Last modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 1:15 PM EDT The newly reunited New Kids on the Block are, from left, Joey McIntyre, Jonathan Knight, Donnie Whalberg, Jordan Knight and Donny Wood. (Associated Press) Still 'Hangin' Tough' with the New Kids BY JESSICA KOSOWSKI SUN CHRONICLE STAFF My small 10-year-old fingers flew over the keypad as I dialed the phone number, heard the busy tone, hung up and dialed again. I must have done this at least a hundred times before I finally got through, started screaming in excitement and handed the phone off to my mother for her to complete the transaction - all the while jumping up and down, unable to contain my excitement. You would have thought I had just won something really great. Nope. I had just gotten through to Ticketmaster, which meant I was going to my first concert - New Kids On The Block at what was then Foxboro Stadium. I immediately called my cousin to tell her the good news and invite her to come along. A veteran concert-goer by this time - she had already attended a Debbie Gibson show - she accepted the invitation and together the two of us planned what T-shirts we'd be wearing. With all our excitement, you'd think that we had scored great seats. Not true. By the time I had gotten through, all that was left were some of the highest seats in the stadium. I think my parents, cousin and I were literally three rows from the top. But it didn't matter. I was going to see NKOTB in person and that was good enough. When the tickets came in the mail, I stared at them for hours, still in awe of my good telephone luck. I was able to sneak peeks of them every day leading up to the show, which seemed to take forever to arrive. Meanwhile, I maintained my elaborate display of devotion to NKOTB - plastering an entire wall of my bedroom with posters, cutouts from fan magazines and those oversized buttons. Every inch of space on that wall had something New Kids-related on it. Obviously, I couldn't sleep the night before the concert and spent the entire day, which seemed hopelessly long, watching the clock, just waiting for when we could leave. Finally, we set off for Foxboro Stadium. After finding our seats, I was about to burst from all the waiting and then, just as daylight faded, it was time. Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, Donnie Whalberg, Jordan Knight, and my favorite, Jonathan Knight, took the stage, singing all the songs I had memorized by listening to the cassette tapes on my little red radio. I strained to see the group from my perch so high above the rest of the stadium, and finally realized that I could see the nuances of each performer on the large screens set up for people like me in the higher seats. When the final notes of the show were fading into the summer night, I realized I was totally star struck. I saved everything from that concert - even going so far as to paste the ticket stubs onto a piece of paper labeling it "The best night ever!" Since that night I've had many "best nights ever," but that concert still stands out in my mind. In reminiscing with friends throughout high school, college and beyond, it seems like the New Kids concert at Foxboro Stadium was many girls' first concert. We described to each other where we were seated, and laughed about how we were probably right next to one another. Now that the band has reunited, all those friends want to go back to hear them sing "Hangin' Tough," "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" and "Please Don't Go Girl," and to sing at the top of their lungs wearing those old T-shirts they dug out of closets or drawers. A desperate search of my own closets and drawers didn't yield all those adored fan items from so long ago - just a VHS tape of a concert "Hangin' Tough Live" - even though I know I'd never have given them away or thrown them out. Those were memories, mementos of one of the most exciting nights of my young life. I guess I'll just have to sing a little louder at Sunday's KISS Concert to make up for it. JESSICA KOSOWSKI can be reached at 508-236-0331 or at jkosowski@thesunchronicle.com.