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| Backstreet Boys thrill teens and moms alike at show By JAMES BURGER, Californian staff writer e-mail: jburger@bakersfield.com Wednesday October 17, 2001, 11:22:00 PM Sweat-starred Backstreet Boy Nick Carter motioned a set camera close -- his face mirrored into infinity on the video screen behind him. "This is for all of you 'cause I can't get out there," he said. And, leaning in, the blond-topped pop idol kissed every teen-age girl in the Centennial Garden arena hello through the camera lens. A wave of screams broke over the stage and swept down from the rafters to engulf Carter. He pumped his fist in the air and leaned into the screams. Wednesday night, Bakersfield's population of under-20 females spent a month's supply of screams on the local stop of the Boys' Black and Blue tour. Sarah Howe, 14, and Megan Langenfeld, 13, painted their faces half blue and half black for the event and wore T-shirts with "I (heart) BSB" embroidered on the front. "They have really, really good music," said Sarah. "You can relate it to your life." "And they're hot," she said. "Very hot." But teens weren't the only Backstreet fans at the Garden Wednesday. Vickie Bell, 45, "dragged" her teen-age daughter, Cassie, to the concert -- their third run-in with a Boys' road show. The elder Bell, a member of the Backstreet Boys fan club, got them front-row tickets over the Internet in a pre-sale open only to club members. "I went on the Internet and I prayed," she said. When Bell got the tickets, she drove to school and pulled Cassie out of class just to deliver the good news. In reality, Bell didn't drag Cassie, 13, to Centennial Garden. The two were having a blast together as they got ready to see the popular fivesome. "I think they're awesome," Cassie said. They were just two of the 8,700 fans that flocked to the Garden, surging through the doors in waves regulated by the red and green undulations of crosswalk signals on Truxtun Avenue. Hip-hop star Sisqo warmed up the crowd. The Backstreet Boys took over around 8:25 p.m. -- their stage exploding in pyrotechnics timed to punctuate the impacts of a storm of meteors smashing into the earth on the video screen. Amid the smoke and simulated ruin, the five pop singers were lifted into view from underground hideouts. They took the stage to a storm of screams and kept the crowds howling with high-speed dance moves and crooned renditions of their well-known tunes. In the middle of the music, the boys stopped and took some quiet time to welcome their fans and thank them. "We would not be able to come to your beautiful city if it wasn't for the Backstreet fans -- and that's you," said Brian Littrell. A.J. McLean thanked the fans for supporting him in his recent battle with substance abuse problems. "Because of you this will be 105 days sober and climbing," Backstreet Boys rock S.L. in style Krystal and Sisqo also put on a good show at Delta Center By Scott Iwasaki Deseret News music editor BACKSTREET BOYS, SISQO and KRYSTAL in concert Oct. 5, Delta Center, 7:30 p.m.; one performance only. It was a hearty welcome back party for A.J. when the Backstreet Boys made a stop in the Delta Center last night. In fact, A.J., who served a stint in rehab last summer for treatment for alcohol abuse and depression, was in top form as the group hit the stage. The not-so-sold-out audience still sounded like a full house when the boys emerged a la hydraulic lifts that rose from the stage. And when the fireworks, fireballs and comets — yes, comets — hit the stage, the audience went wild. Two large screens hung on either side of the stage with a huge circular screen dead center. They caught the boys in action and gave the nosebleed seats a great view of their idols. "Larger Than Life" was among the energetic tunes that the band (behind the boys) played. The boys were also flanked by 10 dancers, who sometimes got in the way of the scene. The boys each took time to speak with the audience and also took time to joke with each other as the night went on. Sometimes the video screen would feature backstage images of the five in a seemingly spontaneous costume change. But looking closely at the screen, any fan could tell it was a prerecorded gig, thanks to A.J.'s hair style. Still, it didn't matter. The band emerged at the back of the Delta Center for a heartfelt rendition of "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely," which they dedicated to one of their crew members who lost his life in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. A long extended ramp connected the small stage to the huge front stage, which looked like the wings of a B-52. Slick choreography and some stylish pauses only added to the fans' frenzy. But the boys weren't the only ones who posed well. Opening acts Sisqo and Krystal did the same. Although they weren't backed by a live band (can you say glorified karaoke?), they danced, strutted and flaunted their bodies with