Get your own Free Home Page(LIME, August 1997)
Hold on tight everyone! The Backstreet Boys bounce back into the spotlight with a sophisticated new album and image! Angela Lee gets a glimpse of a matured BSB at their concert in London, and, with the screams of fans ringing in her ears, records this diary of events!
We land in London's Heathrow airport to discover it's wet and blustery and brrr a chilling 13 degrees Celsius outside. "Shoulda brough a sweater," I think as I run through the biting cold into a waiting taxi.
The skies are still stormy grey as we (a bunch of Asian journos) head out a day later to Wembley Arena--the 13,000-seat concert venue where Backstreet Boys are playing tonight. We stop at a nearby hotel and I make a beeline for the Ladies' Room. There, I meet 16-year-olds Sam, Amie, Kelly, and Carlotte, four mega BSB fans hiding out in the hotel washroom to wait out a sudden downpour. "Aha!" I think as I whop out my tape recorder and conduct my first interview ever in a restroom!
So who's the biggest BSB fan here?
All point to Kelly: She's obsessed! She gets palpitations. And she's recorded every little bit about them off the telly since 1995.
Kelly: I don't sleep when they're in England! I've never met them, although Nick's grasped my hand, once.
I heard you English fans are a bit mad.
Amie: Nah, we're pretty laid-back. London fans are catty, though. They think they own the boys, and then you come down for a concert and they'll look at you like, "Who are you?"
What makes the Backstreet Boys so hot?
Sam: They can actually sing! And they play instruments and act, too. So they're way better than Take That!
Charolotte: They dance really well. Nick puts everything into his dancing, doesn't he?
Amie: Yeah, his tongue hangs out when he gets going!
Tell the truth now, how much have you spent on these boys?
Sam: Just this week alone, about 200 quid (S $500). I spent it all on merchandise, travel, hotels--we went to see them yesterday in Birmingham. But it's all worth it.
At the Arena, they let us in as far as they foyer. Seems the boys are doing a soundcheck and no one's allowed in. We're reminded that we're not to ask the boys questions during the Meet & Greet before the concert. We will, however, get to talk to A.J.'s mom, Denise, who's now one of their tour managers. It's dead boring waiting around, so I brave the rain outside to talk to some fans. Many of them have been there all day. I come across two girls, Jenny, 15, and Rebecca, 13, huddled in the doorway and think, "These two look like they've suffered for their heroes!" I strike up a conversation.
You guys are soaked!
Rebecca: I know, I'm standing out here thinking, "Why am I getting myself wet for hits?" But then I think, "They're just too good to miss!"
Jenny: Since they're hardly in the U.K., we follow them around everywhere. We've been here since noon waiting for the tour bus to arrive.
So when did it arrive?
Jenny: About 3 p.m.. Someone shouts, "There's the tour bus!" and we all scream and rush over.
Rebecca: And when Nick steps off the bus, he takes off his hat and his beautiful blonde curtains swing down!
Curtains?
Rebecca: Yeah, his hair. He's gone back to wearing curtains.
Who else was on the bus?
Rebecca: There were the little Backstreet Boys (five boys made up to look like a young BSB) and I think Nick's little brother, Aaron, was with them. And A.J.'s mom.
What sets BSB apart from other boy bands?
Jenny: They respect their fans!
I talk to several others who all tell me how much they're looking forward to the concert, how they'd simply die if they got to meet the boys, and how long they've been standing out in the rain. One draft girl tells me who's spent a whopping L2000 (S $5000) in tavel expenses and gifts for the boys!
I need to use the washroom and security lets me past the foyer. One the way back, I poke my head into the auditorium, hoping to catch a glimpse of the guys. But it's dark, and there's no sign of them. I wask past a merchandise stand. They're selling Backstreet Boys pillowcases, t-shirts, key rings (the cheapest items), mugs, flags, and sweaters. The programmes have a 3D BSB logo on the cover.
A bunch of us journos are waiting in the Silver Mint Room to meet the and. they arrive and are duly mobbed. A.J. breaks free and comes over to shake my hand. For I minute I think he recognizes me. "The names aren't coming to me, but the faces are," he says apologetically.
Dressed in a red velvet suit, a wide-brimmed hat, gold chains, and a walking stick, A.J.'s looking very sharp. All the guys, in fact, look very grown-up. Kevin stricks a handsome figure now that he's stopped pretending to be a teenager. Howie's changed the most, looking real slick in long hair that he's tied back. Brian and Nick look a little lost, until they spot some fans and busy themselves signing autographs in a corner.
I sidle up to Kevin and show him LIME's premier issue with BSB on the cover, he smiles when he remembers having to guess which Singaporean fruit was which. He and A.J. sign autographs for me before scooting off.
I'm allowed to tag along with Alistair, the photographer, to the camera pit directly in front of the stage. They've kept us waiting for eons and we've missed all three opening acts: Deni Hines, Solid Harmonie, and the "little" Backstreet Boys. (I learn later that the crowd went nuts over Aaron, Nick's younger bro.) The air's filled with the din of screams. Fans pass bags and bags of gifts to the stewards (what the English call security guards) for the boys.
