The Backstreet Men

Halloween '99

So to appreciate this post you may have had to know me cerca 1999 (shout out: Mom, Dad, Amy Scassellati). For those of you who didn't, to sum up, I was obsessed with the Backstreet Boys, and obsessed in the truest form of the word. I devoted a good section of my Y2K time capsule to my devotion to the Backstreet Boys, hosted a BSB themed birthday party (complete with Nick Carter cake) and sported an awkward and clonky (but well-painted, Mom) suit of cardboard to dress as their "Millennium" album for Halloween. 

So, what does this have to do with Buenos Aires? I'll get there.

Earlier this week, Anna and I were working at one of the rare cafes where it is socially acceptable to spread out, and stay for a long time while working on your laptop. Three men sitting next to us, in town for work, noticed we were speaking English, and asked us where we were from and what brought us to Buenos Aires. We told them that we were studying abroad and had been in Buenos Aires for about a month and half. They asked for recommendations on stuff to do for their day off, and we summarized the coolest things we have found here, and went back to our own conversations. 

As the men got up to leave, they thanked us for the recommendations and added: "Have you heard of the Backstreet Boys?"... ummm WHAT!? We're college aged, so ten years ago (BSB peak) puts us in the prime BSB enthusiast age. They responded to our positive reactions, "We're on crew for their concert tomorrow, I think its sold out but we could leave tickets for you at will-call." Okay, again, WHAT?! Did we just get free tickets to a Backstreet Boys concert? In Buenos Aires? An unfulfilled childhood dream, that I thought to be impossible for years was about to come to fruition!?

As we entered the concert venue the following night to the sounds of BSB's "I'll be the one", I felt like I was being rushed into a time machine to my ten-year-old fantasies. But wait, not only is Kevin missing (a now former backstreet boy, who abandoned the group to start a family), these are clearly no longer Backstreet Boys, but Backstreet Men. AJ is bald, Nick may or may not have been intoxicated, the choreography has toned down quite a bit in the last ten years, and the band doesn't have the stamina to perform longer than an hour and a half show. 

But don't let me mislead you, the changes did not detract from the awesomeness of the show! The
songs I knew, I danced along and belted every word like ten year old Alyssa would surely have done. (Apologies for the shakiness of the video, that was due to dancing and excitement)

My money shot: The band takes a bow, repping Argentina fútbol

I still just can't get over the coincidence of the whole situation. To quote my Oscar pick, 127 Hours, "Everything is... just comes together... This rock... this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. It's entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago. In space. It's been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I've been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath that I've taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface." Except for me, the girl who's parents thought concerts weren't the place for elementary schoolers (and perhaps rightfully so), it wasn't a rock, it was those free, will-call tickets, the right table, in the right cafe, on the right day, in the right country! I didn't pick Argentina over Spain for the internship and the more unique experience, it was fate, those tickets that didn't come in Spring of 2000  were waiting and had been waiting since the first time I heard "As long as you love me" on the radio. Okay, dramatic? Yes, I'm kidding.... really.