The First Concert, The First Forever
the world was loud. And the Backstreet Boys were everything
Today I’m posting my original photos from 1999.
My first Backstreet Boys concert. Their first concert in Italy. Milan.
I went with Sonia — my best friend.
You know the kind of best friend I mean.
The kind that stays inside you forever. The kind you only understand if you grew up watching Monica & Rachel, Liz & Maria, Brooke & Peyton.
Back then, we thought we were more like Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon.
Of course, in Italy at the time, because of censorship, we didn’t know they were actually girlfriends — we were told they were “just best friends.”
But what we felt was visceral in the same way.
A bond so strong it went beyond labels. Even though everyone around us tried to give it one.
That’s why when I look at Buck and Eddie, I see me and Sonia.
And maybe that’s why some loves, some brotherhoods, some friendships can’t be boxed in.
They just are.
—
As for the Backstreet Boys…
I loved them then the way I love them now.
I’ve just evolved.
I started as a Brian girl. Then, when I grew up a little, I shifted to Howie. And today?
Fully AJ.
Growth looks like that sometimes.
—
So tell me.
What do you remember about the summer of 1999? And if you weren’t there — how do you imagine you would’ve lived it?
Were you a BSB fan? Are you still?
Who was your favorite? And what’s your song?
Mine will always be Incomplete. But also The One — especially once I understood the deeply Christian undertones in their lyrics.
Healing. Nostalgia. Faith. Music.
That was our summer.
