They are her fire, her five desires

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 27, 2099 Source: The Lexington Herald-Leader Submitted By: Published Friday, November 26, 1999, in the Herald-Leader A BSB-saturated fan hopes to wangle a live encounter By Rich Copley HERALD-LEADER ARTS WRITER PARIS Amber Lowery woke up this morning surrounded by the Backstreet Boys. Just like she does every morning. Photos of the pop idols cover her bedroom walls, doors and window, and they're creeping onto the ceiling. Then there are the CDs, videos, and all other things BSB. ``It started as a border and then it grew from there,'' says Amber, who started following Backstreet two years ago. Amber, a 14-year-old Bourbon County High School freshman, says she could lie in her bed for hours staring at the shrine she has constructed for Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, and Kentucky natives Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. But today, she hopes to get a lot closer to them. Sure, she'll be among the more than 21,000 screaming fans at the Backstreet Boys concerts at Rupp Arena tonight and Saturday night. But this superfan has a grander strategy. She plans to stake out the arena from 7 a.m. until about noon today in hopes of catching the attention of the group's band or road crew with signs, pictures of her room, and any other means necessary. Then, maybe they'll tell her the Boys will arrange to meet her. Amber knows it's a long shot. But she thinks it's worth the effort. ``There is no other band for me,'' she says, wearing a Backstreet Boys T-shirt and necklace. Besides, what else would Amber do today? Shop? What's left to buy? She even has a CD shaped like Kevin's head. After the morning stakeout, Amber will return to Paris to prepare for the big show. She'll decorate the car and make signs for inside the arena. (Amber is stumped about what to put on the signs maybe a note to her favorite, Kevin.) Then she'll do a wardrobe check not for the Boys, but for herself. She plans to start out the show in a basic black Backstreet Boys T-shirt, and then expects to change three times during the concert, trying on stuff she buys at the souvenir stands. Her mother, JoAnn, is devising some accessories out of those glowing wands you see at the State Fair so the Boys can spot her in the crowd. Amber says she'll probably get back to the arena about 3 p.m., again trying to catch the eye of the Backstreet Boys' entourage. Her hope is that there might be some sort of meet and greet before the show, and she might get invited. (She can dream, can't she?) The time she spends waiting will be easily filled singing Backstreet Boys songs, talking about the Backstreet Boys and listening to their music. Amber is used to waiting for the Boys. She says she was the first person in line at midnight at the Richmond Road Wal-Mart to buy the Millennium CD, and she sat in line to buy tickets for both concerts. She does it all with the complete support of her mother, who likes the Boys' clean music and moral image. Mom will drop Amber off and pick her up, but she is letting her experience the concert on her own, saying, ``I wouldn't want to take a seat away from a little girl that really wants to see them.'' JoAnn has done her own star searching in the past, meeting country star George Jones by appealing to his band. Whether Amber meets the band or not, she knows that about 9 tonight, the lights will go down and the Backstreet Boys will take the stage aboard flying boogie boards. Screams will no doubt follow. But what if she's lucky enough to actually meet the group? Amber ponders a few questions she might ask about songs and the band members' early years. Then, her mom says, ``She'll faint.'' But hey, if it means waking up surrounded by Backstreet Boys ... THEY ARE HER FIRE, HER FIVE DESIRES Comment on this item. Next Item: In Their Words: Kevin and Brian Prev Item: Help give little hearts a big hand