State News Review: 3/13/00, East Lansing, MI

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Mar 14, 2000 Source: The State News Submitted By: Ivy C Backstreet Boys win teenage hearts By CHAD SWIATECKI The State News Howie, AJ, Brian, Kevin and Nick. Ordinary names to most, but for the thousands of Backstreet Boys fans who flocked to Breslin Student Events Center on Monday night to see the group live, they’re more than names. They’re monikers that have taken on a whole new meaning since the group took America by storm in 1997. A talk with fans who began waiting outside Breslin before 4 p.m. in 30 degree weather shows why the group has become the most popular in America. “This is the biggest day of my life,” said 14-year-old Cammie Weber of Rives Junction, Mich. “I’ve been talking about it for days, and these (tickets) were all I wanted for Christmas.” Since she first discovered the group in the pages of Teen Magazine four years ago, Weber said she’s been an avid fan, covering the walls of her bedroom with posters of the group and collecting every type of “BSB” memorabilia she can get her hands on. “I saw them, and I thought they were awesome,” she said, clutching a handmade “I love Backstreet Boys” poster. “I’ve got so many posters on my wall that I don’t have anymore room, and I want my parents to expand it.” Weber, her mother Faye Weber and 11-year-old sister Briana Weber were lucky enough to get tickets for face value of $45. But many scalpers outside Breslin were commanding upwards of $200 per ticket for fans who had to see the group’s Into the Millennium Tour. Though Dimondale resident Tony Aguillon was looking to unload a ticket intended for his 9-year-old daughter Haley, who couldn’t use it because she had to go to school the next day, he said he wasn’t looking to prosper financially from his commodity. “I just want to make my money back, so I’m looking for $100. My little girls love them and I like them, too. “Image-wise, they’re not as bad as most groups out there. I don’t think music with derogatory language is what children should be listening to.” The screaming, deafening in its volume, began 30 minutes before the Orlando group took the stage. As soon as huge video monitors, positioned above the five-sided stage located in the center of the arena, began showing videos and cartoon renderings of the group, the floodgates opened to release waves of anticipation that had been building in the mostly female, teenage crowd for months. For them, this was not just a concert. It was an event on par with a football junkie’s dream trip to the Super Bowl. Sailing in above the crowd on suspended boards, the five stars were bathed in applause as they took the stage, marched around and launched in to the opening lines of “Larger Than Life.” For two hours they held their audience in rapt attention, jamming though “Backstreet’s Back” and crooning majestically to “Quit Playing Games With My Heart.” By the time they closed with their biggest single, “I Want It That Way,” the amazed crowd, hoarse from screaming, had gotten more than its money’s worth. Fowler resident Charlotte Wendell and her 8-year-old daughter Lora Hoch, who got to the arena early for the concert, had anticipated it since getting their tickets in February. “This has been a long day for her, and she didn’t want to sleep last night,” Wendel said of her daughter. “She’s been a fan of a couple years and likes Nick the best.” Though the concert didn’t conclude until after 10 p.m., well past Hoch’s normal bedtime, Wendell said she wasn’t concerned about letting her be a night owl for one evening. The group’s meteoric rise to fame has led to a huge increase in the popularity of boy-dominated pop groups, said Jason Addams, program director at WHZZ (101.7-FM) in Lansing. “Right now there are about 15 different groups with two to five boys in them that are popular,” he said. Whether the group will be able to maintain its tremendous pop in years to come is something Addams is skeptical about. “History says they won’t be able to do it, because every other one has gone away because of audience backlash,” he said. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: crorkz mattz ueAX0E Of course, what a magnificent website and illuminating posts, I will bookmark your site.Best Regards! Submitted by: awesome seo XJTsYR You made several nice points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will consent with your blog. Submitted by: buy cheap oem software QFJPLy Unbelievable. Class..! Submitted by: James Submitted by: Kelly Submitted by: Jennifer Submitted by: Eugene Submitted by: Antony Submitted by: Louise Comment on this item. Next Item: Indianapolis Star Review: 3/10/00, Indianapolis, IN Prev Item: Kalamazoo Gazette Review: 3/13/00, East Lansing, MI