Flame still burns for Backstreet Boys 11 years later

A small, "Baked Apple Pie"-scented candle serves as a trophy from Jessica Guldner's adolescent brush with the Backstreet Boys.

Guldner and friend Sasha McAtee, then classmates at Creston Middle School in Warren Township, spent the afternoon of March 10, 2000, waiting at the entrance to Conseco Fieldhouse's underground garage.

The Backstreet Boys were in town for two sold-out shows at the arena, and Guldner and McAtee hoped for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of A.J. McLean, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson or Howie Dorough. Especially McLean, as the 13-year-old girls wore customized "I-heart-A.J." hats.

While McLean may or may not have waved from a passing bus, Guldner scored a tangible souvenir when a member of the Backstreet road crew gave her the candle -- allegedly swiped from a singer's bus.

"I don't know whose bus it was on, but it was enough to make me happy that day," said Guldner, now 24.

She's attended six Backstreet concerts, from a 1998 date at the Murat Theatre to a 2008 comeback show at the Indiana State Fair.



Richardson left the group in 2006 to pursue a career in acting and modeling. Guldner, meanwhile, keeps 1998 hit "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" as her cell-phone ringtone. She carries Backstreet folders and notebooks, even if the gear is "starting to get a little raggedy."

She is disappointed that a ticket to Tuesday's "NKOTBSB" concert didn't fit in her budget.

"I would agree it's unusual that I'm still holding on so tightly to my boys," she said. "Anybody who knows me knows that I am a Backstreet Boys fan.

The Backstreet Boys are touring with New Kids on the Block for the first time. During Backstreet's impact era, 'N Sync emerged as a natural rival. Considering Justin Timberlake's successes as a solo artist and actor, an 'N Sync reunion appears unlikely.

"New Kids on the Block were just a smidge before my time," Guldner said. "I don't really know much about them, but I knew they were a big, big deal."

For at least two nights in Indianapolis in 2000, the Backstreet Boys were undisputed kings. Guldner still raves about the "Into the Millennium" tour's in-the-round stage and harness systems that allowed the singers to "fly" from the ceiling of Conseco Fieldhouse.

"Brian was the one closest to us, and it almost felt like we could touch him," she said. "Everyone reached and grabbed, and nobody got anywhere near him."

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