Francois Marchand, Special to The Journal
Published: 2:02 amCONCERT REVIEW
Backstreet Boys
With: Girlicious
When: Sunday
Where: Rexall Place
To say that the world is a better place now that Backstreet's back -- again -- might be pushing it a bit.
However, for the throngs of screaming (and mostly female) fans who sang along to every word the boy-band delivered Sunday night at Rexall Place, the experience was still a huge, long weekend party.
Granted, the Boys aren't so much "boys" anymore. Nick Carter, Brian Litrell, A.J. McLean and Howie Dorough -- fifth member Kevin Richardson called it quits in 2006 -- are older, but they still have the energy and gusto that defined their rise to pop superstardom in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
And there was plenty of memorabilia to absorb as soon as they hit the stage.
From opener Larger Than Life, complete with choreographed dance moves involving boxing gloves and matching outfits, to mega-hit I Want It That Way, which really kicked things into high gear, fans responded with ear-piercing squeals of delight.
There was a bit of the prerequisite "new album" (2006's Unbreakable) business to attend to. However, the Backstreet bunch quickly dispensed with the easily forgotten stuff to focus on the numbers that made them a pop tour-de-force.
"You guys are awesome. We missed you guys," Howie told the enthusiastic crowd, which responded with a thunderous roar.
He then introduced a string of "solo" performances from each of the members' prospective new albums to be released in the near future.
Fortunately, the solo performances were not to overshadow the group's most famous numbers, and fans young and old went absolutely nuts when the Boys broke into the likes of Everybody (Backstreet's Back).
Surprisingly, it was the group's subdued presentation that really did the trick -- no flashy gimmicks (except for the opening number), each of the guys sporting leather jackets and rock T-shirts for most of the first part of the show, using only furniture (chairs, stools, a poker table) as their major props throughout.
Maturity is serving these Boys well, and they still boast the kind of inventive and impeccably timed dance moves you could set your watch to while making the most of their live backing band.
Opening act Girlicious, on the other hand, were all fleshy costumes and big hair swings set to bright lights and bumping pre-recorded tracks.
As for the Backstreet Boys, they might be married with children, and sitting a little lower in the charts than they were once used to, but they still reign supreme when it comes to boy-bandom.
SOURCE: © The Edmonton Journal 2008
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