Title: Review: 11:30, Sky and Aaron Carter
Source: canEHdian (Canada's Entertainment Source)
Source: http://www.canehdian.com/non/artists/c/aaroncarter/halifax.html
Date: March 13, 2001
Author: Dave Brosha, CanEHdian.com 2001
Topic: Winter 2001 Concert Review
When the Backstreet Boys quickly rose to attention, in both the pop charts and in the minds of millions of young female fans, their success has an unlikely spin-off: the door opened for those associated with the boy band to follow their own paths of glory. Case in point is the Backstreet Boy's popular Nick Carter. Not long after the BSB achieved superstardom his Carter's little brother Aaron became a star in his own right, opening for other prolific acts, including his older brother's band and Britney Spears.
As recent album sales and concert turnouts would suggest, Aaron Carter has now proven his own worth as a pop entity. He is no longer filling the opening spot for bigger acts, rather bands and artists are lining up for the honour of opening his concerts. Hot on the heels of his album Aaron's Party, which was released in the fall of 2000, the young performer is touring North America much to the delight of mainly female fans everywhere.
Before Aaron Carter hit the stage on a recent stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, two such opening acts gave it their all before an ecstatic crowd of parents and 5-10 year old girls. Montreal duo11:30, consisting of Montreal twins Toni and Trish Sherwood opened the show, bringing their Latin-twinged jiggling to fans who perhaps didn't appreciate the carefully thought-out bra tops and seductive dance moves the group had to offer. Appearances aside, 11:30 represented 'girl power' and the crowd responded accordingly. Their song "Ladies Night" subtly reflected the theme of the evening, and got the majority of the crowd shrieking. 11:30 only slowed from their energetic dance numbers for the performance of "Sister", a song penned by their own father. The duo closed their performance with perhaps their biggest song to date: the arm-raising, dance single "Ole Ole".
The second opening act also featured a duo: Canadian pop group Sky. Surprisingly enough, the newly re-formed act was fairly bland, drawing little response from the crowd, with the exception being the band's biggest hit to date, "Love Song". The performance seemed to consist of mainly pre-recorded beats with only member Anastasia offering weak vocals. Original member Antoine strummed on a guitar that wasn't audible to the audience and demonstrated little in way of vocal ability.
Sky closed with their current hit "Superhero" and left with the crowd screaming?in anticipation for Aaron Carter, the main draw.
Aaron Carter emerged on stage to a deafining wave of pre-teen excitement. The fact that the main act had arrived was clear to all, not so much from the noise of the crowd (which was plentiful), but from the polished aspect of his performance compared to his earlier predecessors. He played to a live five piece band rather than canned beats, his talented dancers would have looked comfortable alongside Madonna, and his sound system was strong - not tinny. As for Aaron Carter, he displayed much of what has gotten him to where he is to date: slick dance moves, decent gymnastics, passable vocals and plenty of attitude.
Perhaps one of the most interesting moments of the night played out in front of Aaron Carter. After Metro Centre personnel managed to successfully keep the masses of ticket holders in their pre-assigned seats, and away from the front of the stage, Aaron Carter did a venue no-no and "invited" the crowd to come closer. Exasperated officials watched as dozens of pint-sized fans rushed forward, jumping over chairs and their fellow concert-goers and ignoring the protests of the now noticeably few security workers.
Rules - and the rights of the legitimate front row ticket holders aside - the move only further excited an already frenzied crowd and drew the fans even closer to Carter's blend of pop, hip-hop and dance music. Even critics of pop-radio acts like Carter, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys can't deny the raw energy present in these live shows. Aaron Carter may not be a Bruce Springsteen or even a Michael Bolton, but he knows how to get the crowd to response - parents and children alike.
By Dave Brosha, CanEHdian.com 2001
