I am on a high, the kind you always get after an amazing concert, where you really believe that you are going to support the artist and be a great fan from this moment on. But tonight was a different night, a different kind of everything. I have recently begun working with a lot of artists in the music industry and having worked in film and television as a teenager was almost trained not to approach or get excited about the idea of seeing someone 'famous' and as a result being starstruck is something that washes over me.
However tonight I completely prepared myself to let my guard down, as myself and my brother had VIP access to attend the soundcheck, meet and then see the Backstreet Boys perform at the O2. To my utter annoyance I was my upmost professional self, I didn't cry or pass out or anything, but shook their hands, said hello and the usual chit chat during having a photo taken with them.
I have been a fan of the BSB since before the release of their first album in the UK years and years back. My love for their music, and boyband perfect faces grew and grew as a teen. My purple painted walls eventually disappeared beneath the layers of posters and cut outs from Smash Hits and any other BSB Merchandise I could find, I began to sign (and my teachers accepted that I sign) my surname as Carter or Backstreet Carter for all assignments and examinations, I spent an entire term every lunch hour teaching my classmates the dance to Everybody, and would often do random name checks on my friends to ensure they knew all the names of the group - which they really never did.
As a teenager being a fan of a boyband was about so much more than just liking their music; the criteria was to know everything, from their pets names and ages, to their favourite food, to what they looked like as babies and all manner of information. There was a time when I could tell you their birthdays, and prided myself on knowing as much details as possible which was almost a must to be the biggest and best fan - and I tell you something - I bloody well was (out of the people I knew anyways)!
This was my 6th Backstreet Boy concert, and whilst I couldn't tell you their birthdays or anything about their personal lives, I continue to support and love the music they are making. And I don't mean in a 'Oh I liked them when I was younger so I'll go and see them again way,' I mean they are astoundingly talented musicians and songwriters whose music makes my heart melt and whose performances are fun, powerful, imaginitaive and without a doubt still show stopping.
The whole VIP package was pretty surreal. The soundcheck atmosphere was weirdly relaxed apart from a crazed scream every now and then. Clearly this is a routine the band are used too, and for many fans it's something they attend at multiple locations per tour and have done so for years. For me and my brother this was a first, and so whilst everyone snapped photos, held their cameras or phones out to video throughout, I lent back on the chair, took one single pic on my mobile, and then watched, listened and simply made sure I enjoyed my time.
The soundcheck was an oppurtunity for fans to 'get to know' the group. Brian clearly the joker of the pack, from what I remember of his antics on videos I used to own of the BSB (yes videos as in VHS) it seems with age he has become more of a jokester and I wondered if this was his front from being away from his family back home. Nick was upbeat and energectic, full of life and quirkly little ad libs and rhymes. Howie was calm, quiet and as sweet as I expected. And AJ was full of energy, snake hips and girations, humour and love. Their harmonies were like a second breath between one another, even when AJ completely forgot the lyrics to a song off their new album. Hearing them without the intense screaming that was to come when the arena was packed out was definately an experience, even if I did have the loudest most off key fan standing in what it felt
inside my earhole.
In a Q&A one fan shouted 'When's Kevin coming back?' and Nick replied 'He left us. Remember that.' I didn't expect that answer, and there was something that lingered on that comment. When Brian responded 'You should call him and ask,' there was firstly the sense that they aren't speaking and secondly the thought that maybe he would come back to the group one day. That would be pretty great but they are certainly not incomplete without him.
As I said earlier, meeting the Backstreet Boys was completely surreal. Looking back I don't know why I was so calm and didn't run and hug them all. Ahhh who am I kidding it's not in my nature, but there was the sense of wanting more. Having spent entire days working, shopping and eating with music artists who whilst extremely talented and popular I wasn't particularly a fan of their music it was strange not to have the same experience with artists who I completly admired. I wanted to sit down with them and enjoy that same banter I have with other artists, ask some questions, meet their stylist and put together a deserved press feature.
I don't believe that the Backstreet Boys get enough press or credit. They were recently on the Xtra Factor when for me, they should have been performing on the main show.
Xtra Factor video link. Cheryl Cole may be as popular as hell, but her singing talent is zero compared to the Backstreet Boys - yet she mimed and danced her way to Number 1. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like Cheryl Cole, but strip an artist down to their core, take it right down to talent, and the Backstreet Boys could outsing, accapella, live, whilst dancing the majority of people in the UK charts today. But on the other hand, I don't think the guys are looking for or need the press I'm talking about. Their fanbase is so loyal and strong that the O2 was ram-packed last night, and for the those fans, their talent never goes amiss.
So after having my photo taken with the guys, myself and my brother had a bite to eat and then headed back for the show to start. They were due to start at 9pm and all the while before I was keeping an eye out for JEDWARD! Oh yes! 10 minutes before show time they were seated in a private booth way back from moi in the front so their big hair and signature suits made them instantly recognisable - although it was hard to miss the screaming and booing that greeted their arrival. Please note, I love Jedward! They are making the most of their situation and the public are voting them in, and I think they are hilarious. (Especially when I saw them being filmed doing their side to side twin bopping to Everybody). I love it!
9pm came - the lights went down and the concert began.
For me, for the first time, I really noted Howie to be the best dancer, his latino hips were super smooth and he really shone through. Brian as always, the most astounding voice. When it comes to Brian I really think people forget just how brillaint his vocal ability is, sometimes so 'perfect' that it blends in with the music and you could mistake it for being the strings on a violin or cello. AJ the soul and fight of the group. I don't know how further to explain it, but it's evident in his performances, his demeanor and his aura. The material from the new album was amazing as the re-mixed classics.
My elder sister who took me to see the Larger than Life tour after asking me how the concert said, 'you forgot about Nick when he put on weight.' If I was going to write a completely biased review then I would leave this out - but dear sis, I don't think I could ever have forgotten about the teen hearthrob that was Nick Carter with his baby face and blonde curtains, but my sister's comment for me is an example of why I truly respect them in today's fickle and money driven music industry. Yes he put on a few pounds once upon a time, but doesn't everyone? Unfortunately for Nick and AJ primarily, obstacles they have faced living their adulthood as members of a boyband have been magnified and publicised - but unlike so many other they turned things around and got on with life. There were no continous OK/HELLO magazine deals to reel in sympathy, money or more attention (ignore the Carters TV programme coz we didn't get it in London so it doesn't count). The only attention they constantly craved was for that of their music. And this is what for me makes them the greatest boyband of all time. They are real, they are talented, they still rock the dance routines, their vocals are astounding, they are as entertaining off stage as on, and as they tell you with the name of the tour taken from an album track, 'This is Us'.
To the Backstreet Boys.
Congratulations.
You truly are Larger than Life.
(I'll upload my pic with them when I get it).
