I’ll start this post off by saying that since I went to my first concert in fourth grade, I’ve seen thousands of concerts and have done hundreds of meet and greets – from country stars to pop stars.
I’m talking about being in a fan club back in the day before the internet when someones you didn’t know if you would get a meet and greet because there were random drawings and you had to wait by snail mail to see if you were meeting your favorite singer.
Trust me, we have it SO good now!
I’ve met people from Rascal Flatts, LFO, 98 Degrees, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Toby Keith, New Kids on the Block, and I could go on and on.
The Backstreet Boys VIP experiences are the best that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m not just saying that. I did my first one in 2010 at the acoustic concert before the first cruise. I’ve done one every tour since then (and even holiday shows when they are offered) and have had VIP after party experiences.
Backstreet Boys, along with Nick’s VIP experiences, have always been so great, so memorable, and just plain fun. The Las Vegas experiences have probably been some of the best because so much work was put into making VIP great with lounges, games, snacks, drinks, and more. It’s a lot of hard work and sometimes working with different venues every single day is not easy.
As Backstreet Boys fans, some of us do not realize how good we have it. We get the opportunity to get a solo photo with the boys (NKOTB is a group of 10, along with the five guys. You have to pay even MORE for a solo photo). I’ve had meet and greet experiences where no photos were allowed and only autographs (especially back in the old days).
I have always said that a fan experience is what you make it. Don’t go into an event with expectations. Don’t go into a concert and think that yes, Nick is going to give you a rose, or that you are going to be picked to be brought up on stage during the show. Do not go on the cruise thinking that you are going to hang out with AJ all night and become best friends.
I have gone into each experience like that with no expectations and come out thinking I just had the best time in the world.
I understand that some people go into these things nervous, but at this point in the game, we all know how VIP works. They are meeting a ton of fans so you are not going to get a five-minute conversation.
They have been doing this with fans since, I believe, the Unbreakable tour? Or was it Never Gone when they had passes you can win? I know, shocking, there’s something BSB-related that I don’t know. (I didn’t get to see those tours 🙁 Sad, I know.)
The boys always, ALWAYS, try to make the experience something worth remembering because they understand that this might be the only time that a fan may get to meet them. They hug you, sometimes you get kisses, try to talk to you in those quick moments, and will even do any kind of photo you want.
When there are artists like Avril Lavigne who didn’t want to touch or stand close to fans in meet and greet photos or like Christina Aguilera who charges four times as much as a BSB meet and greet and no hugs are allowed, we need to remember how good we have it.
Because you know what? The Backstreet Army has it better than any other fandom out there. We need to remember that.
