Sunday was a huge day for boybands here in Los Angeles. The American Music Awards were going on and the New Kids on the Block were performing. The Jonas Brothers announced a free show at the House of Blues following the AMAs, and the Backstreet Boys were playing the Hollywood Palladium. Backstreet was my priority. Besides, I’ve already seen NKOTB (twice), and the Jonas Brothers this year.

I’ve been a fan since 1998 when I was throwing a raging kegger at my home in Auburn, Massachusetts. (My parents were away on vacation.) My friend Mary started talking about ‘NSYNC, and my best bud, Erin, was like, “Nope, Backstreet is way better.” I rolled my eyes and laughed at them. Then, they convinced me to put on my sister’s VHS of BSB: Homecoming in Orlando. Suddenly, I knew what they were obsessed over. When Nick sang, “I Need You Tonight”- I cried. Brian won my heart in that video, but I had a dream about AJ that night, which immediately made him my favorite. That freed up Brian for Colleen.

BSB became a part of life. The boys kept my high school group of girls connected while we went off to college. We would always plan Backstreet adventures, and traveled all over. We maxed out a few credit cards in the process. My friend even got tattoos. Being a Nick and AJ fan, she got a “Shining Star” on her neck, and the Chinese symbols for “Wild and Free.” I think Sunday was my 15th concert, solo shows included. (Man, I loved AJ’s alter ego charity shows as Johnny No Name) I’ve been to Orlando, Toronto, New York City, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Boston - all for the boys.

Those were the days…the smell of Joop in the hallways always meant AJ had just been there. There was the time when we were in the elevator, and Kevin came in for the ride to the lobby. I’ll never forget the screams when those doors opened to a huge mass of fans. I can only imagine what it feels like to know they are screaming for you. We’ve battled blizzards, car breakdowns, girl-fights, term paper due dates, budgets and security all to see our boys, and I don’t regret a second of it. To this day, whenever I’m down, I throw on a little BSB and life is suddenly much better.

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While most of the country is swooning over the current crop of Swedish acts like Lykke Li and Robyn, Sweden’s original dance-rockers The Sounds proved that their fan base hasn’t gone anywhere, with a full-capacity crowd at the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday night.

The Sounds began their raucous set with fan favorites “Living in America,” “Dance with Me,” and “Hit Me.” When it came time for “Queen of Apology,” lead singer Maja Ivarsson climbed to the top of the drum stand and announced, “I know we’re gonna have a good time tonight.” Read more…

After the huge opening of “Twilight” over the weekend, the rest of the world is realizing what we’ve known for some time: There’s no stopping the Twilighters. During the past year, fans have weighed in on the trailers, the exclusive clip on the Movie Awards preshow, and the cast’s appearance on the Video Music Awards, all on MTV’s YouRHere site — and now that the film is finally here, of course they’ve taken their reactions online.

Read more about fans’ “Twilight” reactions at MTVNews.com.

YouRHere user makeadeathwish has been reporting on the recent Los Angeles Proposition 8 protests just as the MTV News team has. Our own Kim Stolz even spoke at a New York rally over the weekend.

He shot this video, as well as several others, Saturday in Los Angeles while marching with protesters who carried signs with slogans like “All I want for Christmas is equality” and “Love, not h8te.”

Is there a news event happening in your neighborhood? Upload photos or videos of it, and then write a report at YouRHere.MTV.com.

For an area that doesn’t see much seasonal change, it feels like the fall is finally settling in. No, the leaves aren’t changing colors (or falling), but the temperature has dropped down to the high 60s, and as South Floridians usually react to a slight changes in weather, they have made exaggerated scarves, snow boots and fur coats all the rage. Though the line formed outside Ft. Lauderdale, Florida’s Culture Room is for the very poppy Hellogoodbye and even poppier opener nevershoutnever!, you’d think the crowd gathered was here to see a much gloomier band such as Bright Eyes or maybe even Wild Sweet Orange. A poppy summer-esque band could never play to a crowd adorned in winter apparel, right? Well, considering the fact that none of the extra layers and thermal underwear are needed, then yes, a pop show to Floridians in snow boots is definitely fair game!
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Gregg Gillis has way more fun than anyone should have. The scrawny, floppy-haired musical mad scientist behind Girl Talk always seems to be bouncing out of his skin, with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face, which is invariably illuminated by the glow from his plastic-wrap-covered laptop. I’ve seen GT three times this year and every time it was one of the best parties I’ve ever been to.

Because, at the end of the day, Gillis does the one thing most bands have forgotten they’re supposed to do: He makes sure every single person at his show is having the absolute best time … ever. And you could tell they were, from the GT-simulating fashion on display – gold lamé leggings, tie-dyed union suits, 1980s prom dresses and way, way too short shiny mini skirts for girls, headbands, ironic T-shirts, H&M hoodies and Day-Glo Chuck Taylors for boys – to the sweaty, nonstop dancing on the sold-out floor of Bogart’s.
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Billy Bragg, in interviews as well as live shows, has often talked about seeing the Clash live at 19 and how the event changed his whole perspective. I have a similar story with similar details: When I was 19, my view of the world was also changed forever, but instead of the Clash, it was Billy himself that was doing the inspiring — and the feelings he awakened in me during that first show I saw of his are still being ignited in teenagers today, 10 years later.

This past weekend I traveled from California to North Carolina to see the last two shows on Billy’s East Coast tour, planned as closely to Election Day as possible to drum up support for Barack Obama and to fire up all the lefties to get to the polls. (It worked!) The last show, on a crisp Sunday night in the beautiful hippie haven of Asheville, North Carolina, was one for the history books. The energy and enthusiasm from the crowd bounced off of Billy as he ripped through new songs and classics, and even added a few tunes that were not written on the set list. Opening with “Help Save the Youth of America,” the audience was immediately enraptured, and the fire in his voice and sparks from his guitar strings kept fans and performer alike excited throughout the entire two-hour set. “You guys are the most politicized mother—-ers I’ve seen yet!” he screamed after a rousing rendition of “There Is Power in a Union.”

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Swedish indie darling Lykke Li capped off an impressive performance at L.A.’s El Rey Theatre on Monday night with a completely unexpected encore: a cover of A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?”

It started with a vaguely familiar “Doo, doo doo, doo doo,” but it wasn’t until she broke into the opening lyrics that I realized, “Holy sh–, she’s doing Tribe!” And even though she’s been schooled in Swedish pop, don’t let her credentials fool you — this girl can flow. Li balanced her sugary sweet “doo’s” of the chorus with powerful delivery of the verses, on par with an MC Lyte or Salt n Pepa.
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YouRHere user kelley4021 got this photo with the boys of Metro Station backstage at Sonar in Baltimore. If you’ve got a picture of you, your friends and the band, upload it at YouRHere.MTV.com!

Check out all of kelley4021’s uploads at YouRHere.MTV.com….

Last week was a pretty epic 8 days of shows here in LA, with everyone from Kings of Leon, The Foo Fighters, DJ AM, Jay Z and Weezer playing over the course of the last four days. And those are all the shows I missed. One of the shows I did go to however was the Low vs. Diamond, Alice Smith, Santogold and Ting Tings at the Wiltern Tuesday night. And yes, all four of those acts were at the same venue on the same night, and no, it was not a festival. Just another night in the city of angels.
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