some heavy grooves and sometimes nice vocals. Krystal was especially good when she broke out of karaoke mode and played the piano. Her "Supergirl" and a version of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" wasn't bad, but no one can sing like Michael. Sisqo also pleased the crowd with his trademark "Thong Song," but in the end, all that the fans really wanted was the Backstreet Boys. 9/08/01 I went to the BSB concert on September 8th in Boston. I left about 3:00, and got there about 3:45. it only took 45 minutes. So I was all excited. so we had 3 hours to kill. We walked around and I saw my friend, shes like JAMIE! so we talked, she was going to tommorows show, but she got there at 1:00 AM, to see their vans come, and she saw them, but she said they went by so fast. So we went and ate, there were all bsb fans in there. it was funny, and then we decided to go to the venue, and we saw the IZONE camnera people, and they had this big board. They would take your picture with the camera, and u would stick it on the board, and you could write a message to them. They would bring it to their dressing room. So I did it. my friend signed it like 5 times. The messages were funny. One said "JAMIE FOXX SUCKS!! So there was already a line to get into the venue, but we decided to wait. I got a concert poster too. So after an hour and a half, they finally let people in. We had section 319. We got there, and it wasnt bad at all!! They weren't little dots on stage. I was happy. I was supposed to meet my online friend, but I didn't get to:( my mom said they wont let u on the floor, unless you show them ur ticket for the floor. So I was mad, and buy the time I got to my seat, it was 7:20, I got there, and the screen wasn't facing towards my section, I was like WTF. It only faced the front, so the people in back could see. I was on the side. But there was an empty section..so the screen faced towards that, so I just went over there to watch it sometimes. .ok now for the concert. Sisqo came on at 7:30. He wasn't as bad as I thought. I was like "ok the sound is pretty bad." I REALLY hope it's not like this for bsb. It was muffled, like to much bass. But Boston liked him a lot. 8:30, the boys come on!! I was like YAY. I haven't seen them since '98', so this is great. and they started with "everyone". The sound was bad. Muffled. and you could hardly hear them talk. and it wasn't because of the screaming, actually it was pretty quiet when they talked. but the sound goes towards the front so yeah. Boy did I wish i was in the front row lol. Nick was acting SO wild!!! :eek:. He was hanging upside down in the pit and everything. and when he went down for the dressing room thing, he took his shirt off, and everybody started screaming. and THOR made an appearance during "DWYB" I was like AHHHHH. then him shaking his JB during "SS". Damn, I wanted to be in the front row. AJ looked sooooo good. Him and Brian said Boston will hold a special place in their heart cause thats when they postponed the tour. I felt special lol. Even though I'm not from there, but still. I don't want to talk about every detail, take too long lol. But they were soooooooo good. Oh and during "GAB" AJ had these yellow boxers on, they had a smiley face on them. it was over his clothes. It was sooooo funny. I think he threw them into the audience. Kevin had his hair in cornrows. He was acting kinda wild too. Oh and Howie came on stage before the concert, when they were giving away the 5 packages to win. and yes, they did perform drowning. It was sooooo good. It seemed like they rushed the show. Like they waited like 5 seconds, then they went right into the next song. I was so sad when it was over. Aug. 30, 2001, 2:33AM Backstreet Boys together again at Compaq Center By MICHAEL D. CLARK Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle A dose of cruel reality within the cozy, sheltered life of a guy group may be the best thing that ever happened to the Backstreet Boys. EXTRA • Setlist On Wednesday night Backstreeters came to the Compaq Center and, for only the fifth time since member A.J. McLean left a rehab center for alcohol addiction earlier this month, delivered their Black & Blue tour to an effusive crowd of primarily kids (with parents) and teens. In the process they became the first modern bubble gum group to prove there is life after getting chewed up and spit out. "Today is 56 days sober and counting," said McLean, standing on stage alone as if in front of a massive AA meeting. "I want to thank you for all your support. I wish I could give you all a hug and a big fat kiss." Album sales to the contrary, the combination of superior voices, tighter choreography, better video filler and personal camaraderie make the Backstreet Boys -- for the second year in a row -- the best live boy band in the land (a nice way of saying "Backstreet rules, 'N Sync drools"). By the numbers, here is what Houstonians got for their $39.75 -$124.75 per ticket: - 9,200 