Source: Amanda Leigh Thiessen thiess@nbnet.nb.ca
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/b/a/c/backstreetlover4ever.html

Backstreet Boys fever is spreading like wild fire. You can hardly go anywhere today and not see their
name, or hear their number one song "I want it that way". Two years ago if you had asked someone if they
knew who the Boys were your answer would have most likely been "no". Now they sell albums by the
millions and their faces are plastered all over magazines world wide from Rolling Stone to TV Hits. Girls
flock to their performances wether it be to Regis and Kathylee, or to a show in their hometown. Yes the
boys have achieved a lot this year. They are now known worldwide and their name can't be mentioned
without millions of girls screaming.

But as we (the fans) look back on this year, is it really just a year of celebration for the boys? As I look
back between now and when I first came to love the Backstreet Boys, many things have changed.

Everyone in the business knows that the boys love their fans and do almost anything to please them. They
constantly push themselves to answer the demands from the growing population of their fans. They have
tried to keep it on a personal level, but now that they have gained worldwide popularity can they still do
that? Or is it a matter of do they still want to do that?

Fans of the backstreet boys are known to be the most determined dedicated fans on the planet. They will
do almost anything to "Just to be close" to there idols. Weather it be waiting all night in the rain and
getting sick, just to get tickets to there latest show, or risk getting injured in the chaos of front row
tickets. Parents worry about there children going to the concerts. These are the Backstreet Boys... you
aren't supposed to be worrying! No, parents aren't worried about drugs or alcohol but about their
daughter being squished between the bars in the front row. Last year in Montreal quite a few girls had to
be taken to hospital with crushed ribs and broken bones. Many passed out from exhaustion. But these
girls got the tickets and will go through anything just to get to the boys.

The excitement as you hear the beat of "That's the way I like it" thumping in your ear. The adrenaline
rush as your 5 favorite guys pop up on stage in a spray of fireworks. It's all part of the Backstreet Boys
concert experience. It is certainly an experience worth putting lots of effort into getting tickets. But
getting tickets is the entire battle. Tickets are a problem with a lot of people.

Their 765,000 tickets for the "Into The Millennium" tour sold out in a matter of minutes. Not just the
tickets for a certain province or state, but there ENTIRE tour! And the final total ringing in at the end of
the day was 30 million dollars worth of tickets sold!

As the Boys and their management celebrate this achievement (which they should) many fans are left
crying and disappointed. Disappointed for many different reasons.

"The only way to keep there tears at bay is if I continue telling them I will try to obtain tickets" says an
Aunt of three. Lisa Firorenze was one of the many people on Saturday August 14 that spent the entire
morning calling the ticktmaster in their area trying to get tickets to one of the most popular shows this
year. "With three different phone lines, an Internet connection, and a cell phone I thought for sure I was
on top of it. It turns out I was so off track"

She called all morning non-stop hoping that she would be able to fulfill the promise she made to her
nieces. "I firmly believe that when you give a child your word it is critical that you follow through. It is
what establishes trust and enables a child to come to you in the future because they know they can count
on you". Lisa being unable to even make a connection never mind get tickets before the show was sold out
thought her next option was a broker. Brokers are a big problem, they are selfish and unfair, quoting Lisa
$150.00 for the WORST seat in the house, and as much as $500.00 for the floor. This is nothing... some
parents have been quoted 1,000.00!

Not only are these prices too expensive for most teenagers, they're too expensive for most parents as
well. How do you think they feel as they have to put up with the heartbroken looks on their children's
faces as they beg for the money to get a ticket! Parents want nothing more than to satisfy their children
but $500.00 for 1 ticket ($54.00 is the actual price when they are first sold) is outrageous.

What about people that just can't afford it? A girl logged on to Ebay .com, an online auction server, and
submitted a bid of $600.00 for one ticket. It turned out that she couldn't afford it but you can see how
much she was willing to spend.

Lotteries are another big problem. Fans wait outside the ticket booths for days if not weeks, just too get
a ticket. Gillian Felix was desperately trying to get tickets. She was 6'th in line and she thought for sure
she would get a ticket. But the ticket sales people used their own process called a lottery. Where
everyone in line takes a number out of a bag, and then a staff member pulls out a number and who ever
has that number gets to go buy their ticket. Gillian was outraged and heartbroken. She waited in line all
night in a thunderstorm hoping she would get tickets. She was 6'th in line but that didn't matter now.
Because of the lottery she didn't get one ticket. They sold out. She was devastated. [Lotteries are
supposed to discourage people from lining up days in advance and give everyone present an equal chance
of being able to get the good seats.]

Parents dread ticket sales time. They know that no matter how hard they try they probably won't be able
to satisfy their children and make promises they can't keep. A mother from Texas was almost RELIEVED
that the Backstreet Boys were not touring there so she would not have to deal with all of this.

No one thinks that this is any of the Backstreet Boys' fault. They are popular and they can't help it.
It is a matter of supply and demand. We all know that the Boys are not the ones being selfish. But we
think if the boys knew what has been happening... how many people are being disappointed and how much
people are having to pay... they would try and help change the situation.

So how can it change you say? "There should be some sort of legislation is place," says Jennifer Christie
a mother of two. Other artists such as Garth Brooks have standards for their tickets sales. What kind of
standards? He and his management won't sell any tickets to brokers. People can only buy two tickets each.
He also kept the prices down to $35 per ticket. He did this because he wanted everyone to have a fair
chance at getting to see one of his concerts. This is a fair way of selling tickets. And people hardly ever
have any complaints.

Another issue that's been brought to my attention is how it seems like Canadians are being forgotten.
After years of spending tour time in Canada performing in almost every province, it's a little depressing
to just have three shows for the entire country. Sarah Berkley from Montreal, Canada, stated her
opinion: "I know that the boys can get worn out easily and I understand that they are only human but what
I don't understand is why that means they have to push us Canadian fans aside"

Jennifer Christie has an opinion about this issue too: " I think the tour schedule is really unfair to
Canadian fans. I don't want the guys to wear themselves out but there are only 10 provinces and there is
no reason there couldn't be a few shows in each. That's a few concerts for an entire country...". [there
are actually many reasons]

Is it their new management? "I find there is a big difference since they first signed with their new
management, they don't seem as accessible, they also seem to be forgetting about Canada." a young
mother from New Brunswick said.

So with all these problems popping up, have the boys changed now that they have worldwide popularity?
They are still the same 5 down to earth caring guys and they know they wouldn't be here if it weren't for
each and every one of their fans. We all will continue hoping and praying they will notice there are some
problems, and try and do something about it. We have to think about the way they feel as well. They do
care about their fans and strive to please them all, even though this is usually an impossible task. What
they are going through might be what we refer to as Growing pains. They were not so popular years ago
and now they have to deal with so many problems that they never knew existed. They have grown to be so
much more popular, and famous, they have to deal with a lot in a little amount of time and even the fans
are feeling the effects of these growing pains.

So as the millennium approaches, we realize that things have changed and we will all try and remember
that sometimes change is good. It is pretty plain to see that Backstreet's back for good. We are all
dedicated and won't give up untill something is done. We love those boys and nothing will ever change that.