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They're back, & all right
Man-boy band still has strong vocal chemistry
There's an oft-repeated bit of Scripture -- usually reserved for
commencement addresses and weddings -- that speaks of putting away
childish things once you become a man.
And while we certainly don't want to tell the Backstreet Boys
how to do their jobs, the Florida foursome -- who brought their
Unbreakable tour to MTS Centre last night -- might want to consider
giving the passage a look-see.
Obviously, it's been some time since any of the Boys were
really boys: Youngest member Nick Carter turns 29 in January, while
eldest Howie Dorough just turned 35.
But the unfortunate name isn't the only holdover from their
mid-'90s glory days, when slick dance moves and Swedish-penned pop
tunes (oh, and the financial backing of America's biggest boy-band
mogul) were all it took to reach the top of the charts.
They also find themselves locked in the same man-boy limbo
where their music is concerned -- trying to make the leap into
adult-contemporary territory, but still beholden to the former
teeny-boppers who made them famous in the first place.
For now, anyway, they're doing their best to straddle the divide, and last night's show proved they're (mostly) pulling it off.
They certainly came out swinging -- literally, in fact -- clad
in boxing gloves and capes, and shadowboxing to the strains of their
monster hit Larger than Life (which had been mixed with one of the
Rocky themes and a snippet of Kanye West's Stronger).
The routine was kind of goofy, but the song remains as catchy
as ever, and the momentum helped carry them through the less hook-laden
follow-ups Everyone and Any Other Way.
On You Can Let Go, they finally quit with the dancing for a
while, letting A.J. McLean (the former bad boy) and Brian Littrell
(still the good boy) trade some serious harmonies from opposite corners
of the stage.
Say what you want about the boy-band craze, but some of these
guys can really sing, and after 15 years together, the Backstreet Boys
have an undeniable vocal chemistry.
Alas, the effect was short-lived -- they launched into one of
those chair-dancing routines for Unmistakable -- and by the time the
opening of I Want It That Way (still one of the better pop ballads on
the books) rolled around, the mass sing-along from the audience nearly
drowned out their contributions.
After a solo turn from Dorough (each member got one; the less
said, the better), the Boys reassembled around a poker table to
pantomime a card game and croon Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.
HIT THEIR STRIDE
And it was here that they really hit their stride: No laboured
hopping around, no mugging for the cameras or the ladies in the crowd,
just four guys who've been singing together for years milking a sombre
pop song for all the pathos they could.
The only problem?
They couldn't sit around the card table for the whole concert.
That would've been boring, and besides, the fans paid to see them
dance.
But it's worth pointing out the show's second-most impressive
moment was also devoid of dance steps -- when all four huddled around a
garbage can fire for a street corner version of All I Have to Give.
Something to think about, maybe, as they continue the transition from Boys to men.
Ironically, Canuck R&B diva Divine Brown managed to squeeze
as much soul into her half-hour opening set as the Boys did their
entire show, skipping nimbly from the girl-group vibe of Lay It On the
Line to the bass-heavy disco groove of Boogie Slide and Jump Start.
---
BACKSTREET BOYS
Where: MTS Centre
When: Wed., Nov. 12
With: Divine Brown
Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
Source: winnipegsun.com
Man-boy band still has strong vocal chemistry
![[article]They're back, & all right Invisible](https://2img.net/h/www.canoe.ca/CanoeGlobalnav/invisible.gif) |
commencement addresses and weddings -- that speaks of putting away
childish things once you become a man.
And while we certainly don't want to tell the Backstreet Boys
how to do their jobs, the Florida foursome -- who brought their
Unbreakable tour to MTS Centre last night -- might want to consider
giving the passage a look-see.
Obviously, it's been some time since any of the Boys were
really boys: Youngest member Nick Carter turns 29 in January, while
eldest Howie Dorough just turned 35.
But the unfortunate name isn't the only holdover from their
mid-'90s glory days, when slick dance moves and Swedish-penned pop
tunes (oh, and the financial backing of America's biggest boy-band
mogul) were all it took to reach the top of the charts.
They also find themselves locked in the same man-boy limbo
where their music is concerned -- trying to make the leap into
adult-contemporary territory, but still beholden to the former
teeny-boppers who made them famous in the first place.
For now, anyway, they're doing their best to straddle the divide, and last night's show proved they're (mostly) pulling it off.
They certainly came out swinging -- literally, in fact -- clad
in boxing gloves and capes, and shadowboxing to the strains of their
monster hit Larger than Life (which had been mixed with one of the
Rocky themes and a snippet of Kanye West's Stronger).
The routine was kind of goofy, but the song remains as catchy
as ever, and the momentum helped carry them through the less hook-laden
follow-ups Everyone and Any Other Way.
On You Can Let Go, they finally quit with the dancing for a
while, letting A.J. McLean (the former bad boy) and Brian Littrell
(still the good boy) trade some serious harmonies from opposite corners
of the stage.
Say what you want about the boy-band craze, but some of these
guys can really sing, and after 15 years together, the Backstreet Boys
have an undeniable vocal chemistry.
Alas, the effect was short-lived -- they launched into one of
those chair-dancing routines for Unmistakable -- and by the time the
opening of I Want It That Way (still one of the better pop ballads on
the books) rolled around, the mass sing-along from the audience nearly
drowned out their contributions.
After a solo turn from Dorough (each member got one; the less
said, the better), the Boys reassembled around a poker table to
pantomime a card game and croon Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.
HIT THEIR STRIDE
And it was here that they really hit their stride: No laboured
hopping around, no mugging for the cameras or the ladies in the crowd,
just four guys who've been singing together for years milking a sombre
pop song for all the pathos they could.
The only problem?
They couldn't sit around the card table for the whole concert.
That would've been boring, and besides, the fans paid to see them
dance.
But it's worth pointing out the show's second-most impressive
moment was also devoid of dance steps -- when all four huddled around a
garbage can fire for a street corner version of All I Have to Give.
Something to think about, maybe, as they continue the transition from Boys to men.
Ironically, Canuck R&B diva Divine Brown managed to squeeze
as much soul into her half-hour opening set as the Boys did their
entire show, skipping nimbly from the girl-group vibe of Lay It On the
Line to the bass-heavy disco groove of Boogie Slide and Jump Start.
---
BACKSTREET BOYS
Where: MTS Centre
When: Wed., Nov. 12
With: Divine Brown
Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
Source: winnipegsun.com