was the approximate paid attendance at the Compaq Center according to early estimates from Clear Channel Entertainment (not even a fourth of the throng that turned out for 'N Sync's Astrodome show last month). - 110 minutes of music. - 22 songs in the set, half of which came from Black & Blue, the BSB's latest album. - 8 wardrobe changes, which ranged from white tuxedos to matching baby blue jogging suits. - 6 bombs-bursting, spark-spitting, wet-wired pyro-technic displays. -1 tour sponsor that couldn't be more appropriate: Pop Tarts. The most important figure, however was 0. This was the number of times McLean, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell were seen working independently instead of together. `N Sync had better toys and a bigger stage, but a lack of inter-band chemistry is its downfall. BSB also suffered from this in the past, but McLean's ongoing recovery has clearly brought them together. On a stage shaped like a giant wingspan of an airplane - backed by three giant video screens and covered with trap doors and secret passageway - BSB was propelled onto the stage by rising ivory pillars. Meteors pelted the earth behind them and the fiery effects of the onslaught were hitting the stage. Calm was only found when the quintet greeted the aggression with Everyone and Larger Than Life, two songs that allow each member to demonstrate his solo ability, harmony follow-through... and latest fashion statements. Littrell has definitely packed a little weight on under his toe-headed surf cut (a backstage bystander saw him with coloring foil in his hair much of the day). Dorough has cut his wanna-be Creed, all-one-length long hair, making Richardson's Allen Iverson-esque cornrows the worst coif in the band. The hair is a horror, but the singing of every member has improved remarkably since the group's futuristic show last year. Unlike 'N Sync there was no detectable taped voice dubs, giving the entire night a more spontaneous, live feel, as it should be. On the new Yes I Will McLean's rough-edged New Jack soul got the loudest applause of the flawless collaborative effort. Littrell's mix of baby talk and street talk works well against Carter's open-air tenor and Dorough's lower reach on the recent non-album track What Makes You Different (the song can be found on import copies of Black & Blue) . They closed the opening 30 minutes with former chart climber I Want It That Way. Blondes Littrell and Carter handled the verses with the brunette squad of McLean, Dorough and Richardson adding soft vocals. A video lighter burned on the screen behind them, which is just as well since those in this underage crowd shouldn't be carrying Bics anyway. A video montage time-traveling to an interview with a graying BSB in the year 2050 (in the old man make-up they looked a little better than the Rolling Stones do today) was a clever bit of self-deprecation It was enough time for the Boys to change into peg-legged royal blue formal wear for a combination of gems from its five-year-old, self-titled debut including As Long As You Love Me and Quit Playing Games (With My Heart). Fans at the opposite end of the arena became first-row fans for a two-song acoustic set on a smaller second stage. In black two-piece suits, the boys stood back-to-back in a circle striking the notes of Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely . The end was a high altitude, well-choreographed dance party with BSB joined by 10 young dancers for high energy tracks Everybody and Get Another Boyfriend (which has a suspiciously similar melody composition to Britney Spears' ... One More Time). When it came time for the Shape of My Heart finale, the Backstreeters had spent an evening slapping high-fives, horsing around and genuinely enjoying each other's company while singing songs that are whipped cream for the brain. They looked like a group of guys with a renewed energy for the good fortune they've had after a brief glimpse at where some bad luck could lead them. 8/25/01 Backstreet's Back: Tour Resumes With A.J. And Lots Of Love MILWAUKEE — Boys, even Backstreet Boys, will be boys. At the band's first show since A.J. McLean left a rehabilitation center where he was treated for alcoholism, depression and anxiety, more than 14,000 fans at the Bradley Center welcomed the group back Friday with screams and shouts of "We love you, A.J." The Backstreeters themselves, however, welcomed A.J. back with Silly String, dousing the mustachioed singer with the sticky stuff, along with hugs, as they wrapped up their first show in almost two months (Click for photos from their Black & Blue tour.) While that might have been the group's playful way of saying, "Welcome back, bro," the Boys did take time out to thank their fans for waiting for the group's Black & Blue tour to resume as McLean sought help. After the opening salvo of "Everyone," "Larger Than Life" and "Not For Me," Brian Littrell spoke for the whole group, saying, "As you guys know, we