Boy bands back out

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Apr 05, 2003 Source: Anderson Independent-Mail, Anderson, SC Submitted By: Gina By Nicholas Charalambous / Independent-Mail Local teenagers obviously weren’t screaming loud enough for Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and O-Town. Promoters LGI Entertainment canceled the April 11 concert at the William A. Floyd Amphitheater Friday, citing "disappointing" advanced ticket sales of just 1,000 for the first stand-alone pop concert at the facility. LGI said it would give full refunds to ticket holders. LGI president Roger Dickson said he couldn’t pinpoint a reason for the sluggish ticket sales, but lower fan enthusiasm for boy bands, the war in Iraq and the economy were among several possible factors. Hoping for 2,000 to 3,000 fans to buy tickets on the day of the show was "too great a risk" for his company, he said. "I hate it for Anderson, I really do," Mr. Dickson said. "But I have to look out for me and my people." Anderson County Sports and Entertainment Director Charles Wyatt said LGI had taken a "calculated risk" in booking the two acts, whose careers peaked more than three years ago. Nick Carter, the youngest and most popular member of the Backstreet Boys, is promoting his solo album "Now or Never." O-Town was a group formed on the ABC television show "Making the Band." Angela Freeman, a manager at music and video store FYE in the Anderson Mall, said that she thought the groups remained popular. "Once the news gets out, I’ll probably start hearing a little bit of grumbling," Ms. Freeman said. After a breakthrough concert season last year that featured such acts as Lynryrd Skynyrd, Alabama and Willie Nelson, LGI had said it hoped to find a market for shows outside the tried-and-tested genres of country and southern rock. The pop-concert disappointment prompted Mr. Dickson to say Friday that he didn’t think the Anderson market could support more youth-oriented music, noting the dismal turnout for a modern rock concert last year. LGI is now fast approaching the peak summer concert season without a single concert scheduled after Kid Rock postponed an original April 11 appearance because of scheduling conflicts. Mr. Dickson said Friday that concert still is in the process of being rescheduled for mid-to-late summer. He said he is continuing negotiations with several other Country and Southern Rock bands, but also indicated that the Anderson facility wasn’t the only venue under consideration for shows. "We will continue to bring entertainment to the Upstate," he said. MORE INFORMATION Fans seeking refunds for the April 11 concert featuring Nick Carter and O-Town should contact the Anderson Events box office at (864) 260-6335 to receive the full cost of the $16.95 general admission tickets along with any service charges. Comment on this item. Next Item: What's up with BSB? Prev Item: Nick's New Racing Team