Reliving My 2K

This. This was My2K -- 98 Degrees, Ryan Cabrera, Dream, and O-Town. Because I never had the chance to watch any of them live back then, it was so nostalgic and awesome to finally see them, even if it's almost 10+ years later.

Before the show started, and between each act, they played all the music from that era, like Usher, Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, and more. We were just jammin' all night long. Now, my own 2K is nothing without the Backstreet Boys, so I was excited to see Nick Carter in a video ad with Chex Mix, the tour's sponsor.

To open up the show, O-Town, sans Ashley Angel Parker, fired up the crowd with "Liquid Dreams," some of their other old songs, and covers of recent hits, such as "Am I Wrong" from Nico & Vinz. While I wasn't into them as much back then, it was cool seeing them. Out of all of them, Jacob and his vocals impressed me the most. Of course, they had to end with "All or Nothing," their biggest hit and my favorite O-Town song.

Next up was Dream, the ladies behind "He Loves U Not." Their debut CD? That was my fave! I can't say I'm too surprised, but given that I knew most of their songs, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't do just one more old song. "Mr. Telephone Man?" "When I Get There?" "Miss You Like Crazy?" They do have new songs coming out, so I guess that would be asking too much, but it would've been so great!

Oh, Ryan Cabrera. Another one of my favorites when I was in high school. I remember specifically during my junior year, his CD was one of the ones that I played nonstop when I first got my car. After all these years, it was awesome seeing that he hasn't really changed much -- still funny with that quirky yet adoring personality.

Now onto the main act... 98 Degrees! I have to admit -- I first laughed because they brought back that outfit... The vests. The camo pants. IT REALLY IS 2000 ALL OVER AGAIN! ;)

But, vests/camo or not -- they brought back so many of their hits. "Invisible Man," ""The Hardest Thing," "I Do (Cherish You)," "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)."

And I loved every second of it.

Oh, Jeff. He has always been my favorite member of the group. I have to admit, I was fangirling just a bit whenever he was on my side of the stage.

One of the best parts of the show was when 98 Degrees did a whole set on covers from some of the top TRL hits back then. You bet I was singing my heart out to "I Want It That Way," "...Baby One More Time," "All The Small Things," "Wannabe," and more. It was a total blast.

Every few songs or so, each member would individually come out to address the crowd. Of course, with Nick, he also took this time to sing his solo hit, "What's Left Of Me."

After this, they did a Prince cover medley of "Let's Go Crazy" and "1999." It was pretty cool because they brought out all of the acts together (see the first picture of this post!).

And, at last... they had to save the best for last, which was "Because of You." This was one of the songs I distinctly remember trying to record from the radio on a cassette tape at my grandparents' place back then. Oh, the memories...

Once the show was over, both O-Town and Ryan were signing autographs for anyone who purchases their merchandise. Count. Me. In. For Ryan. It was well worth it!

This show just so nostalgic, and was truly one of the best concerts I've been to because it was practically my entire playlist back then. When/where else can I jam out to these hits that's not at home, in the car, or during karaoke? Just, love! Now, if the rumor of Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls touring together would only come true...

Eighteen Years

Most of you probably have that one celebrity/musician/pop star that you were just in love with growing up (and maybe even now!). Maybe it's Justin Timberlake or Harry Styles. Maybe it's Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez. For me, it's Nick Carter.

When I saw he was coming to Sacramento for his All American Tour, I splurged on VIP tickets and it was SO worth it. I mean, eighteen years. And I was obsessed with him when I was younger. The girl with the posters all over her walls? That was me. So you can only imagine the excitement I felt when this moment finally came.

By being VIP, there was a soundcheck party, meet-and-greet, autographed poster, and priority to his general admission show.

Right when we got in, we saw him on stage. Part of me was like, "Is this REALLY happening?" The soundcheck was fairly quick, but we were able to see him perform his version of "As Long As You Love Me." 

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After the soundcheck, we stood in line to do the meet and greet. As I approached Nick, I told him, "I literally waited 18 years for this!" And he was like, "What?! You've never been to one of the solo shows?" I have, but only his first solo tour YEARS ago, which was "Now or Never." He was so sweet and it was just great to finally meet him. (Insert happy sigh here.)

I was so excited to find myself in the front row, almost right in the middle. Nick practically did a little bit of everything, including songs from all Backstreet Boys albums, his first solo album, his album with Jordan Knight, and of course, his newest album, "All American."

He pulled some moves he learned from his run on "Dancing with the Stars." And when he pulled his classic Backstreet moves? All of us pretty much died.

My only wish was that it was a little longer -- 90 minutes went by too fast and was just not long enough. Also, specifically for the Sacramento show, that there wasn't such a big gap between the stage and the barrier.

But overall? One of my favorite memories ever. I've seen the Backstreet Boys multiple times in the past, but this was the closest I've ever gotten AND the fact that I finally got to meet Nick? It was practically a dream come true, after 18 long years.

Trippin' on Skies, Sippin' on Waterfalls

In Oakland's Fox Theater on February 8, I was among a diverse sold out crowd, waiting for Troye Sivan to come onto the stage.

Perhaps like many Troye fans, I first of Troye after Taylor Swift Tweeted about him calling his song, "Wild," "STUNNING AND AWESOME" on September 15, 2015. I didn't think too much of it, until the following week. Sam Smith posted his single cover on Instagram and said Troye's voice "does things to his body." At this point, I knew I had to check the song out.

And of course, to no surprise, I was very impressed and fully understood why such talented folks were posting about him. I instantly became a fan. At the end of November, his Blue Neighbourhood Tour was announced, and with the tickets only at $28, I figured, "Why not?"

A couple of weeks later, Troye released "Blue Neighbourhood" and I could NOT stop listening. I literally have played it 30 times, according to iTunes. The songs are a bit more on the mellow side, but oh so catchy, and his voice is just soothing.

During the concert, Troy amps up the music and bass, making most of the songs more upbeat, which is perfect for the crowd. I brought my friend who has never heard his songs until a couple of days before, and she instantly became a fan. Lately, I've been hearing his new single, "Youth" on the radio, so I'm very glad that he is getting more airtime, as he so deserves.

If you have a chance to check out his concert (if it's not already sold out!), you must. Or, the least you can do is listen to his album -- trust me, you won't be disappointed!