Now, we know what you’re thinking, NKOTB & BSB – but you two like Rock and Metal what’s up with that? We’ll be going into greater detail at a later date as to the foundations of the DevilBear, but essentially without both of those bands, DevilBearRock may never have been born.
Here’s our story of two rock girls gone pop!
WHEN DEVILBEARROCK
GO POP!
The DevilBear, mostly found in a moshpit, in a dark dingy venue, or a muddy field surrounded by sweaty tattooed and pierced rockers… but when we first heard the news about NKOTBSB it was 10th November 2010, and our first question was “When is it coming to the UK?”.
Our “man on the inside” gave us the scoop on a visit to Starbucks on a chilly October day after a morning of energetic charity work and a day full of a project totally unconnected to New Kids on the Block or the Backstreet Boys altogether, something a little rockier (and just completed a two week strint rocking out on the Stone Sour/Avenged Sevenfold co-headlining tour), but he was not surprised by our reaction.
The reaction of girls aged 25-35 was generally the same when met with the concept, New Kids and Backstreet Boys, together, one big show – we knew we’d have to see it to believe it.
We were promised yes they’d be bringing it to London after the North American tour set to kick off in 2011. So we waited, and waited. Roll on October 2011, 11 months later and finally we got the confirmation we were waiting for. (I’m ashamed to say the email I sent Bec to tell her of this was entitled “Squeal” – true story – Cheryl).
Whilst, yes, we were excited about the show when a second date was announced we decided to just stick to the one London show… we had no idea the effect the show would have on us over 6 months later.
In January 2009, a moment we’d waited more than half our lives for, to see NKOTB in concert. Unlike our guest DevilBear, Katie, we hadn’t been lucky enough to be allowed to go see the New Kids at Wembley in 1991. (Something both our father’s are yet to hear the last of by the way – yes Dad I’m looking at you – C).
READ KATIE’S REVIEW OF THE NKOTBSB LONDON WEEKEND – Including her review of the live worldwide online show webcast on Sunday 29th April courtesy of LiveBeats.
—–
To help you understand the reason for our (apparently shocking to some) decision to spend the weekend with 9 men we have to take you back, to the 90’s.
First up… here’s Bec’s story of a traumatised youngster…
To anyone with a passion for something, there is always something that caused the interest to start, be it a friend, a crush, family influence, peer pressure. For someone interested in rock, metal or music of the commonly considered antisocial variety usually that trigger is something traumatic – a need to express anger, hurt, depression and various other emo routed needs.
For me the initial drama happened in the early 90s – I was given the news the New Kids on the 
Block had split up!
I had the dolls, a scrap book, all their albums on tape, video and a bright pink sweatshirt that by then was so washed out it read ‘Nw Kds n he loc’ – I didn’t care, I was a super-fan and proud. At first I couldn’t believe it but it slowly began to hit me their popularity had begun to drop, there 
had been awful rumours of lip syncing, we’d lost Jon and they were not on Top of the Pops anymore. It was over and school was horrible that day – the boys laughed (insensitive wankers) and we girls locked ourselves in the bathroom and cried, vowing to never love another boy-band again. They later betrayed this promise becoming Take That or East17 fans – I turned to Guns’n’roses!
I remained true – NKOTB were my first love and couldn’t be replaced. The Backstreet Boys, N*Sync and 5ive, may have had a few catchy songs with one or two I may remember the words and dances to, but I couldn’t commit myself…it was cheating…and morally wrong.
I turned to Guns ’N’ roses and Nine Inch Nails with thanks to the Goth babysitter and her friends encouraging me to watch scary movies and drink beer in the garden.
Fast forwarding to my late teens and the end of Catholic School and its associated
dramas, I was listening to the more heavy rooted music, I liked guitars and drums and drummers. At university, I liked to dance in corsets and leather that showed off my tattoos. In my twenties, I liked a dark club with a Jack&Coke and music that made me angry.
And then in 2008 my boys retuned to me and all was happy with the world again – I could once again appreciate puppies, kittens and rainbows…Well that’s a lie, actually the whole thing is bullshit – I’ve always loved puppies, kittens and, green and yellow skittles. The point is MY boyband had returned as MEN…hot men, with muscles and hats and a song called ‘Twisted’.
And we thought it couldn’t get any better – we were wrong, oh sweet Synyster were we wrong!
The world’s first super boy-band, NKOTBSB, was created including Cheryl’s first love, the Backstreet Boys.
