by Amber Lynx, Provocative Magazine for Men
The Glovelove swAmphitheater
Lake Charles, LA
Tues April 27th, 1999
Flint have tried in vain to distance themselves from plastic pop-tarts like N Sync and Backstreet Boys but have had little success. A significant section of the Lake Charles crowd is here to check out the boys in the band. They are fourteen year old girls desperately trying to heave their training bras on to Juwan's guitar, Lance's bass or Doug's organ. They have seen Flint's videos on MTV and shriek whenever they recognize one of Flint's radio-friendly gems or get a wave from Juwan's thick, mocha-colored arms.
The other section are the devoted Flint fans, who proudly wear their concert tees from last summer's H.U.M.P. Festival, likely autographed by one of the Flints. They sing along with every song, letting every nasty comment from Cody sink in and roll their eyes when the shrieking contingent attempt to crack windows with their high-pitched squeals. These fans resent the teenyboppers who shower their band Flint with the adoration that they used to.
Both sides were greeted to a great show. Flint opened with a daring and fun rendition of Bobby Brown's Humpin' Around that energized the crowd. Cody also broke into impromptu, reworked versions of Baby, One More Time by Britney Spears and N Sync's Tearin' Up My Heart that brought sprinklings of laughter from the hardcores and estrogen-fueled screams from the princesses.
Flint play with a loose freestyle that is full of energy. Juwan, Lance and Doug play with their instruments in a precise manner but also show an enthusiasm for being on stage. Pierre sometimes wanders the stage during songs and created mosh pits near the stage when he tossed piles of swAmpitheater-sponsor Glovelove condoms onto unsuspecting fans. Cody was his usual entertaining self. During a pause in the performance, a chant of "Take It Off" emerged from the young females and their mother escorts. Cody playfully obliged, only to reveal his glistening chesthair that let's just say would make a young Sean Connery jealous. It also made a lot of screaming young girls faint in horror.
Flint can rock. They are much more than the surfer-dude pretty boys that other magazines make them out to be. If you have a chance to see them live, I can only recommend you do it. You will leave entertained. Flint will be in Tijuana, Mexico - May 5th; Los Angeles,CA - May 7th; and Las Vegas,NV - May 8th