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American-Statesman Review: 3/5/00, Austin, TX
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Date: Mar 07, 2000 Effects, frenzy fill Backstreet concert By Chris Riemenschneider American-Statesman Staff (e-mail: music@cim.austin360.com) Attention Chris Riemenscheider) Posted: March 6, 2000 Every dollar spent on tickets, every question about talent, every cynical thought on the mass marketing machine that made them so big was forgotten with one look into their fans' twinkling eyes. "I'm in hog heaven," screamed 9-year-old Mandy Turner of Austin, summing up the ecstatic mood of the thousands of teens and preteens waiting outside the Erwin Center on Sunday to see this era's biggest and best-complexioned boy group, the Backstreet Boys. The show, which sold out in a day and went on to be the most sought-after ticket in town (sorry, Bruce), boasted a level of hysteria not seen in Austin since the New Kids on the Block got old. Girls younger than the Internet carried signs, wore face paint and -- as if that wasn't enough to get the point across -- screamed at the top of their lungs the names of their favorite Boy. "Well I like them both," said Kyle Sellars, who copped out and wrote Nick and A.J. on her sign. She also likes Brian. Pity poor Kevin and Howie, who you would think are ugly twerps based on the number of endorsements the other Boys received. Kyle's mother, Mary Ellen Sellars, didn't mind having her three children out late on a school night to attend the concert. "There isn't a lot of wholesome entertainment anymore, so it's worth it," said Sellars, who spent about $40 each on four tickets. Ticket City owner Randy Cohen, whose company resold tickets to the show for $95 to $600, said the Backstreet Boys was the most anticipated show he has ever seen in Austin. "I had parents coming in with their daughters in tears trying to buy tickets," Cohen said. "I think a lot of them are skipping Springsteen, so they can get their kids into the Backstreet Boys." And why not? You won't see the Boss flying above the crowd on Space Age surf boards, which is how the Boys entered the arena Sunday night. The boards were just one of a dizzying array of special effects that must have cost the group a small fortune (like, say, how much each member earned in the time it took you to read this sentence). Their octagon-shaped stage at the center of the arena looked and maneuvered like something out of a "Star Wars" movie, while explosions and neat-o lighting effects went off all around the arena. Oh yes, almost forgot: The Boys did sing, too, though surprisingly not much for the first half-hour, in which only four songs were performed, including the Disney-does-hip-hop soundalike "Get Down (You're the One for Me)" and the tender "The One." After the two "One" songs, Nick -- the youngest of the group at age 19 -- started off a round of lengthy solo "thank you" speeches that gave each of the members the spotlight. Yes, we know you love the fans, Nick. Yes, we know they make you feel special, Howie. Yes, we know, A.J., that "there are a lot of pretty ladies in Austin." Undoubtedly, some of those ladies -- the moms -- were thinking maybe you should stick to your own age bracket. As the concert wore on, through versions of the group's super hits "As Long As You Love Me," "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" and lots of other cuddly-titled songs, a funny little competition ensued over which Backstreet Boy would earn the most screams from the fans. Once again, pity Kevin and Howie.
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