Wednesday, February 24th, 2000 is a landmark date in the timeline of the Backstreet Boys' trip down the road of fame and fortune. That's the night they outshined the stars, knocked the socks off their critics, showcased their God given talents to perfection, and did it all in just under five minutes. That's right, the Boys gave the performance of their lives on national television to an estimated 60 million viewers, brought to you courtesy of the Grammy Awards.
Their lovely rendition of the classics, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "I'll Make Love To You", topped off with their own "Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely" scored the title of "evening's most compelling performance" issued by yours truly. It was most definitely a landmark performance, in terms of the sheer amounts of respect it's earned them. In front of their peers, singing their hearts out, in what was most assuredly NOT a lip synched selection (a common accusation hurled at 'boybands'), the Backstreet Boys proved themselves not only capable of producing flawless (and I mean FLAWLESS) harmonies, but also that they are worthy of the diamond status Millennium has received. The hush which fell over the stadium as soon as they opened their mouths to sing a snipet of "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" accapella was the sound of their critics' mouths dropping open. Did you see all those socks flying off left and right? Probably not. The cameramen tended to focus on the Boys, who quite frankly, I'd rather see than a bunch of celebrity toes, no matter how famous the person to whom they belong may be.
The icing on the cake was, without a doubt, the Boys' duet (or is that sextet?) with Elton John, Captain Fantastic himself. Personally, if I were the Boys, I'd have been up there thumbing my nose at N Sync thinking, "Elton.....Gloria.....Elton.....Gloria....Hmmmm. That's a tough one." But then, I'm catty that way. *lol*
Give me a moment as I slip into my Fashion Diva hat....The Boys were dressed to the hilt, in one fabulously designed ensemble after another. Howie looked fit to whisk me off my feet in his oh so sexy black suit with that classy white shirt underneath (LOVED the cuffs!)...*URK. THUD.* I positively hit the floor on that one! AJ's leather vest over a white dress shirt was nice enough, but it was his pliable black leather hat that caught my attention! He looked fabulous with that essential accessory cocked over one eye. Kevin looked debonair as usual, with an excellently tailored suit and silk tie. Now, many fans are issuing below the belt slams to the blond babe, Nick, for the amount of weight he's supposedly gained. I did notice that he's added a few extra pounds, but as we hootchies are fond of saying, "More cushin' for the pushin'!" Geez, leave the poor kid alone, already. Pretty soon, the Firm is going to have to arrange for a psychiatrist to travel on tour with the Boys in an effort to help Nick overcome all these complexes you all are going to give him! And so what if he's breaking out here and there? Maybe he's never heard of Bioré. Yeesh. Brian....well, to be honest, I didn't do much gazing in his direction, although I think he and Nick would have been better off not slumped over Elton's piano during their second serenade.
I was disappointed beyond belief that the Boys didn't take home a single award (though I had a premonition that they wouldn't), if only because I wanted to hear Brian and Kevin thank their fiancés. However, I am now going to have to go out and purchase a copy of Carlos Santana's Supernatural in a concerted effort to determine just what was so wonderful about that album. Although, even I will admit that I liked the Rob Thomas/Santana performance immensely.
All though it has no real bearing on the subject of this week's commentary, I simply have to add that I thoroughly enjoyed the Dixie Chick's rendition of "Earl". I'm a HUGE Chicks fan, though not necessarily a country fan by nature, and I adore Natalie's voice. What a highlight.
In the preshow coverage catagory, I only caught the second part of the exclusive Backstreet interview on MTV, though I was told that Nick admitted he's the physical fighter of the group in the first half. Honestly, what do you expect? He's the youngest and was very likely the one most picked upon. If I were in his position, I'd throw a good right cross or two, too.
The final note I'd like to make for this edition of "From Where I Sit", is once again in regards to the respect four Grammy nominations has earned the Boys. Did any one catch that, when the nominees for "album of the year" were being counted off, the Boys were specifially called a 'vocal harmony group'? Well, I certainly did and that reference was met by a resounding cheer! Gone are the days of being labeled a 'boyband', Backstreet has now been officially recognized as the next Boys II Men. *lol*
Honestly, why do we even have to issue the Backstreet Boys a label at all? They've proven their talent time and again, though this time they certainly did it in grand style and with a major viewing audience looking on. The 2000 Grammys cast it's spotlight on the Boys and they came away smelling like roses, having won something much more important that any six inch statue.
Until next time,
~Jessi
Howie Hootchie #2
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