Who else would I choose but Jeff? Those of you who know me well (or not so well); know that I have absolutely adored this man since August 8, 1997.
The year was 1997 and I was 19 years old. I had made a new friend, Christina, off the NKOTB-KKO fan mailing list.
It was a balmy summery night in August. Christina and I had been crushing over the Backstreet Boys all summer long. I am not sure if many people are actually aware but 98º's self-titled debut cd was released in July of 1997. A month before the Backstreet Boys cd and a year before *Nsync. But I got my friend, Tuni, to get her sister to get me the Backstreet Boys cd from Canada so we were way ahead of the crowd. As usual. ;-)
Why all of America didn't realize the amazing talent of 98º first? Poor marketing on Motown's part. Sorry, Motown, but this is true!!!!
Anyhow, Christina convinced me that I had to see this incredible group composed of these 4 really HOT looking guys from Ohio. To be honest, I wasn't fully on board.....but it wasn't like there was anything else going on for me that night....and not to mention it was only 10.61 to get into 6 flags that night....and FREE to get into the concert. What? We logged on to http://www.98degrees.com/ to learn as much as we could so we would be cool knowing a little bit about them. Christina had the single(see below) and we listened to it on the way there trying to learn the words to "Invisible Man" so we could sing-a-long like nerds that we were and I am still am! They made an appearance on "Good Day Dallas" that morning which sealed the deal because I was already drooling when I saw them sing "In The Still of the Night".
Looking back, it was actually one of their very first concerts....and with that in mind. It was mind-blowing performance. There wasn't much dancing or choreography....but beautiful vocal arrangements. They definitely owned the stage in a way that most seasoned performers do. I was very impressed. Not to mention they were all gorgeous! Yeah, I mean I was 19. How deep can a 19 year old girl be? I think I had to wipe the drool from the corners of my lips a few times! Even though this was my third concert going experience...ever in my life...I knew they were different. That they weren't like the Backstreet Boys(who are a great group in the own right and I have much love for you B-Rok®!!) and certianly a far cry from NKOTB.
All the girls went wild over them. All 50 of us. I don't think there were more than 50 or 60 people that night. Dallas is definitely not a place where people are ahead of the curve when it comes to new music. Even to this day. Makes me wonder why anyone even comes here on tour?
But after the show they all stuck around and signed autographs for us. Christina was the ONLY person to have the full length cd that she bought at the merch table before the show started.
(Here's a tip for all the newbie concert goers out there. Go to the merch table BEFORE the show or during a song or intermission and buy your stuff. It's a mess after the show is over. )
I am not sure about anyone else's experience with meeting 98º because that was actually my ONLY meeting with 98º ever. Although over the years I've had the immense pleasure and good luck of meeting Jeff several times. :-)
But they were extremely nice. Probably a LITTLE too nice and flirty.....I just figured they were just trying to sell cds. :-) Still kind nonetheless.
After the show, Christina and I had to pick our favorites and we couldn't like the same one because that would just conflict of interest. For instance, Jordan was her fave NKOTB'er so I had to go with Joe as to not step on any toes. The Backstreet Boys, she liked Nick and I liked Brian. LFO she liked Brad and I liked Rich. Nsync, I liked JC and I think she liked JC,too......but I think she ended up liking Chris because of his vocal talent? I can't recall who her fave Nsyncer was. What a terrible friend I am.
So I decided Jeff was my favorite because he was super nice and just the best looking one. I think Christina went with Drew because I decided that I liked Jeff so she just me have him!
Our moms thought our crushes on them would be fleeting. They even thought it was cute at first. Then they got really irritated that we would listen to the same cd over and over again.
Our moms even got in on the action. Christina's mom told us that Nick looked like he would be good in bed. We were like wth? At the time, Christina and I hadn't even kissed any boys, yet (yeah we were late bloomers. What?!? Leave us alone) much less have any idea what a guy would be like in bed. Yikes!
My mommy thought Jeff was a freaking dorable. She liked Howie from the Backstreet Boys so it was kind of exciting we agreed on who was the cutest from 98º.
I listen to first 98º today and the songs have a completely different meaning to me than it did almost 13 years ago. Especially songs such as "Don't Stop the Love" or my most favorite, "Come & Get It"(I was just kidding. My favorites are "Invisible Man" & "Take My Breath Away"--I am playing this at my wedding..if I ever get married). Now I realize how HIGHLY sexual that first album was compared to 98º & Rising.
Of course, the song that most spoke to me from that album was "Invisible Man". I remember there were fansites devoted to that one song. I think what made it so successful everywhere else in the world but here(*ahem* I am still slightly bitter after all these years it only peaked at #12 on Billboard. even though Christina and I would spend all our free time calling radio stations requesting it...radio stations that were mailed to us on the fanclub newsletter. ha ha. I even called Valentine in LA a few times. I really hope that no one from 98º was listening that night)
is that everyone has felt like the "Invisible Man" whether romantically or even in a friendship.
Everyone can relate to that song on some level. Kudos to the writers of the song, Dane DeViller, Sean Hosein & Steve Kipner! My mommy could sing that song with such emotion. So adorable. I wished I would have taped her singing it but I didn't realize that she would be gone so soon. My mother passed away in 2006 and a very dear memory of mine is that we would watch the "Because of You" video over and over again because my nephew, Ryan, loved that video. She would be so tired and weak from her disease but we would just forget about what was going on for an hour a so when we would watch the 98º collection dvd. She loved her some Jeff! :-)
After taking a break from his album, "Whisper That Way" which topped the adult contemporary chart singles and making a huge impact in the Japanese and other Southeast Asian countries(what can I say? Asian people love Jeff!); Jeff is back with new music!
Currently, you can download his album for FREE at Reverbnation.com. Many artists have been known to give away free EPs but it's a rarity to be given an album's worth for free without any strings attached. Thanks, Jeff! But I still want a few physical copies because I love reading liner notes.
Over the past almost 13 years that I have adored Jeff, I've been to a few obscure performances and have had the immense pleasure to see him perform solo and with Jim Brickman. At the Jim Brickman shows all the people around me would ask me a ton of questions about Jeff. I was like, dude, he's from 98 degrees! I apologize but unfortunately, that's how I speak in real life. I say "like" and "dude" a lot. I have only been to California twice in my life and that was just here in the past year. Don't judge!
Jeff may not be perfect because he is only human but he is such a good person. He's so kind to ALL of his fans. I am not sure how he does it because I asked my big brother, Chuckles, if he would be able to do what Jeff does when it comes to dealing with different personalities and his answer was, "HELL NO!"
Over the years and hundreds of shows and concerts that I have been to; Jeff still remains near and dear to my heart and I will drop anything and pretty much everything when it comes to seeing him play. ha ha!!
I admire him for his integrity, his intense passion for keeping his family life private, his respect for and kindness towards others. He's never too busy to stop to sign an autograph or take a picture. I have yet to meet a kinder soul in the music industry.
Thank you to Jeff for all you do! We appreciate you and love your music.
Check out my youtube channel: www.youtube.com/mickielicious for some videos I've accumulated over the years from shows.
Please, please, please go to www.reverbnation.com/jefftimmons2 to download the new album.
Also, on Monday nights you can listen to Jeff's BlogTalk radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/JeffTimmonsonair .
Here is a link to a really great interview Jeff did the other night:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/not_picture_perfect/2010/03/05/heating-things-up-to-98degrees-with-jeff-timmons
My first picture with the man! This is from November 2003. Crazy. We pretty much still look the same.
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