On February 23, 2001 at 3:00pm outside of GM Place, I had an encounter of the Backstreet kind. My dad and I were on a cab to Chinatown and the Backstreet Boys were playing all over the radio. It never occurred to me that I shouldn't be wasting my time going shopping, but my dad and I did anyway. After Chinatown we walked around until we got to GM Place for the sixth time that day. By the end of the day, it would escalate to ten times.
Anyway, I didn't want to be pushy about going there because my dad was acting as my tour guide and I didn't know my way around. He was the one who suggested we go there and I was no idiot. I agreed to it and we crossed the street to the parking lot. And that's when I saw it.
The day before I had been on the alert big time. In fact, after the first few hours of my arrival, I had pinpointed their hotel and what mall they had been in that day. Later on I found out what floor and which stores they were at, but for the first couple of hours that was pretty good. Also, it was a cute guy who told me that, which was even better. I guess I stood out from most people with my purely black and blue attire.
But the one thing I was searching for the entire time was the black bus. I found it at the hotel, but it was empty, we found it at the parking lot, but it was empty. I knew whereever the bus was, my Boys were right along with it.
We found over twenty-two red buses and over thirty in white, but we didn't actually see the black bus until we crossed the parking lot. I wasted a ton of my film on the buses, so when it came time to using it, I didn't have any left!
Anyway, right beside the black bus were at least forty girls, all waiting patiently for someone important to come out. They screamed at all the false alarms - except for me. I kind of just stood there on my toes trying to see. When Kevin actually came out, even then I didn't scream. I think it's because I respect them; either that or it was because I couldn't actually see him, and we had so many false alarms already.
Kevin crept into the bus I was slightly disappointed that my camera ran out of film and I didn't really get to see them. Just the top of his head. Later, I would be more disappointed that most of my pictures didn't turn out:(.
I went around the bus to the other side, where I saw someone pushing an environmental poster into a guard's face and less girls than on the other side. I managed to wiggle my way in and broke my number one rule waiting for Kevin to come out of the bus: I didn't talk to any of the fans. It could be that I was in shock, because the night before I talked to some total snobs. That's my other rule, stay away from people in Vancouver who wear "whore boots" and short, black skirts. They didn't actually do anything to me, but they kept giving me these looks.
Anyway, Kevin came back out of the bus with one guard. One guard! For forty people! What was he thinking? Also, the barriers they put up didn't cover the flowerbed I could have walked over or the fact that I could leap over it in a single bound. The thing is, Backstreet fans are so great they wouldn't do that.
Then, instead of going back into the building after gracing us with his presence, he marched up to my side of the bus first and signed autographs for us. When I say that he's perfect, I mean that he's perfect. His face is just to die for, he has no open pores (yes, I was that close), his eyes could be compared to emeralds, but they are not nearly as perfect. He could pass as a God, I swear to you. Pictures do not do justice. Speaking of pictures, I had none left to take close pictures of him. Curse my luck! And if anyone disses Kevin in front of you send them to me and I'll give them the biggest b*tch*ng out the human race has ever seen. HE'S PERFECT! I was hysterical and I never get like that! It was the first time a male had ever brought me basically to my knees from the God-like visual that is he!
Kevin stayed with us for a while, conversing and signing autographs on his palm. I could have said something I guess, the crowd was silent, but I was in awe. He was so nice that he signed autographs for a bum and seemed really comfortable with him.
I had to stand on my toes and migrate slowly towards Kevin to get my autograph. I saw many people with Backstreet collectibles but I had a single sheet of paper that I stole from the hotel. Actually, I didn't steal it, I asked for it.
When Kevin finished giving people their autographs, they moved back and made room for me so that I could get mine. I stuck it out in front of him and he took it gracefully, signed it quickly on his hand (he is a leftie!), and passed it back to me, reaching out for more. I should have held it closer to my palm so that he would touch my fingertips, but I was in shock. Really. I stopped breathing and the whole deal. My dad was telling me to calm down or he would take me home. I had a concert to go to later, so I obliged as best I could. And it was extremely difficult. It was my first time people, give me a break!
I didn't have any breathing problems at the concert itself, I guess because I was in shock again. But that's another story....
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