Mary's Thoughts
As you all probably know, the Backstreet Boys are in the middle of their Into The Millenium Tour. The guys just performed two shows here in San Jose, California last October 21 and 22, 1999. I went to the October 21 show, and it was great.
Here's a summary of what happened:
It started off with the opening acts around 8:00 PM. Mandy Moore got on stage and performed two upbeat songs including her first release "Candy". She also talked to the crowd and welcomed them to the show.
Her performance was followed by a brief break.
Then EYC, Express Yourself Clearly, went on stage and performed a number of songs capped with a love song where all three of them took off their shirts. Like Mandy, they also welcomed the crowd and asked if "it was okay that they sing for us while the Backstreet Boys are putting on their clothes."
Their performance was also followed by a break.During the break, the technical crew was testing the screens above the stage. They played the Sears commercial with BSB, and the crowd went absolutely crazy. The "wave" was started and went on for about ten to fifteen minutes, and a "chant" yelling Backstreet Boys over and over again was started and got louder and louder.
At around 9:30 - 9:45, the band, all dressed in white started to take their places, and the dancers, holding light posts also entered the stage.
The boys flew in a few minutes later in their futuristic Star Wars outfits and with skateboards. AJ, by the way, was looking sexy as always. He wore a regular black baseball cap turned backwards. They performed "Larger Than Life","Get Down", and "The One".
Then, all of the boys except for Nick, left the stage to change outfits. Nick stayed on stage and welcomed the crowd. He informed us that they had just finished working on an album. I'm not quite sure which album was he talking about, but I think he was referring to the guys' Christmas album. After Nick, AJ, Howie, Brian, and Kevin welcomed the crowd and told us that they hope we enjoy the show.
They then performed "As Long As You Love Me". There was a mini break while dancers finish the chair routine.
Then, they performed "Don't Wanna Lose You Now" and
"Quit Playing Games With My Heart". QPGWMH started off slow and soon started to pick up. The boys were then put on wires on each side of the five-sided stage, and they began flying and throwing stuffed animals at the crowd. AJ, by the way, was flying upside down while giving away the toys.
After this song, there was another break. The boys changed from their futuristic outfits to black casual clothes. AJ was wearing black pants, a black sleeveless shirt and a black formal hat.
They then performed "Don't Want You Back". There were poles set up on each of the corners of the stage and each Backstreet Boy was on one of them.
After that, Kevin introduced the five mother and daughter pairs that they pulled up on stage. Each Backtreet Boy was paired up with one of them, and sang "The Perfect Fan" to them. They then took the hand of the daughter and paraded around the stage with them. Towards the end, they returned the daughters to their mothers who, at this point, were all sitting. The guys sang the last few lines to the mothers. It was so sweet! You guys should have seen AJ. He was on his kneels singing to this mom, and the mom kept taking tons of his pictures.
Kevin and Mindi, the only female member of the Backstreet Band (SHE ROCKS!) played the instrumental to "Back To Your Heart". Kevin played the keyboard while Mindi played the sax. The Boys then sang "Back To Your Heart".
After this, there was a sort off storm simulation effect and a break.
The boys came back and performed a mix of "Everybody","We've Got It Goin' On" and "That's The Way I Like It". Then, the band played a jazz instrumental and had another break. The boys were once again changing outfits. They changed into the cutest suits. They all had pink pants, gray ties, and kind off yellowish dress shirts paired off with matching pink sports jackets and gray hats.
They sang "Spanish Eyes","I'll Never Break Your Heart with clips of its Spanish version "Nunca Te Haré Llorar","No One Else Comes Close", and "All I Have To Give". Howie introduced the song "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely" saying it was dedicated to the late Dennis PoP, a guy the Backstreet Boys really owed a lot of their success to. They performed the song lifted up on a platform in the middle of the stage while the female dancers are at the five corners of the stage dancing in cute little red dresses. The boys then went down to where the girls are and danced with them. AJ's partner was Kristin (OF COURSE), and they danced so well together. It looked like they were doing the Tango or the Lambada or something.
Then there was yet another break. The boys actually made the crowd think that was the end of the show. Someone, I'm not sure who it was, said "That's our show!" The lights, however, did not go on.
A few seconds later the background to "It's Gotta Be You" came on, and the guys came out wearing different outfits and sang. Get this guys.....AJ was in a straight jacket! That was so funny. He was also wearing white/tan pants and a silver sequined hat. In the middle of the song, there was kind off like a dance mix breakdown where the guys each introduced and acknowledged a band member, a male dancer and a female dancer. The band member then performed a solo while the two dancers got into a dance-off. AJ intoduced Mindi, a guy whose name I can't remember (ALL I KNOW IS THAT AJ SAID "AND THIS GUY RIGHT HERE WHO HAS ALL THESE FREAKY TATTOOS JUST LIKE ME....."), and of course none other than Kristin. The boys then finished off the song and with their dancers, started bowing to the crowd from each side of the stage. They wished everyone a good night, and the lights dimmed.
A lot of people actually thought that was really the end of the show and started heading for the exits. About fifteen seconds later, however, "I Want It That Way" came on and the guys performed again. After this song, they thanked everyone for coming and wished them a good night. That was the end of the show.
