January 28, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Tour
The Backstreet Boys are now touring the U.S., which means that across America, screeching young fans have been pushing, shoving, and otherwise propelling themselves at the group.
This is nothing new for the Backstreet Boys, who have been inspiring similar reactions in Europe for quite some time. Now that they’re making it over here, MTV News caught up with the group to find out how they were handling fan-mania Stateside.
“We’re always concerned about the fans,” the group’s A.J. told MTV News. “We try to make sure that they’re not pushed up against the front, (that we’ve) got enough security. If it’s cold outside, we try to get the guys to bring them hot cocoa or whatever to keep them warm, but those girls wait so long without eating or drinking or nothing and they go in there and get smashed and they’re just dropping like flies.”
A.J. also observed that the group’s audience isn’t just kids anymore. “(We get) a lot of young fans. The really cool part is like recently I’ve been seeing a lot of like couples, a lot more guys, families, young, old, it’s really cool.”
The Backstreet Boys play Indianapolis on Friday, and the tour wraps up Sunday in Dallas with openers Los Umbrellos in tow.
January 14, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Tour
The two radio staples will wind across the U.S. through the rest of January, and wrap up the outing on February 1 in Dallas.
Sporting the unlikely lineup of an exiled African prince and two Danish models, the group is winning over radio programmers, and “New York Times” music critic Neil Strauss who named “No Tengo Dinero” one of his top ten songs of 1997.
Not too surprisingly, the dance-friendly pop outfit recently told us that fans shouldn’t expect any heavy messages in their live show.
“We have fun,” Los Umbrellos’ Mai-Britt Grondahl Vingsoe told MTV News about the group’s in-concert directive.
“We enjoy ourselves, and I think the audience responds to that, to us having fun. Instead of being there doing our job, we’re there to have fun and people can…”
“Have fun with us,” the group’s Grith Hojfeldt added.
Before launching their full-length debut, “Flamenco Funk,” in February, Los Umbrellos will team up with the Backtreet Boys to bring their fun to the following venues:
- 1/14 – Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
- 1/15 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
- 1/16 – Louisville, KY @ Palace Theatre
- 1/17 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
- 1/18 – Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre
- 1/20 – Tampa, FL @ USF Sun Dome
- 1/21 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre
- 1/23 – Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
- 1/24 – Providence, RI @ Providence Perf. Arts Ctr.
- 1/25 – New Haven, CT @ Palace Theater
- 1/27 – Albany, NY @ Palace Theatre
- 1/30 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
- 2/1 – Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
January 5, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Music, Sales
The Backstreet Boys returned to the scene of their earliest successes last week, and it’s apparent they’ve lost none of that early momentum — the band’s Canadian tour has been greeted with sold out stadiums and near-hysterical fans.
The band easily sold out two shows at the 13,000 seat Molson Center near Montreal last week. The Toronto Star reports that 25,000 screaming devotees showed up for their concert at Toronto’s Skydome this past weekend, and that several of the songs during their 17-song set were rendered unrecognizable, drowned out by the clamor.
The next day, an appearance at the country’s MuchMusic network headquarters bordered on dangerous as 3000 fans pushed and shoved to get just a glimpse of the band, forcing the closure of city streets. The Toronto Sun reports that eight people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries while another eight were treated on site.
The Backstreet Boys have sold 13.5 million copies of their debut album world-wide over the last two or so years, but it’s only been in the last few months that the American public has managed to contribute at all to that number. The record has now sold a half million in the States, but its still considerably less than the 1.8 million chalked up by their Canadian counterparts, especially considering the northern neighbors have 1/10th the population base.
Most of the sales, however, have been in Europe. As much as the Canadians would like to take the credit for ‘breaking’ the young stars, their first No. 1 record was in Germany. Initially rejected by their home country-the boys were formed in Florida in 1993-which at the time embracing teenage angst in the form of alternative music, they found Europeans were more accepting of the lighthearted dance oriented material being presented by the wholesome fivesome. They toured relentlessly and it paid off.
The Backstreet Boys only released their album in the States until this past summer and so far they’ve only done some light touring. They’ve achieved hearthrob status in their homeland, whether that will turn into Backstreet mania or not, only time will tell.
