people inside now and that if he wanted to stand where I'm at, that he'd have to get inside. Well, he ended up getting in fairly quickly, but the crowd would not let him get to me for nothing. I kind of figured being so close to the stage, plus I just pictured everyone getting pissed that he's so tall. I think he didn't want to be in front anyway because he realized how pushy it was. By the way, this crowd was twice as pushy as the other night's crowd so it's good my friend didn't have to endure this one since she was worried about that. My brother ended up walking around and being by the bar for most of the show. I could tell he didn't like all the standing and he didn't want to even come inside. I told him I didn't pay for his ticket so he could be in the car lol. He came in!

Back to the show, so after the opening act mentioned Julia Roberts in the audience (didn't fall for that this time lol) and the drunk girl behind me was leaning on my back when I couldn't even practically hold up myself,  it was time for Nick & Knight!

They were running a little late this time and I told the Nick fan (who we've met during the I'm Taking Off tour) on my left that it was because of Jordan (shouldn't have said that out loud...got the stink eye lol) but they finally came out!

I felt really close to the stage, closer than the previous day even though there was still only one person in front of me like last time. The guys did the same songs and that was fine by me! I love the 90's mix (I was screaming my head off) and when Nick does "Falling Down." Although, I seen a YouTube video of Nick singing and playing the guitar to "Addicted to Love" and would have loved to have heard that live...so sexy...and I would have liked to have heard "I Got You." I could just listen to Nick sing all day and night!

 

I would say the highlight of the show for me was when Jordan was singing "If You Go Away" and I managed to get Nick's attention and he gave me one of his stunning smiles, a point, and a head nod. I couldn't believe it! I was stunned and ecstatic! I had to wave my hand like a mad woman, but it was worth it lol. This was so special to me! Thank you, Nick!

Here's a link to a YouTube video I found of the moment. So happy I found video of this. About 1:26 in is when Nick notices me.

Getting Back Home

I asked my brother what he thought of the show and he said it was alright, but I think he liked it more than what he led on. He mentioned that Nick was really rocking out on the guitar, which happens to be one of my favorite parts of the show. I asked him if he recognized any of the nineties songs and he did. Too bad the after party was for the first concert or we would have went.

We ended up getting something to eat closer to home and I just spent the night. The pups were jumping around on me all night and between reminiscing on the past two days and them being wired, I didn't get much sleep. I did however, catch a cold from someone in the crowd. I couldn't believe that considering I was taking two antibiotics for my stomach infection. Still coughing from it now, but not as bad. Totally worth getting a cold though lol.

Both shows were so much fun and Nick is such a down-to-earth, easy-going, great guy and I'm so proud to be a fan of his. He is so nice and I really appreciate his kindness. Nick also makes the show for me! He is such a good performer and brings so much passion to the stage. Wonderful VIPs and wonderful shows!

Now I'm getting ready for the cruise! Can't believe it's like two weeks away. Things are happening too quickly! I need time to savor each moment lol. I'm also keeping up with I Heart Nick Carter (plan on writing a review of each episode maybe after the full season is shown) and trying to keep up with all things Backstreet and Nick. Work is also getting busy busy. As for my stomach issues, I have to go in for a test but won't be doing that until January when I'm supposed to have health insurance. I just hope this pinching feeling won't get any worse.

I want to end on a positive note...BSB Cruise 2014, here I come!!!!!