Title: Sidelights are the show: For Carter, filler takes the place of music
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Date: August 30, 2001
Source: News; Pg. 06B
Author: Kevin John Bozelka, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Topic: Summer 2001 Concert Review
Just when you were coming to terms with teen pop, here comes preteen pop to rear its precocious little head. Yes, glow sticks replaced lighters, and beer sales were alarmingly low Wednesday night for Nickelodeon's TEENick Presents Aaron's Party at the Marcus Amphitheater.
The Aaron in question here is Aaron Carter, younger brother to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter (sister Leslie Carter was scheduled to appear but did not perform). At 13, Aaron Carter has already been recording for a few years. But only recently has his music risen out of the church basement. His nominal hit "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" is a fine piece of ersatz funk, and it appears as if he's on his way to shaping a real career. Unfortunately, his live show demonstrated that he has a long way to go.
Carter still doesn't have enough material to make for a compelling hour-plus of live entertainment. So all sorts of dreary tricks were used to fill in the spaces: endless refrains of the chorus; Silly Putty fights; video testimonials to Carter's cuteness; a cumbersome robot trying to boogie center stage while Carter descended in a spaceship from above. He even shot some hoops with one of his dancers during the excruciatingly long vamp out of his song praising Shaquille O'Neal.
Normally, such shenanigans would enhance a show. But sandwiched between his automatic renditions of kiddie-pop classics like "Iko Iko" and "I Want Candy," they were clearly meant to mitigate Carter's shortcomings as an artist.
If this sounds like harsh criticism of someone who's only 13, it pays to note that there were many signs throughout the evening that Carter wants to be taken seriously. He has a live band instead of backup tapes. His first outfit of at least five literally looked charred as if he just escaped an explosion, almost post-apocalyptic in a Road Warrior kind of way. And already the boy is sporting a rebellious spiky hairdo. But only until his young fans (and their parents) allow him to channel some of his ambition (and aggression?) into his music will he be able to throw a truly great party.
The A*Teens were infinitely superior. Originally, the "A" stood for Abba in reference to the squeaky clean quartet's debut album of attractively brain-numbing Abba covers. Now with their new album, the cunningly titled "Teen Spirit," they (or the media machine behind them -- it doesn't matter) are creating originals that stand with the best of their great Swedish progenitors. They kicked off their show with "Halfway Around the World" -- an absolutely precious masterpiece that grafts those siren-like vocals one associated with Abba onto the galvanic beat of The Jacksons' "Can You Feel It?" One of the very finest singles of the year, it was performed with tasteful abandon.
