It's foggy, cool morning and while most people are still sound asleep, four tour buses quietly roll into town, headed for the arena. The arena is quiet: no sceaming crowds, no pounding beats, no flashing cameras: but inside, the show has already begun. Acutually, for Tim, the "show" began a long time ago. Tim is the tour's Productive Manager and he has been preparing for the tour for months. Now that the four crew buses and eight trucks have arrived, Tim kicks into high gear: with his forty-three-person trveling crew buses and eight trucks have arrived, Tim kicks into high gear: with his forty-three-person traveling crew and an additional eighty-four men and women hired locally, he begins to transform the empty arena into what will in a few hours be the site of an electrifying *Nsync experience. The set carpenters start building the stage, the riggers are hooking up the fly track, the lighting grids are put into place, and the pyro crew prepaares the explosive.
Meanwhile, a few miles away, three more buses are headed into town: inside are the band, management, promotors, and publicists who run the day-to-day operations of *Nsync's Tour Management Team. Cell phones and laptops close at hand, they're busy reviewing the days itinerary for the guys with Doug, the management rep at home bae in Orlando, Florida. Doug coordinates and crew. Public appearances, meet-and-greet, travel schedules, radio and television spots, and the never-ending requests for ickets and backstage passes keep them in a constant but controlled frenzy. But where are the guys? Away, for the moment at least, from ringing cell phones, the racket of stage construction, and the crush of press photographers, the boys of *nsync are on another bus headed directly for their hotel lobby when they arrive- how their fans know where to find them no matter where they go is still a mystery. Having checked in, now is their change to climb into bad in a quiet room and catch up on sleep, or if they were able to catch a few winks on the bus, maybe it's off to a local mall for some shopping. They're pretty much on their own but always seem to do things together. These are the moments that the guys cherish because they can really be themselves. They are just like any bunch of guys hanging out-expect that for these five friends, millions of fans want to know their every move.
Back to the arena, the stage is starting to take shape. In the back hallways the production team is labeling dressing rooms, checking phone lines, and telling the caterers where lunch is to be served. Leslie, who handles the guys' wardrobe, is busy getting the performance outfits in order and sending out dry cleaning, making sure that *Nsync looks their best, as she doesevery night. Nearby, *Nsyncs security chief, Randy, reviews security produres with Todd, Eric, Micheal, Lonnie, Wesley, and Andre-*Nsync's Security team-to make sure that everything goes smoothly once the thousands of fans start prouring into the arena. Big Dogg and his team accompany the guys wherever they go-whether its shopping in a mall or having lunch in a downtown cafe. When they're on tour, the guys in *Nsync know they can let their guard down and chill, because Bid Dogg and the fellas, when they're on duty at least, never do.
By lunchtime, the crew is sitting down to take a break from their hectic day, but for JC, Justin, Chris, Lance, and Joey, that's just when things start to pick up, its when they have to get ready to step into the public eye-where they'll be for the rest of the day and night. The guys know they're in demand, and with fame comes responsibility to the fans-and that means endless television appearances, radio interviews, autograph sessions, and public appearances. This is also the time when Big Dogg is busiest. His security team watches not only the guys but also their fans can get up close and pretty personal.
Back at the arena the stage is up, the lights are hung, and everything looks ready, but the work is far from over. After a line check, *Nsync's band-including Troy, Billy, Ruben, Paul, Byron, and musical director, Kevin-take the stage and begin jamming. It's sound-check timeand mic levels and instruments must be meticlously adjusted to make sure that when the guys hit the stage and launch into their first song, the thousands of fans get the full-on *Nsync experience. Mean while, things are warming up backstage: Ibrahim, Fritz, and Melinda get situated in their temporary offices and prepare for the frenzy that is about to take place. Outside the arena, the air of excitment begins to intensify: fans start to arrive, peeking in doors and windows, hoping to get a glinpse of something-anything. The arena staff show up soon after and begin talking thier places throughout the venue as concertgoers fill the parking lot and walkways surrounding the arena. Inside the house lights are already being dimmed, and background music pumps through the arena as the anticipation outside becomes palpable.
The guys arrive at the venue and as always are met by hundreds of fans who line the short route from the bue to the restricited area. They go directly to the dressing rooms, where catering has laid out some of their favorite drinks and snacks. Inside, the guys have no trouble keeping themselves busy: in between bites of food, they play video games, read fan mail, open presents, or play with Chris's dog, Busta. Theres plenty of laughing and joking around to keep everybody loose. Spending a little time backstage with the guys before a show, soaking up their energy, you realize that performing is what they live to do most. And while they always seen comfortable with all the attention, you get the sense that they never really stop being surprized at, and thankful for, all their success. In a another room somewhere in the arena, the production crew, management team, and security staff meet with areana personnel to preview the nights show and make sure that everything is ready-that all the complicated elements that make a live *Nsync perfomance work will come together perfectly. After that meeting, Melinda and the security team head to the will-call window to start coordinating what for some lucky fans, will be a night they'll never forget.
