By Jacqueline Cutler
(c) TVData Features Syndicate
Girls who skipped school and begged parents to take them to Times Square are standing five deep behind barricades while New York police and an army of private security officers patrol. So what if they don't have tickets to the taping of the concert? Or if all they can do is stand in front of the exquisitely appointed New Amsterdam Theatere and scream for several hours? Maybe they can catch a glimpse of their heartthrobs, the Backstreet Boys.
The Boys, as those who adore them call the group of five Southerners, are taping a show, "Backstreet Boys in Concert," which airs Saturday on the Disney Channel.
Just in case you're over 18 and somehow missed them, the Backstreet Boys are hot. They've sold more than 27 million records in 48 countries, and their latest CD, "Millenium", was released in May.
Mention their names -- AJ Mclean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell -- and the uniform response from fans is a shriek.
In an exclusive interview after the concert, Littrell, 24, admits the adoration has been difficult to adjust to. "In the beginning, it was very overwhelming," he says, slouching in a folding chair. "It's what you make of it. ...We are just real people. I give a lot of my time to CDs and videos, and then I try to relax, play golf, basketball. Sometimes I just like to sit on my patio and drink coffee."
In hi soft Kentucky drawl, he adds that it's disconcerting to have to buy groceries in the middle of the night. Like the others, though, he is gracious with his fans, which seems easy when large, armed men keep them at arm's length. Still, obsessed fans have managed to hide in the storage space of the Boys' tour bus and climb over barbed wire to get into their dressing rooms.
Some mothers, including Wendy Blosser of Norwalk, Conn., remember being so smitted. In her case, it was 1960s teen idol Bobby Sherman. And because of that erstwhile love and her devotion to her daughter Samantha, 10, Blosser says, "We tried and tried and tried to get tickets. I kept calling radio stations until 2 a.m."
Inside, scrunchies on arms, braces on teeth and wraparound smiles on their faces, the girls shriek as one. A stagehand adjust a microphone and the screaming begins. It's contagious. The moment one girl hits that note, the others join in until the decibel level ratchets the spine of anyone over age 30.
The girls likewise scream the lyrics to each song. A casual survey of adults finds no one heard actual words!
Starting with "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," the group works it magic. When Carter holds an audience member's hand while singing "All I Have to Give," the girl clutches her heart with her other hand. As Carter releases the anonymous fan's hand and returns to center stage, her girlfriends collapse into her arms to touch the hand that held Nick's. The set also includes "As Long As You Love Me," "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," and "I Want It That Way."
Few are as lucky as the young lady onstage. Most are like Katie Petrikoni, 14, of South Brunswick, N.J., who knew every words to each song and found it impossible to sit at all.
Most of the kids will be exhausted the next day, a school day, and will likely skip classes again.