Denver Rocky Mountain Review: 10/31/99 Denver, CO

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 03, 2099 Source: Denver Rocky Mountain Newspaper Submitted By: Backstreet Boys Craft Fun Pop Spectacle It's easy to rip on the Backstreet Boys and their '90s-lite music. Not to mention it's a whole lot of fun, too. That is exactly where music critics go wrong. The Backstreet Boys are the musical equivalent of movies with Will Smith and aliens. They exist strictly to entertain. If you're looking for art or deeper meaning -- well, pal, you're the one who's messed up. You can argue that music should have a higher purpose than giving people sappy love songs to sing along to, but then you'd have to toss out all your early Beatles and Supremes albums. So let's ignore the snobbery for a moment and answer some basic question. Did they keep up their end of the bargain? Did they give a good show? Sure. The Boys came to town and did what they were supposed to do and kept every promise their fans expected of them. They sounded perfect. They looked great. They served up the hits early and often. And they gave an arena full of kids the time of their lives on Halloween night and resisted the urge to gouge 'em on ticket prices in the process. Heck, they even went onstage at the relatively early hour of 8:15 -- it's a school night, you know. So blasting them for not being Lou Reed is pointless. In fact, in an era where concert tickets cost as much as airline tickets and where even minor stars cop a fame-is-so-hard attitude, you wonder why more artists can't be this good to their fans. With an in-the-round set up, crystal-clear sound and five big screens, even those in the rafters saw and heard it all. And top ticket price was less than $40. For the uninitiated (that is, those of you without kids), the Backstreet Boys are the current version of the Spice Girls, except that the Boys can sing. And the word "boys" is a misnomer: They're five guys from Orlando, Fla., between the ages of 19 and 27 (Brian, A.J., Howie D., Kevin and Nick). Their image couldn't be cleaner, though, or more carefully crafted; they croon heartfelt if generic love ballads like "I'll Be The One," and "It's Gotta Be You." They post fun "facts" on their official Web site about who has the neatest bedroom. It's no wonder the tour is sponsored by Sears. And the careful crafting pays off; they've ruled the pop charts since May with the release of their second album, Millennium. It must have been impossible to get a baby sitter in Denver on Sunday night; every girl in the city between 12 and 16 was packed into the Pepsi Center. At most shows you need earplugs because of the band; here you needed them because of the crowd. The screams were at jet-engine levels for the generic opening act, E.Y.C. When the Backstreet Boys hit the stage -- well, you're not going to hear those kind of decibels at a Nuggets game anytime soon. Entering above the crowd's heads on floating, sparking skateboards accompanied by the Star Wars theme -- how could you possibly make that up? -- the Boys were unflaggingly upbeat and generous. The marketing plan may be a bit cynical, but the Boys themselves are doing their jobs with enthusiasm and heart. The moves may be calculated, but they're nice ones; during "The Perfect Fan" they not only brought onstage five sets of mothers and daughters but gave them cameras to record the moment. They know exactly what they're doing, playing to the crowd and the cameras simultaneously. Surrounded by a crack six-piece band and 10 dancers, it's not a rock show so much as a spectacle. Fireworks, flashpots and fog machines kept the technical crew sweating and even kept the parents out of the bars. You also got The Many Moods of the Backstreet Boys, from the raucous dance numbers to the solemn, sitting-on-stools ballads. Give them credit for being able to pull it off -- no lip-syncing or other shenanigans, just skilled singing and dancing, even with Kevin Richardson's right arm in a sling from a snowboarding accident. The music? This is where it gets sticky. It's inoffensive if unremarkable, lifting the smoother urban, urbane sounds that have worked so well for Babyface, Mariah Carey and others. They're not breaking any new ground on album or in concert but they're not trying to. It's as far from edgy as you can get, and that suits people just fine. The crowd knew the opening notes of every song, from the hits ("I Want It That Way," "Everybody") to the newer album cuts ("Don't Want You Back) to the "oldies" from 1998 (That's The Way I Like It). With a solid two hours of songs, the band certainly earned its money and the crowd got its money worth. It that a bad thing? by: Mark Brown November 1, 1999 Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: JimmiNi 2eA7mM http://www.FyLitCl7Pf7ojQdDUOLQOuaxTXbj5iNG.com Submitted by: nice penalty removal gjhLI4 I'm very happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the accidental misinformation that's at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this best doc. Comment on this item. Next Item: Backstreet Simulcast Review: 10/25/99 Spokane,WA Prev Item: Daily Iowan Review: 11/02/99 Iowa City, IA