Backstreet Boys

Fan Club Username: http://backstreetboys.com/users/lauramariefu

 

 

Location: Chicago, IL

 

 

Twitter: @lauramariefu

 

 

When I’m not being a loud, proud Backstreet soldier, I’m a digital librarian. I design, implement and support corporate digital asset management solutions. In a nutshell: I help large companies organize their digital files.

 

 

I was born in West Virginia, and moved to North Carolina when I was a baby. Then we moved to Michigan, where I grew up. Now I live in Chicago with my 2 cats, Bialystock and Bloom. I’m still a diehard Tar Heels basketball fan (sorry Brian!). I’m a classically trained violinist who dreamed of playing in Carnegie Hall, but now I just volunteer for a community orchestra.

 

 

In 2013 I joined the local gym and hired a trainer to get toned before cruising the Bahamas with my favorite Boys. Now I enjoy my weightlifting routine and the occasional 5K (PR 31:18!!). I’m a huge US history buff, and I’ve traveled all over the continental US, but the 2016 cruise will be my first European vacation.

 

 

 

There are too many! My first memorable BSB encounter was in 1998. I was a college freshman on Long Island, and I skipped class to see the Boys on TRL. I was in the Times Square crowd holding a huge sign that read, “Marry me Kevvy Kev!” It was the closest I’d ever been to them and it was such a rush!

 

 

But my favorite BSB memory was from the 2014 cruise. My roommate and I were randomly picked to play Don’t Forget The Lyrics with the Boys! My turn was when Howie sang Enrique Iglesias’ Hero. I was so star-struck and nervous; I just stood there with the mic. Brian came over and whispered the answer in my ear, which happened to be, “I will kiss away the pain”. And my heart just melted right there on stage.

 

 

My all time favorite BSB song is More Than That. It has such beautiful lyrics, and I love the string instruments. But it was also the last Backstreet Boys song I got to listen to with my boyfriend before he tragically passed away 4 days later. This song reminds me of that time together and always brings a tear to my eye, and a smile to my face.

 

 

It has to be Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)! This was the song that turned me into a fan. I was a senior in high school when the single was released, and I remember hearing it on the radio and seeing the video. It was everywhere, and it is classic Backstreet Boys at their best.

 

 

I tell people that BSB saved my life, and in my mind, they truly did.

 

 

Backstreet Boys were crazy huge when I was in college (1998-2002). All the other students loved Dave Matthews Band or Eminem, so I was picked on a lot. I became very shy and anti-social and never dated, for fear of being mocked. And then in 2001 I met a guy who respected my adoration for BSB. Max said it was good to have something that made me happy, and to heck with anyone who didn’t respect me. He thought it was cute how in love I was with BSB, and he even had their latest album.

 

 

I was 21, in love, and had someone to enjoy BSB music with. Things were going great. I even got us two-floor seats to the Black & Blue tour at Nassau Coliseum. Then my life changed forever. Max went missing. After 3 weeks, police found his body and charged another student with his murder.

 

 

My world collapsed around me, and I was in a dark place for a very long time. I became very depressed. Then I blasted my Backstreet Boys music in my dorm. Their voices, those harmonies, those sickeningly sweet lyrics that told me everything was going to be OK actually made everything OK. Whenever I was feeling depressed, I listened to BSB, and the pain magically disappeared, even if only for a moment.

 

 

The tour was delayed for AJ’s rehab, and when I finally got to see them, I sat next to Max’s empty seat. But I wasn’t alone. Then 5 days later I watched the 9/11 attacks in NYC from my dorm window. And once again, music helped me ease the pain.

 

 

When I met Kevin for the first time, he had just had his second son. Maxwell. I blubbered my story about Max to Kevin, through sobs, and he hugged me tight. He said how sorry he was, and he thanked me for being strong and being a fan. That moment of pure catharsis was captured in my M&G photo. And when I have a bad day, or I’m remembering sad times, I just turn on a Backstreet Boys song. And I know things will be OK.

 

 

 

Being a BSB fan is like having a million friends. I went on the cruise alone but came home with a bunch of new friends. Fans are there to get that video or a different angled shot of your random moment with BSB. They understand when you burst into tears when your song comes on. From the cruise, to this Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, to this summer’s Chicago events (sans Kevin and Brian), I’ve made wonderful memories with and thanks to my fellow BSB soldiers.