Boy bands reunite to set female hearts aflutter again

By Kevin Joy

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 

Nearly three decades ago, a novelty pop act of five boys started out playing to sparse crowds in New England shopping malls and ended up as a global force selling 70 million records and paving the way for scads of copycat "boy bands."

During their heyday, the New Kids on the Block enjoyed prime placement on 1980s MTV, neon-splashed magazines and even commemorative pillowcases. Their vocal chops, upbeat songs and ever-so-slightly edgy personas were a given.

Dreamy looks and rhinestone-studded denim? Like, duh, totally, you guys!

Joey McIntyre, now 38 but still the youngest member of the reunited quintet, harbors a different theory for the group's success.

"I think being from Boston comes to mind," said McIntyre, a native of the suburb of Needham, Mass. "For better or for worse, there's a lot of character that comes out of that city - a lot of attitude, a sense of what's right and what's wrong, taking care of one's own.

"Maybe it would have worked if we were from Columbus, Ohio."

But Beantown was where the local youths auditioned in 1984 for producer Maurice Starr, who had previously assembled the Boston urban-pop act New Edition.

New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys (aka NKOTBSB): Like fine wines and cheeses, boy bands age better with time

by Emily Sales

Last night at the KFC Yum! Center, the musical powerhouses of the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys (aka NKOTBSB) crooned, winked, gyrated and grabbed their crotches to delight of throngs of screaming girls. If ever there was a concert that summed up my adolescence...this was it! I even once had a tear-stained Donnie Wahlberg pillowcase to prove my pubescent allegiance to the New Kids. So, can the boys still sing and dance? Allow me to answer that question with one unequivocally, girly shriek: YES!!!!

Despite the foreboding Groupon deal offering half-off tickets (or perhaps because of it) there was a decent sized crowd at the Yum! Center. I was expecting a stadium full of women my age, making the woeful march towards middle age. Surprisingly, the bulk of the concert attendees were young girls in their late teens and early twenties dressed up in strange rendition of what they thought was 80's fashion.

The evening kicked off with the opening act of Matthew Morrison from the Fox hit-show, Glee. Mr. Schue did a strange assortment of covers performed on the show as well as some original songs. The crowd at the Yum! Center seemed to really enjoy his rendition of Kanye West's “Gold Digger,” but I was underwhelmed. There was something really disturbing about an obvious musical theater-geek, (I can smell my own, people) singing the lyrics: “she ain't messin' wit no broke !@#$%^'.” On the other extreme, Morrison's own songs were sappy and somewhat trite. His whole act just reeked of a cruise ship.

Screaming women! Spilled beer! Lost lip gloss! New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys drive 'em wild at The Q

Washington, D.C., could learn a thing or two from these guys.

When New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys teamed up for a nostalgic double bill Wednesday evening at The Q in Cleveland, it was a historic display of boy-band bipartisanship.

Each group favored a different approach to dealing with the impending national heartbreak crisis. Of course, the fact that there even is an impending national heartbreak crisis was news to some of us.

New Kids on the Block came out in support of austere measures -- i.e., “Hangin’ Tough.” Backstreet Boys came out in support of transparency -- i.e., “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).”

Yet in the end, both parties agreed to put aside their profound philosophical differences in favor of dancing the night away, to the delight of 12,000 supporters.

Brian Littrell of Backstreet Boys talks about the band, fans and rivals

Brian Littrell, member of the Backstreet Boys and heartthrob at large, is making his way to Hershey. The same man whose faced grinned from posters on bedroom walls and covers of teen magazines has joined up with his band mates and New Kids on the Block for a concert tour that makes every boy-band fan's dream come true. Their next destination? Hersheypark Stadium Saturday.
BSB.jpgSubmitted

Even if the name Backstreet Boys sounds foreign, chances are you know their music. The group shot to fame in the late 90s with hits like “Quit Playing Games With My Heart,” and “I Want It That Way.” Six of the group's albums have been in the Billboard 200 Top 10. It has recorded numerous hit songs and has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards.

When BSB's first U.S. album debuted in 1997, Littrell’s photo made elementary students squeal. Now, 14 years later, those same kids are adults — and many have kept on screaming.

The band has done a fair bit of growing as well. Their music has changed from standard boy band pop to acoustic rock to dance and they lost a member, Kevin Richardson. Littrell has shed his nickname “B-Rock,” in favor of his first name. “I’ve kinda out grown that phase,” he says.

“I got that title growing up as a Backstreet Boy, being a young man,” he says. “That’s not really my title now. I’m a grown man, husband, father.”

Review: Boy bands show a touch of humility

The oldest trick in a heartthrob's book -- pull a girl out of the audience for a one-on-one serenade -- crystallized the appeal of Tuesday night's New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert at Conseco Fieldhouse.