Fans begin to chant "Backstreet Boys! Backstreet Boys!" the video screens have all gone blank, and the crowd have risen its feet in anticipation. There'll be no sitting down tonight! Someone on the floor waves a huge Backstreet Boys flag.
The place erupts in a roar as a voice booms out "Nick Carter!" and Nick's baby pictures are flashed over all the video screens. Then we see old photos of A.J. riding a pony, Kevin in his high school football gear, Brian in a hilarous bowl haircut, and Howi baby sitting pretty. The band takes their places on stage and kick the concert into high gear.
A curtain falls away and there, standing before 10,000 screaming fans, are the Backstreet Boys! The guys open the show with We've Got it Goin' On. I'm so close to the stage the music's deafening, and the hammering of the drums is making the hair on my head quiver. I look up and Brian's grinning from ear to ear, obviously giddy about performing in a place this big. Nick dances so close to the edge of the stage I could jump up and touch his shoe if I wanted to. Watching him, I realize he's really grown and is beginning to fill out his lanky frame. Kevin's wearing his hair short and spiky in front. And woo hoo! A.J. lets go with a couple of pelvic thrusts that almost knock me back into the front row. Then Nick takes lead on Let's Have a Party. He's already covered in sweat, his silver earring and neckchain glistening in the light.
Kevin addresses the crowd: "A dream has come true for the Backstreet Boys because of all of you!" he says, pointing to the crowd, who scream (what else) in response. I learn later that the boys make it a point to show their appreciation by holding Meet & Greet sessions before every concert. The guys quiet things down with an a cappella version of Just to be Close. We're ushered out of the pit as the fourth song begins and led back to our seats. I rent a pair of binoculars--good thing, 'cos our seats are way up at the back!
Howie mops his face, then leans toward Brian, and together they sing the first strains of Everybody (Backstreet's Back), the new single off their new album. Then hold up! Brian stops the guys mid-way and tells us they can't continue with the song, and that we'll just have to wait for the new album to come out. Argh! To cheer the fans up, they guys launch into everyone's BSB fave, I'll Never Break Your Heart. Then, as the girls sway back and forth, arms linked or in the air, the guys run off stage, leaving their saxophonist to play out the song.
It's time for something special. The guys come out one by one to sing solos of their favorite tunes. Kevin starts the medley off with Nobody But You. And in a move the girls soon won't forget, he steps up to the wind machine, which ships back his open shirt and reveals a set of rippled abs. Whoa.
Howie emerges from the shadows to croon Betcha by Golly Wow in his smoot and sexy falsetto. The stage is bathed in pink and purple lights. Very romantic. Very grown-up. As he hits the last notes, he pulls of his shirt (I spot a trend here), to reveal a newly-toned body with no hint of baby fat.
Then it's Nick's turn in the spotlight. Wearing a white shirt and green courduroy pants, he caresses the microphone and wails the words to Heaven. (Which is where his fans are after he finishes the piece!)
As Brian walks out, a light shines on a bookshelf, table, and chair on stage; he sits and pours his heart into One Last Cry. Things get decidedly funkier when A.J. jumps onto the stage with a break-all-the-limits version of Brickhouse. No sign of the injured foot he's supposed to have suffered in Canada. And he's joined by the rest of the BSB. Nick (yay!) is wearing lime green! The medley of songs comes to an end with nary of false note among them. "Let's see any other boy band do that!" shouts the person next to me.
Little troll dolls fly through the air onto the stage during I Wanna be With You. Kevin reciprocates by dedicating Anywhere for You to everyone at Wembley, and even invites us to sing along on Darlin'.
The guys take a bow and leave the stage. But the show's far from over. A sound like thunder rolls through the auditorium and smoke pours from the stage. Nick appears behind an enormous set of drums and begins to thrash on it for close to 10 minutes. His drum solo ends with an explosion of lights. He's joined by Kevin at the piano and together they play 10,000 Promises. Nick tosses his drumsticks into the crowd at the end.
A blue light illuminates the stage. And the guys power out the show with their tribute to testosterone, Boys Will be Boys. They end on bended knee, say their thank yous, and are gone in a flash. But if you think their fans would let them go wihtout an encore, you're wrong. The Backstreet Boys come out one last time to sing Quit Playin' Games (With my Heart). then it's one final boy, a final kiss, and then a wave...They're taken down through the stage floor until they disappear from sight.
Stepping out into the cold once more, I accost a group of girls and ask them what they thought of the concert. "It was brilliant!" one screams into my mike. "We've been to one of their other concerts before but this one was incredible!" squeals another. "Wasn't Nick's drum solo absoloutely wicked?" "I thought the piano bit was lovely!" I leave them to their revelries and continue on my way, ears throbbing from the din of the event I'd just witnessed and the excited, post-concert chattering of 10,000 tired but hapyp BSB fans.
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