Boys' Town (Backstreet Boys kick it in concert )

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 07, 2099 Source: The Toronto Sun Submitted By: Here's what to expect when pop music's hottest act performs in T.O. on Thursday By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun PHILADELPHIA -- The Backstreet Boys packed plenty of Disney World spectacle into a recent two-hour performance here prior to Thursday night's sold-out date at SkyDome's Skytent. A.J., Brian, Howie D., Kevin and Nick may be miles away from their home base of Orlando, Fla., but the amusement park mentality is clearly still on the road with the R&B-pop quintet during their current North American tour. And that's probably a good thing. With a lot of parents shelling out as much as $60 for a single concert ticket (Toronto prices ranged from $25.50 to $59.50) and God knows how much more for merchandise (prices at the Philly show ranged from US$35 for a T-shirt to US$5 for a keychain), their children might as well be visiting Space Mountain at The Magic Kingdom. The Backstreet Boys' show at the First Union Centre in support of their staggeringly successful third album, Millennium, began with one of the strongest openings I've seen yet in a big arena tour. Despite the tendency to want to write off this harmony-happy fivesome as nothing more than '90s versions of New Kids On The Block, you can't help but be impressed by their sheer showmanship. To build anticipation for their appearance, the Backstreet Boys' near-hysterical fans were initially shown a video, on five enormous screens above the "in-the-round" stage, of screaming girls chasing the group down a street to the tune of their latest hit, Larger Than Life. That bit of Beatlesque production was followed by more darkness and flashing lights while The Chamber Brothers' 1968 classic Time Has Come Today boomed throughout the stadium. The group's 10 dancers then marched through the crowd carrying lights on long poles to the theme from Star Wars and joined the six-man band, all of them dressed in futuristic white costumes, on the blue-and-purple lit stage. From there it was a guessing game as to where and when the Backstreet Boys would appear. The five singers finally emerged out of a cloud of white smoke at one end of the arena, riding neon-lit boogie boards suspended high above the crowd. The place exploded with sound and light as the audience roared its approval, and flashbulbs that went off in quick succession were followed by a big burst of flames from the stage. And this was just the first 15 minutes. So what can concertgoers expect for the rest of the time Backstreet Boys are on stage? Well, aside from that opening, which was hard to top, there were plenty of choreographed dance moves, more costume changes than Cher's recent show -- everything from dangerous black leather to ghastly pink and lavender -- plus props ranging from poles to harnesses that enabled the Backstreet Boys to dangle upside down or fly over the audience. There was also a rising platform in the middle of their circular stage, a crane camera capturing all of the action for those in the nosebleed sections, and pyrotechnics ranging from flares to fireworks to a lightning and thunder storm during Everybody (Backstreet's Back). The stage banter was mainly forgettable, although the crowd seemed to appreciate the fact that early on in the show every Backstreet Boy got his own moment in the spotlight to address his contingent of fans. For my money, blond, handsome and diminutive Brian Littrell, who sings most of the group's lead vocals along with bigger, blonder and blander Nick Carter, had the loudest following. The group's dedicated audience members came bearing gifts -- the usual flowers and stuffed animals -- which they threw up on stage whenever they got the chance . It was predominantly young females at the Philly show -- there was actually a group of 14- and 15-year-old fans whose black and pink T-shirts spelled out "We love BSB" -- but some older women were also spotted dancing the night away. The capper was when a group of five young, female audience members got to come on stage with their mothers to be serenaded during The Perfect Fan. Hokey to be sure, but a connection seemed to be made. Let's face it -- demand for that connection has never been hotter. The Backstreet Boys' SkyDome show, which will see 29,000 fans packed into the sports stadium on Thursday night, sold out in a mere 28 minutes. In fact, the Boys' entire North American tour, spanning some 39 cities, took all of an hour to sell out. So if you think this isn't the concert event of the fall -- the likes of Ricky Martin and Bruce Springsteen notwithstanding -- think again. An inside scoop: what the boys played in philly 1. Larger Than Life 2. Get Down (You're The One For Me) 3. The One 4. As Long As You Love Me 5. Don't Wanna Lose You Now 6. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) 7. Don't Want You Back 8. The Perfect Fan 9. Back To Your Heart 10. Everybody (Backstreet's Back) 11. We've Got It Goin' On 12. That's The Way I Like It 13. Spanish Eyes 14. I'll Never Break Your Heart 15. Just To Be Close To You 16. All I Have To Give 17. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely ENCORE 18. It's Gotta Be You 19. I Want It That Way Comment on this item. Next Item: Fatima Goes Straight to Video Prev Item: "Standing Room Only" Video Information from Amazon