Backstreet Boys to tour South Africa in 2001

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 20, 2000 Source: IOL SA Submitted By: TC By Jeremy Dowson November 20, 2000 When the five members of the world's biggest-selling pop group decide to charter a jet and drop into Cape Town on a Monday morning, things can get pretty surreal ... and not just because of the lines of autograph-seeking fans, the hordes of bodyguards babbling into walkie-talkies or the Coon troupe covers of the band's mega-hits like I Want It That Way or Everybody (Backstreet's Back). I mean, one minute you're slumped in a chair at the luxury Radisson's Hotel in Granger Bay, slugging coffee with fellow hacks and admiring the sea view. The next you're confronted by the sight of five twentysomething men over whom much of the younger record-buying world has gone seriously gaga these past four years ... and within seconds the guys are down among the media contingent and gamely posing for pictures with, ahem, a cheetah named Nyada. It was tricky deciding who was cuter. Perhaps even more surreal was the fact that the Backstreet Boys were nearing the end of an around-the-world-in-100-hours trip to promote their new album, Black And Blue - a jaunt that saw them leaving the MTV Europe Awards in Stockholm on Thursday night and boarding a 28-seater 737 Jet to whizz them off to press conferences and photo opportunities in Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and New York. And still they managed to look as fresh-faced and perky and exude as much squeaky-clean charm as they do in their videos. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is. "It's our first trip here to South Africa," bubbled the dark-haired, fine-featured Kevin Richardson, who at 29 is the Boys' oldest member and the band leader, "and we didn't expect so many people to pitch up." Kevin proceeded to get straight to the point, delighting several rows of young fans who'd been invited into the conference room with the news that "this won't be our last time here … we're going to be bringing our (backing) band out next year". He didn't provide any dates, but doubtless an announcement will be made soon. As the conference progressed, the usual banal questions were asked ("When did the band get together?", "What do you find attractive in a person?", "What makes you guys cry?"), but they maintained a boy-next-door likeability and a self-deprecating sense of humour and showed a willingness to answer queries that might have been shot down in flames by a less obliging bunch of pop stars. Asked why they'd named their fourth album Black And Blue - the title of a 1970s Rolling Stones album - Kevin replied: "It's pretty silly, really. We'd had all kinds of ideas ... like, John Lennon commented once that 'music is frozen air', so we thought: That's good. Frozen air. But then one day were were doing a photo shoot, wearing black clothes against a blue background, and Brian said: Black and blue! And that was it." Quizzed about how they regard their sex-symbol status, Howie Dorough replied: "It's very flattering. We feel very blessed that we've got a God-given talent - and we hope it's the quality of the music that sells, not just our looks." Howie also delivered what was the morning's wittiest quip when the Boys were asked which groups they found themselves being compared to most often. "The Sex Pistols," he deadpanned before obliging the questioner with the names of a few of their "boy-band" forebears: New Kids On The Block, New Edition and Boyz II Men. Added Brian Littrell: "And the Beatles a bit more these days ..." Easily the most bizarre question was from a young female fan who wanted to know what they would do if a fan shielded them from a bullet fired by a sniper. The Boys looked at each other dumbstruck for a few moments before Kevin diplomatically volunteered: "We'd be very grateful." Added the youngest member, Nick Carter, with an impish look: "It depends if they took it in the buttocks." After a bit of discussion, it was agreed that the Boys would "definitely go to hospital with the fan", as Nick put it, trying hard to keep a straight face. After a few more questions they were off on to a nearby pier, posing like the pros they are before getting ready to depart for Rio. The only sour note struck was not by the Boys but by one of the photographers accompanying them on their whistle-stop tour, who short-temperedly called the Cape Times photographer a "f***ing amateur". It seems the rest of the world still has a long way to go before everyone becomes as unremittingly sweet as the Backstreet Boys would appear to be. Perhaps the final word should go to devoted fan Kerry Millan, 16, of Cape Town, who summed it all up pretty well: "There's something genuine about them," she said. "They're not just a manfactured group brought together by a record company - they're friends, and Kevin is Brian's cousin. And they sing beautifully." Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnanz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: suba suba NVkvkz Looking forward to reading more. Great blog.Much thanks again. Really Great. Submitted by: nice penalty removal 8v0S3G Definitely, what a splendid website and enlightening posts, I definitely will bookmark your site.All the Best! Comment on this item. Next Item: Backstreet Boys Want To Beat *Nsync's Mark Prev Item: Backstreet Boys take on rock's old boys