Backstreet Boys take back seat to no one

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 23, 2099 Source: The Boston Herald Submitted By: Michael Reynolds Boys are back in town: Backstreet Boys take back seat to no one by Dean Johnson Wednesday, September 22, 1999 Nearly 500 fans of the Backsteet Boys had a dream come true last night. They gave the multiplatinum quintet a personal message and photo attached to a giant postcard provided by Sears and Polaroid. A small group of shrieking fans lined up shortly after 4 p.m. to sign the promotional card, which only had been done previously in Orlando, Fla., one stop of the sold-out 39-date tour. Lauren Mazzuchelli of Uxbridge, a 19-year-old Emerson College student, was at the beginning of the line. She read about the giant greeting card in Monday's papers and dragged her roommates along with her to sign it. One of them, 19-year-old Liz Krott, was mortified to be there. But she came along out of friendship. Two other fans in line - 12-year-old Caroline E Silva and 13-year-old Diana Maia - recently moved to Cambridge from Brazil and had no problem communicating their love of the Backstreet Boys. E Silva had ``Nick,'' a reference to singer Nick Carter, written on one cheek, ``Brian,'' for bandmate Brian Littrell, on the other. Maia had ``I (heart) Nick'' scrawled across her forehead in black felt ink. Neither had a ticket to last night's show but hoped somehow to see the Boys and get inside for the concert. How big are the two sold-out Backstreet Boys shows at the FleetCenter last night and tonight? Big enough for scalpers to show up outside the venue for four hours before the start of last night's gig. An adult couldn't walk 50 yards along the west side of the FleetCenter yesterday at 3 p.m. without a half-dozen scalpers descending like yellow jackets, looking to buy more tickets for the two shows that sold out in a record time of 13 minutes. And just how much could they get for tickets? ``Aw, I dunno,'' said one. ``They're little girls. Maybe $100, $150?'' Most of the hustle and bustle around the FleetCenter early yesterday afternoon focused on the business of the Backstreet Boys. These days, few businesses are bigger. The supergroup responsible for hits such as ``As Long As You Love Me'' and ``Quit Playing Games With My Heart'' has sold nearly 29 million albums worldwide and is a legitimate pop music phenomenon. The Backsteet Boys' entire North American tour sold out in one hour, thanks to the multiplatinum sales of their most recent album, ``Millennium.'' That's 750,000 tickets. So concession stands were being opened, scalpers were stalking and radio personalities were staking out their turf for one of the Hub's biggest pop music events of the year. WBMX-FM (98.5) morning minx Lynn Hoffman, for example, hustled through North Station, surrounded by station staffers and planning a strategy to get the most exposure out of the top 40 station's presence at last night's show. But there were die-hard fans around, too. Jennifer and Danielle Fredette of Brockton camped out near the Family Meeting Area outside the west entrance of the FleetCenter, an area set up especially for the Backstreet Boys' audience. The sisters arrived at 1 p.m. after taking a train from Brockton. They had no tickets, no money for tickets and little chance of getting in last night. But they were hoping for a miracle. Jennifer, 20, said they'd been fans of the band ``since they started.'' Her sister, Danielle, 19, wore a Backstreet Boys T-shirt and bucket hat and was hoping, as Jennifer said, ``that we might be able to at least get a glimpse of them tonight.'' Scalpers, though, weren't as obsessed with the platinum-selling quintet. When told his prey didn't have or need Backsteet Boys tickets, one scalper didn't miss a beat. ``How about Ryder Cup tickets, then?'' Comment on this item. Next Item: Oh My God They're Back Again Prev Item: Keeping the Backstreet Pride Alive