Meet-and-greet is a chance for a group fo fans, who have either who a contest ot have been invited by the tour to meet the guys in person. Once the fans present their passes and get inside the doors, they can hardly contain their excitment. They are led to a large room: in front of them are five empty chairs and a long table with five magic markers. When the guys finally enter the room, the screams are ear-shattering. Eventually the guys, with the help of Big Dogg and his team, get everybody calmed down, at least to the point where fans can exchange a few words with the bandmembers. Then everybody gets autographs from the group and is escorted back into the main part of the arena. Once outside the door, the looks on their faces say it all. For these fans, a few moments talking and hanging out with the guys has become a memory of a lifetime.
While the meet-and-greet keeps security and the bandmembers busy, it provides the exhausted productive team a shot breather. Often, they can be seen playing basketball, or they might hang out in the catering room wacthing a ballgame on television.
Finally, after months of anticipation on the part of the fans, the moment has arrives: arens staff, having received the go-ahead from the event managers, open the doors of the building, and thousands of fans begin pouring in. Some head for theT-shirt and concession stands, but most seem eager to find their seats-which, of course, won't get much use tonight.
The houselights go down, and by this time adrenaline is pumping on both sides of the stage. The opening band takes their places and kicks into their set, keeping the crowd's energy level fully peaked. Backstage the guys are in their dressing rooms as the management team works the phones, still ringing with ticket and media requests. The production team settles in for some dinner. It's around this time that the guys in *Nsync get to hang out, as they do at most of their gigs, with some of the celebrities who happen to be in town and have come to check out the show. Some of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment industries walk down the halls with their families to say hi to the guys. For JC, Justin, Chris, Lance, and Joey its still easy to get overwhelmed during these visits, since they often feel more like fans than celebrities themselves. The variety and enthusiasm of the people who come to see thier shows never ceases to amaze them.
As the opening acts begin to wind down, Jennifer gets the fellas into hair and makeup. Thats done, it's off to wardorbe to get into their opening outfits. Outside, as the crew prepares the now darkened stage for the night has grown into a near-roar. The fans can sense the time is near. Backstage, theres a brief moment of calm before the storm. Like athletes before a big game, the guys each have their own way of getting psyched up the show, yet they all share the same intense combination of butterfiles and raw excitement. These are the moments when they realize the huge responsiblitly they have to their fans, but they know they can count on each other to give the best show possible. Everyone huddles for a short prayer, giving thanks for the talents and opportunities they have been given, then it's hugs to everyone, and with an enthusiastic shout, they head for the stage...its showtime!
You don't have to be inside the arena to know that *Nsync just took the stage. The deafenting roar of the fans seems to shake a whole city block. The opening number pulsates, and spotlights blaze down on each of the five singers, sending the crowd into a frenzy. This is what all the trouble was for-all the preparations, promotions, coordination: Its all about the performance, the ont thing all five guys in the group live for when they're on tour. For all the raucous excitment in the arena and onstage, this is one of the few moments when some of the tour's behind-the-scenes players can chill for a bit and start planning for the next big event. Now that the guys are onstage, the show has begun, and ticket requests are taken care of, Fritz, Melinda, and Ibrahim, along with the management team, begin to work on the next tour date and try to catch up on some personal things like phone calls to family and friends.
Right now, Big Dogg and his security team are watching every movie, Gary is controlling the dazzling light displays you see onstage, Tim is mixing the sound, David is in monitor world, Anthony manages the stage, while backstage, Leslie and Jennifer hustle the guys in and out of six wardrobe and hair and makeup changes.
As the shows nears its nears its electrifying climix, preparations have already made to get the band safely out of the arena after the ligths go down. Members of the security team take their positions at several checkpoints along a desingnated exit route, just as the bandmembers can be heard shouting their final "thank you" into the mics, and the crowds roar swells and shakes the foundations of the arena. The lights are down, and the guys run for the ramp that takes them directly offstage. From there the security team directs them with flashligths though the corridors of the arena and out into the back parking lot, where they quickly jump on the bus-still in costume-and head for the next city. As the fans trickle out of the arena, there is still a bristling energy in the air, even with the houselights up. As soon as the show ends, Anthony, the stage manager, can be heard given directions as to what goes where. The production team gets back to work taking down the stage and packing everything up. Outside in the parking lot, the crowd disperses, still fully amped from the show.
Finally, the last box is loaded onto the last truck and a tired crew boards the buses. They unwind by talking about the day's work and how the show went, but sleep comes quickly, for tomorrow they know they have to do it all over again. For JC, Justin, Chris, Lance, and Joey, another show is over and it is on to the next one. It is then, in tose quiet moments alone, that the group realizes they are part of a bigger family-one that works together, laughs together, and sometimes even cries together all with one gaol in mind. That gaol is to amke sure that when fans leace an *Nsync concert, they can say it was the best.
