When the news of a free Backstreet Boys concert drifted down Comm Ave, BU girls from every school shrieked with joy. Any worry about internships or classes drifted away at the premise of fulfilling our biggest childhood dream–meeting this boy band!
The lines were long, Hatch Shell was overflowing, and the venue closed early. Overly-excited teen girls stood in any nearby open spaces they could find, hoping to overhear MixFest. The streets became a sea of screaming faces.
First came Gavin DeGraw, a MixFest veteran, with a surprising amount of swag. Someone tell me, how old is he again?!
He even came out to visit us in the crowd. Oh hey Gavin…fist bump anyone?
Yes, please!
And then it was time. Time for the Backstreet Boys to come “Backstreet’s back, alright!” They stormed the stage, older and wiser than they were back when we had their posters on our walls, but their dance moves and clothes hadn’t changed.
Their performance was nothing but true to their 90s boy band image…
With a few hip thrusts too many, they quickly came and left us wondering if we had really just seen our teen idols up close and way too personal.
The Hatch Shell began to empty when Of Monsters and Men took the stage. It was nothing against them or anything, we were just too tired from screaming our lungs out at the Backstreet Boys.
Until next year MixFest!
(Shoutout to Dunkin Boston for the VIP tickets!)