Luck was with us, we got floor seats and waited 6 months, where my-over excitement gave me an ear infection the week of the show, but on the Saturday night we were there in our prettiest outfits ready to scream and faint or in my case cry.
Cheryl can probably give you a more coherent run of events as my first ten minutes of the show involved tears and saying “Oh my god! It’s Jordan! Oh my God he’s there…he’s right there…I can nearly touch him…he looked at me…oh shit has my mascara run?”
————–
I guess we should take a little trip through BSB World with Cheryl…
When we trace back the roots of my travel-for-music urges, we can track them back to my early teens, whilst Bec turned her back on boy-bands traumatised by the break up of the New Kids, the slightly younger me found comfort in their successors, the Backstreet Boys.
Now old enough to go to concerts, mainly due to my Dad being out-voted by my mum, I went to my first Backstreet Boys concert with my then best friend – both 14 years old. My Dad dropped us off outside the Hammersmith Apollo and in we went with our three friends, we’d been luckyto get seats right by each other (Them infront us). Then, when I was 16 my mum got into the boys and started taking me to concerts outside of London, starting with France and then to Florida where we met up with friends she’d made online, they later became close friends and my honourary 
Aunties (or older sister’s in some cases) and we’d fly to Florida for shows with them.
By mid-teens I’d already started to develop into the early stages of Rock, but the BSB Pride kept me pulled in, the fun I had with my mum just kept us going. We did it all, even flying out last minute to New York to see AJ play his solo show as his more rockier alter-ego, Johnny NoName, he performed a number of covers including Stone Temple Pilots and Rage Against The Machine with a bac
king band.
When the Backstreet Boys returned from a long break, I was fully placed within my NuMetal phase but that didn’t stop Jon and I rocking up to the O2 Arena in London in 2007 (and then again in 2009 – although Kevin was sorely missed – Bec actually disowned me at the time), to see “The Boys” in action. We had a blast and it brought back memories of all the good times I had with my mum, and travelling to different countries, and she was with me every step of the way.
2009 was a very eventful year for the DevilBear’s NKOTB A7X, ATREYU, SONISPHERE FESTIVAL, BACKSTREET BOYS and more…. A nice variety we’d say, but something was missing… April 2012 would tell us what…..
—–
NKOTBSB AT THE O2 ARENA LONDON
As we waited (im)patiently that painful 6 months wait, we refrained from watching footage from previous shows in the US or earlier in the UK tour to ensure no surprise was spoiled, no treat wasted, and boy was it worth it.
The night finally arrived, Saturday 28th April, there were butterflies as we made our way out to North Greenwich, grabbed some dinner and made our way to our seats.
As the lights went down, the screens went up, as the 9 men popped up on the stage and launched into their first medley of the night… There went Bec, tears streaming down her face… and knocking an entire bottle of water over the floor (which left us in a puddle for the rest of the night – I felt like I was in the “Quit Playing Games” music video splashing around – Cheryl).
We feel Katie’s review provides a good enough run through so read it here for the full review, or head here to watch the show/check out the set list.
We would like to give a huge standing ovation and bravo to Mr Donnie Wahlberg on his performance in “Cover Girl”, it did not have us weak at the knees and swooning as he ripped that pesky black vest from his Abtacularly toned body, and if you believe that you’ll believe that we hate Metal!
Bec finally learnt to appreciate the Backstreet Boys and their style, she watched them interact and perform with “The Kids”, and when the youngest of the 9 men on the stage grabbed a White Fender guitar she was sold – we all know she has a soft spot for men with guitars. Bravo Mr Carter, well played.
When we finally got home, neither of us could sleep, we both finally switched off our laptops and headed to the land of nod at around 3am. By 9am the next morning our fingers were buying tickets for the second London show, we see the fact that suddenly 2 floor seat tickets were showing on the day of the show (which had previously only had level four nose bleed seats available) as a sign that we had to go again.
Bec got to touch Joey McIntyre as he walked through the crowd during “Tonight”, I got my wish and “The Boys” announced the return of Kevin Richardson, and AJ announced he was about to be a Daddy – which both those announcements got huge cheers, and the hints at another NKOTBSB tour with all 10 MEN we knew we’d be there again.
So ask us was it worth the wait? What do you think….
Click here to check out our DevilBearRock NKOTBSB Photo Gallery from the two nights taken by the team .
Here’s a few more from the collection:
No responses yet