The Backstreet Boys Live!
It was a very special day in Dublin. Not only were all and sundry celebrating St Patrick's Day (and Stephen Gately his birthday), It was the first night of the Backstreet Boys' tour. Smash Hits jetted in to catch all the action.
THE BEGINNING... It's 8.30pm at the RDS in Dublin, the lights are down and the tension is high. Explosions rock the stage as Nick, Kevin, AJ, Brian and Howie appear on stage.
THEY'RE WEARING... Cool black and silver outfits topped with Usher-style goggles and baseball gloves.
HAIRDO! You saw it first in Smash Hits - AJ's amazing Janet-style 'do. But he's not the only one to sport bunches - Nick's hair is tied back too!
WE LIKE IT... as the Boys belt out their first three numbers That's The Way I Like It, I Wanna Be With You and Hey Mr DJ, they show off the slickest dance routines ever.
OOH, SAUCY! AJ bumps 'n' grinds through each number, giving cheeky glimpses of his six-pack; Nick shows off his death-defying spins; and Brian gets cute with the huge TV-style cameras that flash images of the guys onto massive screens each side of the stage.
THE SET... It's simple but effective. A black backdrop is covered with tiny white, red, purple and blue stars. The lads work the stage and dance on top of enormous speakers at the back of the stage.
SLOW IT DOWN... It's time to get smoochy as the lads serenade the crowd with solo ballads. An unbuttoned Howie throws roses into the crowd and petals fall from the sky. In an emotional moment, How' rips off his shirt to reveal a rippling six-pack. Nice.
MORE, PLEASE! AJ (what a voice!) and Kevin (the dance demon) follow suit, before Brian appears on stage with his guitar and strums his way through the self-penned That's What She Said.
AND NOW... NICK! The crowd goes nuts as Mr Nice appears at the back of stage, bringing out goose pimples on 5,000 bodies. As his song ends, Nick playfully peers through his sweat-drenched fringe. Cue more goose pimples!
PARTY PEOPLE! Everyone's back on stage and the Boys jump around to Let's Have A Party as petals and streamers fall from the ceiling.
OI, QUIT THAT! Uh-oh, trouble on stage! The band muck up the start of Quit Playing Games and Howie's not happy! They try again and guess what? Yep, they muck again. The Boys are not impressed. "Listen, we'll do it ourselves," booms Howie. So Nick takes over the drum kit, Kevin hits the keyboard, AJ and Howie pick up the bass and guitar, and Brian gets behind the bongos.
WA-HEY! We always knew the Boys were talented, but they're really out to impress tonight. The band stands at the side of the stage, looking worried, as the boys cruise through the number with ease.
WANNA DANCE! The Backies slow it down again with beautiful renditions of All I Have To Give, Anywhere For You, an a cappella version of I'll Never Break Your Heart and As Long As You Love Me.
BYE-BYE! The Boys shake their thing around five fold-up chairs before leaving the stage. What, is it all over?! No way no way!
ENCORE! Huge yellow lights flood the hall and the backing band gets seriously funky. The Boys return (at last) sporting a change of outfit. It's time to Get Down - especially for Brian, who AJ picks up and playfully flings to the floor!
IT'S ALMOST OVER! (SOB!) Darkness engulfs the hall. Suddenly, the video for Everybody (Backstreet's Back) blasts out from the massive screens. As a scary, hooded figure with blazing red eyes swoops round the stage waving a scythe, five coffins appear behind him! Slowly, the coffins creak open to reveal the Boys striking corpse- like poses.
SEE YA SOON... The place is rocking, but in a flurry of fireworks, the show comes to a breathtaking end. 'Til next time, fellas!
THE BITS YOU DIDN'T SEE:
- Nick and Brian playing basketball before the gig
- The lads' ritual prayer before going on stage
- The two lads at the back of the hall gettin' down. Boy bands, watch out!
- AJ, Howie and Kevin carrying on the party into the early hours with Smash Hits at cool Dublin club The Pod. Don't they ever stop?!