took a little break. If it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't be here tonight. But the Backstreet Boys aren't the Backstreet Boys without all five of us." After Littrell got the mostly female, mostly teenaged crowd to cheer for each of the group's three albums, he turned the stage over to McLean. Wearing a white suit and hat similar to what he donned for last year's solo tour as his alter ego Johnny No Name, McLean told the crowd he was trying not to cry as he thanked them for their support. "I just wanted to say I wish I could go out and hug each and every one of you," the choked-up McLean said. "Thank you for letting me go through what I needed to go through to get myself better. I'm celebrating 51 days sober today. "One day at a time," he added, drawing on a well-known motto of 12-step addiction recovery programs. The audience didn't need Nick Carter's exhortation to "scream as loud as we can for A.J." — McLean consistently got the biggest cheers of any of the Boys throughout the 110-minute show. Looking trim and sharp with a fresh buzz cut, McLean took every opportunity to give love back to the crowd, kissing a video camera during "Don't Want You Back," hitting his solo with extra-soulful flourishes during "I Want It That Way" and hamming it up at any opportunity. All five Boys conveyed a sense of excitement and relief throughout the show, exchanging knowing glances and smiles and hugging each other often. While the concert relied as much on spectacle as on music — with pyrotechnics and pre-taped skits occasionally slowing down the pace — the Backstreet Boys' camaraderie and love for their fans came through loud and clear. The group's rendition of "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely," delivered from a smaller, circular stage at the back of the arena, was almost somber, even as each of the Boys waved and smiled at the crowd, all the while accepting stuffed animals and other offerings from adoring fans. Crossing a bridge over the audience back to the main stage as they sang "Time" from Black & Blue, each Boy took time to reach over and grab a hand or two. The audience's unconditional love for the group, and particularly A.J., came through loud and clear every time one of them took a close-up on the video screen. And while some audience members admitted that the group's disclosure of McLean's substance abuse problems might have let a little bit of the air out of the Boys' balloon, most said that the group's forthrightness more than made up for it. "It's cool that they would be honest with their fans and not lie about it," said 14-year-old Kristen Robbins of Madison, Wisconsin, referring to McLean's difficulties. "But they used to say, 'We don't drink, we don't smoke because it ruins the vocal cords.' They lied in one sense, but told the truth in another." Nine-year-old Nicholas Benson of Milwaukee, wearing a fresh BSB T-shirt, was more forgiving. "A.J. was sick, and I'm just glad he got better," he said. And in the end, A.J., with Silly String hanging off his head, just smiled. Backstreet's back, all right. For a feature interview with Backstreet Boys about A.J., check out "Backstreet Boys: 'We Want To Be Honest.'" For our full coverage of A.J. McLean, check out "Backstreet Boys: The A.J. Files." —Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448398/20010825/backstreet_boys.jhtml?headlines=true http://a1924.g.akamai.net/f/1924/29/998763360499/www.mtv.com/shared/media/news/images/b/Backstreet_Boys/sq_aj_live_mtvn.jpg By ROGER CATLIN The Hartford Courant There's a film bit in the Backstreet Boys "Black and Blue World Tour" in which they picture themselves 50 years from now, trudging on as old men, straining to keep hip despite hip replacements. The Backstreet Boys more immediate paradox is trying to present more mature songs to an audience that keeps getting younger. You'd think it was a circus at the ctnow.com Meadows Music Centre Thursday for all the grade- schoolers being pulled along by their parents. Ah, but that's the secret: The group's endless ballads are currently doing better on adult contemporary charts than the regular Top 40. The first of two nights at the Meadows began like it was going to be a big stage production: A long, incomprehensible prologue about meteors being shot to Earth, each one possibly being a Backstreet Boy. Anyway, it involved a lot of fireworks. Then, having arrived on perches onstage, the five take off in the kind of singing and dance numbers that made you admire their mastery over either breath control or pure lip synching. The upbeat first few numbers of welcome, though, made way for a very long string of ballads, from the nice A.J. McClean obscurity "What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful)" to a string of romantic promises including "Yes I Will" and "More Than That," culminating in the one song they just might be remembered for, "I Want It That |
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