A 20-something fan named Paige served as proxy for nearly everyone in the estimated audience of 13,000 when Backstreet's Nick Carter applied his Casanova moves during a rendition of "I'll Never Break Your Heart."

He locked eyes at close range, writhed on the floor and repeatedly teased Paige with a single rose before surrendering the prize. She more or less hyperventilated.

Carter and fellow vocalists on the dual tour billed as "NKOTBSB" brought dimensions of gratitude and humility not readily apparent when New Kids thrived as a money machine in the late-'80s and Backstreet stormed the international scene a few years later.

"NKOTBSB" is still a major production, with the best seats selling for $91.50 each. A catwalk stretched from one end of the arena to the other, allowing close-up views for fans as the singers walked back and forth.

NKOTBSB at Staples Center: Concert Review

The combined supergroup featuring New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys took concertgoers back in time with a highly energetic and entertaining show.

Barely a tween was to be found at the concert headlined by boy-band supergroup NKOTBSB on Friday night, but you’d hardly know it from the deafening screams inside the packed Staples Center in Los Angeles.

While the fans may have gotten older, it seems their appreciation for late-‘80s /early-‘90s hitmakers New Kids on the Block and late-‘90s/early-2000s mega-sellers Backstreet Boys hasn’t diminished. (It’s likely that the mostly twenty- and thirtysomething female audience -- who stood pretty much during the entire 2 1/2-hour show -- was comprised nearly entirely of fans who had grown up with one of the bands, and this probably wasn’t their first time seeing them in person based on the vintage concert tees some sported.)

But from the start, NKOTB and BSB came out to entertain, and the audience didn’t leave disappointed. Sure, the costumes may be less flashy, the hair a little thinner and the voices a bit lower -- the Kids and Boys are now in their thirties and forties -- but inside Staples Center, fans were transported back in time. The groups knew what the fans wanted -- hit songs, flashes of skin and some well-choreographed dance moves -- and they more than delivered.

Kevin Richardson joins Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block in Los Angeles

Stuff like this really makes us wish we still had a Lisa Frank Trapper-Keeper on which to scribble "I HEART BSB." It's often the only way to adequately describe our emotions.

Kevin Richardson, who left the Backstreet Boys amicably in 2006, got back together with his old buddies (and some new kids) for the July 1st Los Angeles stop of the enormous NKOTBSB tour at the Staples Center.

Richardson and the rest of the Backstreet Boys wore Lakers' jerseys, while the New Kids on the Block kept their Boston pride going with Celtics jerseys. Richardson joined former bandmates Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, and Howie Dorough on "I Want It That Way" and even participated in the big NKOTBSB finale.

Richardson jumped on Twitter for the first time since April after the show. "Beautiful night with my brothas on stage in LA," he wrote. "Much respect and love for the NKOTB. Thanks for making me feel welcome."

Richardson recently won an Independent Vision Award for Best Actor, for his role in "The Casserole Club," an indie film about a group of competitive 1960s housewives.

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Backstreet Boys tunes could feature on Glee

Holders of Glee Live! tickets might be interested to hear that the hit television series could soon feature the music of one of the most successful boy bands of the 1990s.

Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys has revealed that the group would be more than happy for some of their songs to be used on the show.

Previously, the cast of Glee have performed their own versions of hits originally recorded by the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Asked how the group would feel about their music receiving the Glee treatment, Carter told Hollywood Scoop: "It's an amazing show. Of course we would do it."

Other acts have not been so amenable, with Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon and Red Hot Chili Peppers all turning down requests for their songs to feature in the series.

Glee Live! will be wowing fans at London's O2 Arena for the next three nights, running until June 30th.

Posted by James Ford
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Backstreet Boys announce second annual cruise (!) in December

The Backstreet Boys loved their first cruise with fans so much that they’re coming back for more, setting sail in December for three days of fun, music and parties.

Presented by Rose Tours, the three-day Bahamas adventure begins in Miami aboard the Carnival Imagination Dec. 2 and includes a private beach party, games, contests, BSB Q&As and, of course, plenty of performances by your favorite boy band all grown up.

Yes, you could be one of the lucky passengers traveling on a cruise ship filled exclusively with fans of the Backstreet Boys. But you need to book your room before you can party with Nick, Howie, Brian and A.J. Visit BackstreetBoysCruise.com for more information.

--Jay Smith 

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Review: New Kids, Backstreet Boys shine in San Jose

Lisa Picazo bought more than a ticket to a concert. The 43-year-old San Jose resident purchased transport on a de facto time machine, one that took her straight back to her high school years and memories of doing cheerleading routines to New Kids on the Block songs.

Then the houselights dimmed and the spotlights hit the stage, revealing the actual New Kids -- no longer "New," nor "Kids" -- on Saturday night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. And the time machine was really off and running.

"We're cheerleaders again!" exclaimed Picazo, who was attending the show with her 39-year-old friend Tami Paez of San Jose.