Have you ever thought that the boy bands of today aren't as good of the ones in the 80s and 90s? That's not to take anything away from the Jonas Brothers, Big Time Rush, Varsity Fanclub or Allstar Weekend. They're all talented groups that deserve their current spotlight.
But the term "boy band" refers to not only a specific kind of music but also a specific period of time. The term itself didn't exist until the 90s. But clearly, the concept was around much before that. The Jackson 5 and Menudo are prime examples of the genre at an early stage. But, then the grandaddy of all boy bands hit the scene in the mid 80s and changed pop music forever.
New Kids On The Block (henceforth known as NKOTB - already known as NKOTB to the true fans) exploded on the scene and truly gave hope to all pop singing ensembles. They came up with the organizational scheme that so many boy bands have adopted. They put together an image that included specific fashion, ways of acting in public and romantic relationships. Not only that, they even invented certain roles that each boy band now has to emulate in order to succeed: Jordan Knight was the talented front man, Donnie Wahlberg was the rebellious bad boy, Joey McIntyre was the lovable one. These concepts put together with five guys with good singing voices performing catchy tunes like 'Hangin' Tough," "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" and "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" spelled success. These guys could do no wrong.
Then the 90s hit and there was an insurgence of new boy bands. 98 Degrees, *NSYNC, O-Town, and more. They were coming out of the woodwork and each celebrating success on the airwaves and MTV. The pop-listening audience was swooned by one after the other. But, one stood among the pack. That one, of course, is the Backstreet Boys. Those five guys truly nailed the part. They had pitch-perfect harmony, choreographed dance moves, the aforementioned look. They took the right stuff that NKOTB had and brought it into the next decade. The band couldn't hear themselves performing in concert over the screaming of their fans.
Bands like NKOTB and Backstreet Boys are what people are thinking of when they compare the boy bands of today with those of the beginning. Luckily enough for those fans, these two boy band greats are touring together in the summer of 2011!
What does matter is that this is your chance to see the two biggest original boy bands performing together onstage. It'd be like seeing The Rolling Stones play with The Beatles. Or Run DMC together with Sir-Mix-A-Lot. Yes, it's the combination of originals that make this a truly original tour.
