Kansas City Star Review: 11/18/99 Kansas City, MO

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 23, 2099 Source: The Kansas City Star Submitted By: Y Backstreet Boys scripted hysteria woos Kemper crowd By TIMOTHY FINN - The Kansas City Star Date: 11/19/99 00:01 The Backstreet Boys Where: Kemper Arena When: Thursday, Nov. 18 Audience: 21,000 (sold out) Scripted hysteria woos Kemper crowd Backstreet Boys' deliver the expected goods About the Backstreet Boys, comedian Chris Rock once said: "I think we all know the ending to this story." The end of the Boys' wild ride as pop idols is inevitable, but it sure doesn't feel imminent. Thursday night they drew a cross-generational/multiracial crowd that filled Kemper Arena with the kind of noise and ecstasy that makes anyone 40 or older think of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. As if they needed any help, the Boys brought a bundle of toys, supplements and distractions with them: 10 dancers, a five-piece band, some fireworks, confetti and an aerial/acrobatic show that must have made the staff at Kemper, site of a pro wrestling fatality, more than a little nervous. The Boys entered the stage airborne, tied to wires and attached to snowboards. And as if someone had turned on a spigot full blast, a squall of shrieks immediately filled the arena: The poster boys were in the house. For the next two hours, they danced, sang, changed costumes and generally gave the audience a spectacle worth the face value of a ticket (around $40). Every move and comment -- right down to A.J. McLean's line about maybe moving to Kansas City -- is choreographed and scripted, but the Boys, who have been on tour for a few months now, managed to make all those familiar motions seem nearly fresh or at least unforced. The Boys perform 19 songs (out of 24 on two albums), but they all fit into two categories -- R&B ballads and pop-funk -- and all sound like someone else: MichaelJackson, Boyz II Men, Lionel Richie, Jodeci, the Gap Band, Babyface. All that borrowing and mimicking serves them well. Even when played live, the songs are easy to like, as long as you don't require anything beyond heavy dance rhythms and sweet melodies. The main spectacle came after a by-the-numbers version of "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)." The Boys fastened themselves to wires hooked to a track high above the stage and then floated back and forth over the crowd, at times dipping low, just out of hands' reach: So close, yet so untouchable. The six costume changes created one or two lulls in the show; otherwise the show delivered what most came for: song, dance and clean sex appeal. Chris Rock is right about the inevitable ending of this story. One look at EYC, the low-talent cheeseballs who opened the show, is ample evidence that this overplayed boy-band thing is at the end of its wick. For the Backstreet Boys, though, that ending is likely to come later, not sooner. After their first encore, "It's Gotta Be You," they faked an ending: The entire ensemble -- Boys, band, dancers -- took bows amid a blizzard of confetti, then the lights went out. Moments later, the lights went up and they sang "I Want It That Way," stopping an exodus in its tracks and sending the crowd, much of which was up way past bedtime, into one last convulsion of hysteria. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: markus http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: cbd washington dc FvmMxJ This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks! Submitted by: best pron Fl9RbT Wow! Thank anyone! I always wanted to write in my blog something similar to that. Can My spouse and i implement a part of your submit to my own site? Submitted by: porn movies ta9ltc This is one awesome article.Really thank you! Submitted by: porn movies That is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post! Submitted by: photoeditor JV20yo Spot on with this write-up, I actually suppose this web site needs much more consideration. I all in all probability be once more to learn rather more, thanks for that info. Submitted by: coco service F08quU own blog? Any help would be really appreciated! Submitted by: fiverr cocoservice pYNbMR Usually I do not read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to check out and do it! Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank you, quite nice article. Submitted by: cocoservice on fiverr wh9NMI My brother suggested I might like this blog. He was totally right. This post truly made my day. You cann at imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks! Submitted by: fiverr seo bQ5Vvu Wonderful post! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our site. Keep up the great writing. Click here to see more comments. Comment on this item. Next Item: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Review: 11/17/99 St. Louis, MO Prev Item: New Orleans Times-Picayune review: 11/20/99 New Orleans, LA