(Toronto Star, March 30, 1997)
Don't look for the Backstreet Boys to succumb to any form of modesty, false or otherwise.
The derm 'delusions of grandeur' took on a heightened meaning last night at Maple Leaf Gardens as the group of five Florida-based teen dreams whipped a sell-out group into a state of frenzy.
How can you beat an intro where three giant video screens project the creation of the universe and five exploding stars, followed by baby snapshots of each Backstreeter, together with hunkier, more current photos?
Well, the Boys managed it, finally arriving onstage to a taped rocketship countdown of...5-4-3-2-1. Never mind that blast-off was delayed by 35 minutes. The Boys were also an hour late for yesterday's press conference, a pleasant, albeit, self-congratulatory, non-event.
Moments before the band's appearances, the evening's master of ceremonies assured all the girls in the audience that teddy bears they were throwing would make their way to the Boys, but that throwing them during the concert could result in someone getting hurt on stage. Ouch.
The 'ladies' were also advised not to toss their bras on to the stage.
Ladies? Bras? I don't think so. From this reviewer's vantage point, most of the screaming fans fitted into an age range best described as being post-diapers to pre-pubescent.
Of course, there were plenty of chaperoning 40-year-old parents, who must have felt they were in a time warp, watching The Osmond Brothers at the CNE Grandstand, circa 1971.
By the time the Boys did hit the stage, it was, appropriately enough, to the patty-cake chat of "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands."
Not that they needed to generate any forced applause. Throughout the concert, the decibel level from all the screaming was deafening.
The quintet soon managed to trigger a heat-wave, with some smoothly choreographed G-rated dance steps, flashing a little skin and executing a spirited rendition of its hit, We've Got it Goin On.
The swooning continued with some slower, a cappella ballads, as the Boys, seated at the front of the stage, performed I'll Never Break Your Heart as well as cover versions of songs by Boyz II Men.
The show was as much a mutual admiration society as it was an evening of music, with the Boys endlessly thanking their fans and pronouncing their love, while the audience hollered in affection in turn.
And while the band is enormously successful in Quebec, one member, A.J. McLean, announced at one point how happy he was "to be able to speak to everyone in English."
Careful, A.J.. These days, that kind of talk is a major, ahem, faux pas.
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