Saturday, March 1, 2003

By Andria Goodrow
Eagle-Tribune Teen Writer

Fans of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter came to the Avalon in flocks on Monday to see him perform solo in support of his debut CD, "Now or Never."

Dedicated followers of Carter lined up on the street in the early hours of the morning with chairs and blankets in tow to grab a spot in line for the general admission show. The concert had been scheduled for Feb. 19, but was postponed due to the blizzard. It was worth the wait.

Opening act Vi3 got the audience's attention when Massachusetts native and group member Jackie Salvucci belted out the words to the group's current single, "Eyes Closed So Tight."

The short set included only three songs, but the dance break featured the familiar pelvic thrusts of a Backstreet Boys show to get the crowd into a frenzy. The other opening act, Justincase, featured family members Nick, Hannah, and Justin Tosco who set the mood for the night with their refreshing rock sound and baby-faced lead singer. Gaining fame from MTV with their single, "Don't Cry For Us" which was co-written with Michelle Branch, the group performed what seemed to be an endless number of catchy songs while the audience grew impatient.

Finally walking onto the stage in a faded-red T-shirt, jeans and a black hat, 23-year-old Nick Carter introduced himself to Boston by singing a song he co-wrote, titled "Girls In The USA."

During the song Carter earned points from the ladies of Beantown when he sang the line, "Boston's got the ones I love, with the college girls at the Aria."

Even more amusing was his attempt to master the Massachusetts accent by calling the city "Bowwstan" between songs. The screams grew louder, and the pushing became apparent as he continued through the night with upbeat favorites like "I Stand For You" and "Blow Your Mind."

Giving in to the rock lifestyle, Carter romped around onstage like a tornado heaving everything in his path. Proving he's more of a rocker than critics will give him credit for, Carter showed off his guitar skills by playing for the majority of the show.

The only choreography he put effort towards was his worn-out robot impression which was almost as tacky as his appearance on the TV show "8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter."

His connection with the audience grew stronger when he sang a medley of Backstreet Boys hits including, "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," "I Want It That Way," and "Shape of My Heart." Those weren't the only familiar songs of the night; Carter also did covers of "Shout" by Michael Jackson, "Just What I Need" by the Cars, and "Paradise City" by Guns 'N Roses. The front row became drenched as he spit out water and threw the bottles in every direction in between pelvic thrusts and bon-bon shaking.

With all the excitement in the air, several teenagers had to be taken out by security due to fainting, overheating and asthma attacks -- he seems to have that effect on young girls.

At one point during the song "Help Me," security grew concerned for the blond-haired singer as they watched him jump onto the large black speakers, which lined the sides of the stage. After climbing up three sets of speakers that looked like they were about to tumble to the ground, Carter jumped to safety and finished his show with his current single, "I Got You."

Fans reached out one last time for Carter as tears flowed and he waved good-bye to Boston.

-- Andria Goodrow, 18, is a senior at Londonderry High

Source: http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20030301/LI_002.htm