Digital Collegian Preview: 2/11/00, University Park, PA

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Feb 14, 2000 Source: The Digital Collegian (Penn State's Independent Newspaper) Submitted By: michelle B-Rok Friday, Feb. 11, 2000 Backstreet Boys back for second leg of tour By Alexa James Collegian Staff Writer The strength of Bryce Jordan Center's 3,100 tons of steel will be tested this weekend as more than 30,000 crazed fanatics pour into the arena for the concert this weekend. The group will kick off the second leg of its Into the Millennium Tour at 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow. According to Bernie Punt, the center's director of public relations, both shows will run about two-and-a-half hours, featuring more than 20 songs. The performance itself, Punt said, will closely resemble the tour's first leg, which ran from September through December, selling out all 39 North American cities. Ticket-holders can expect state-of-the-art lighting and staging, pyrotechnics, elaborate choreography and numerous wardrobe changes, Punt said, adding the shows will be performed in the round. The schedule for both nights is identical and small hand-held cameras will be permitted in the arena, Punt said. "I've been to other concerts at the BJC," Loree Cygrymus (sophomore-accounting) said, "but this one should definitely be more exciting since it's in front of a sold-out crowd." This weekend's show places The Backstreet Boys and crew under the gun, because it's the tour's opening night and the pressure will be high, Punt said. The production crew arrived Monday, followed by the stage crew, he added. The six-member band began rehearsals with sound and light checks earlier this week. And the boys — AJ, Brian, Nick, Kevin, and Howie — have been in town since Wednesday. As the hour draws near, tension is mounting. Olivia Littleton (junior-industrial engineering) has a countdown on her message board. Littleton said her obsession got out of hand last summer. What started as a means to annoy her family snowballed into a fixation that kept her waiting three hours in the cold for seats to the concert. However, Littleton isn't about to miss a glimpse of 27-year-old Kevin Richardson in the flesh. Ranked one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World," Richardson appears in photos plastered all over Littleton's bulletin board. "I woke up at the crack of dawn so I could be at the center by 8 a.m. only to get locked out of my room in nothing but a towel," Julie Hendershot (sophomore-elementary education) said. "But the embarrassment paid off when I got second row seats." Hendershot will attend tonight's show with several friends and family members. The band has become part of America's pop explosion. The music of the '90s has, until recently, primarily revolved around alternative and rock, but that audience has matured into their college years and beyond, said Scott Lubochinski (sophomore-business.) He said there wasn't a lot out there for middle school and high school kids, so when The Backstreet Boys debuted in the United States in 1997, the group's music was different from the norm. Now that Penn State has showcased both The Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees this year, will the last of the big boy bands, 'N Sync, grace the stage of the center? "Who knows," Punt said, but the interest is here and personnel from Jive Records, the label for both The Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, will be present at the tour's premier. With thousands waiting to re-enact their own version of the award-winning "I Want it That Way" video, one thing is certain — The Backstreet Boys won't know the meaning of "lonely" this weekend. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: good backlinks U851mP I have read a few good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you put to create such a fantastic informative website. Comment on this item. Next Item: St. Petersburg Times Review: 12/02/99 Tampa, FL Prev Item: Albany Times Union Preview: 2/11/00, University Park, PA