SNL review

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 25, 2099 Source: Submitted By: Thanks to a Backstreet.net reader for sending this in. I read the SNL Review on the Backstreet Bulletin... since I was also at the Sound Check, I thought I would share my review of that with your readers. When I arrived, the Backstreet Boys Band was already busy on the stage, going through the songs with their instruments. They did a complete run through of "I Want It That Way" without the boys singing... the funny thing is that most of the people in the scarce audience (made up mostly of a friend or family member of the cast or crew) knew the song, so I got to hear the words regardless. The boys arrived late (as usual), with their entourage of bodyguards, family, friends, girlfriends (this time no dogs, thank god). It was like watching the popular crowd in school come into the lunch room... half of the people looked on them with awe, the other half wanted to flip them off for being so snotty. They had on their street clothes (Howie and Kevin looked like they just got outfitted by Armani)... they all looked very tired, yet alert. Immediately upon gracing the NBC studios with their presence, they were escorted to the SNL stage, and put to work. Each of the boys went to their respective stool, put on their in-ear monitors, and began doing a sound check. Then the drummer counted off, and they sang "I Want It That Way". Kevin had some problem with the way it sounded, so he requested they sing part of it again (go figure). They continued by requesting the sound engineer adjust the input levels that came through their in-ear monitors. Howie wanted to hear more of himself, and AJ wanted to hear more of "the fellas"... Nick said, "Aw, AJ, aren't you sweet... you want to hear more of us." Then they did a run through of "All I Have To Give", but they did it with all the instruments. Evidently the producers didn't like the sound of all the instruments because they brought out a new mic stand and bunched the boys up together, and asked that they sing it A Cappella. Brian requested their guitarist play his part, and the drummer to keep the beat with some shakers to keep it on track yet very intimate and less flashy. The producers seemed to like the idea, and they carried on... Nick had the idea to stop the acoustic guitar toward the end of the song so the Boys could "break it down". As soon as everything was sorted out, the boys were taken down from the stage, and they stayed around for a bit and signed some autographs (Paul Simon was there!). It was interesting being there for that. I saw both the dress rehearsal and the live show, as well. The live show was an excellent representation of the Boys' abilities as vocalists, and I was very pleased with the way it all turned out. In retrospect, I wonder how the boys actually felt about their performance (If Kevin had a problem with the way it sounded, he should pull the plug from his rear and realize it is impossible to reach a higher degree of perfection than what they grasped that evening.). They appeared to be calm, cool, and completely unaffected by the fact they were singing on LIVE television in front of millions of people... yes, it is professional to be so nonchalant about the whole thing, but I believe they should take a moment and look at what they accomplished... more enthusiasm would be nice. I would have liked to have seen AJ run up on stage and scream to the audience, "I'm singing on Saturday Night Live!!!! Yippy!!!" while doing some silly dance. Comment on this item. Next Item: Millennium Review: Rolling Stone Prev Item: Millennium Review: Billboard