#bsb concert

[jtrocks]

[gship87]

Nick Carter live in Akron, OH. 11/9/23 !!!

Get your tickets now !!!

[sage-nebula]

Listen to this rendition of Bye Bye Bye and tell me it's not the better song

The original is better too (N*Sync > Backstreet any day), but this version trounces even the original

[twopoppies]

Hello,

You're anon early with the tiktok mentioning Larry sort of reminded me about my origin story into this fandom. I had a moment when I was trying to figure who "Larry" was. Anyway, here's my story:

My origin story.

I blame it on Taylor Swift.

It was the Fall of 2022.

At the time, I knew little about One Direction besides the fact that they were a British boyband from X-Factor that Simon Cowell created. I knew that a band member named Zayn had left and that the band had broken up not long after. I could tell you who Harry and Niall were, but the other boys blended into interchangeable band members.

Looking back, I’m not sure why I wasn’t more into them because I had been a massive fan of American boybands of the '90s (NKOTB, BSB, N*SYNC, 98 Degrees, etc.). Being in my mid-forties now, I can assume I thought I wasn’t in One Direction’s focus group, especially since I had friends who took their 1D-obsessed kids to One Direction concerts, and I just wanted to stay away.

Back to Taylor Swift. I’ve been a fan of her music since her debut album, which is still my favorite of hers.

It was the Fall of 2022, and Taylor had a lot of buzz because she was about to release Midnights. I went on a binge of listening to my favorite Taylor songs. I got to the song “Style,” which I have always liked and assumed was about Harry.

I got curious and decided to google if Harry had ever written a song about Taylor. When they were “dating,” they existed outside of my bubble of things to care about. “Two Ghosts” was the song that came up as possibly being written about Taylor.  I knew of and liked the song. I had watched Harry on James Corden (another rabbit hole I went down about celebrities singing Broadway songs which led to Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk Musicals and eventually to Harry Styles) around the time his debut album came out, liked Sign of the Times, and bought the album.

I searched on YouTube to see if there was a music video of Two Ghosts or a live performance. I was disappointed that there wasn’t a music video, but I did watch a live performance and then scrolled down to the comments.

Holy wow! That’s where I first encountered the fandom. Fans were arguing about who the song was written about and whether Harry (as well as Louis and Taylor, for that matter) was gay, bi, or straight. The thoughts that went through my head!

Yes, other people think this is a beautiful song.

Are we sure this song is about Taylor?

Wait! This song is about a guy?

Who is Louis Tomlinson? I think he might be a 1D band member? Gotta go look that up.  Yep, a 1D band member.

There was a gay couple in 1D? That’s cute.  How am I just finding this out? Why isn’t this bigger news? They probably had to hide like Jonathan Knight of NKOTB and Lance Bass of N*Sync.

Who is Larry Stylinson? Is he a sixth member? I thought there were only five members?

Oh. It’s their names together.

That’s so cute!

Yep, they’re closeted. That’s so sad! Stupid boyband stereotypes.

And I went off to Google to find out more information. I found Tumblr, master posts, videos, fanfics, and down the rabbit hole I fell.

Two years later, I’m still down the rabbit hole with no plans of digging myself out.

Hahahaha! That’s a long, but pretty direct route down the rabbit hole. Glad to have you here!

[maybewecouldtry]

I went to a show last night with one of my best friends and as we were waiting for food afterwards, Zayn’s name came on the marquee for a show he’s doing on 10/30 and the two girls next to us said “Awww Zayn” just as my friend and I were echoing the same sentiment. One of the girls looked at me and we knew. We knew what we were all feeling.

I know it’s probably weird to say something beautiful has come out of this tragedy, but the collective sadness and grief we feel is a testament to how incredibly important the boys were to us as fans, especially for those in their most formidable years. How truly infectious their energy and camaraderie were for us to foster the connections we did, whether at concerts, over the internet, or just in spirit. How magical it was to exist in the same space they did for that short amount of time…

I experienced this kind of community on a smaller scale with NSYNC when I was growing up. They were how my childhood best friends and I bonded. Who liked Justin more? What was their best song and why was it Girlfriend (feat. Nelly)? Were we really Team NSYNC or secretly Team BSB? I’m sure if the internet was more developed during that era, we would have been publishing the awfully written cliched fanfictions that plagued our dreams. It was silly. Mistakes were made - JC is OBVIOUSLY the best member of that band - and lots of tears were shed when breathing the same air as they were. I never got to experience the latter, but the 1D shows felt awfully close to what I imagine they were like.

We’re all grieving for ourselves and the rest of the boys and Liam’s family. We’re all grieving the person we knew and the band that we loved to the point where we can just say someone’s name in a crowd of strangers and instantly connect. In this moment, we are truly not alone. The boys have allowed us to build a community around them and honestly, that’s pretty special.

I haven’t been active on here in the way that I was when the band was together, or even when they all went solo in the beginning, but going through my blog has been almost cathartic. I wish we could have reminisced with each other under more joyous circumstances, but for now, we have each other.

Be kind to yourself.

[btsbs]

With all due respect, I'm starting to think kpop fans were actually born yesterday. Even western celebrities and influencers acknowledge fanfic. I remember back in the 2000's, two members of tvxq talked about fanfic and one jokingly complained that they were always the "woman" in the stories. Singular fanfics aren't necessarily indicative of anything, but fanfic across the board is actually a pretty good indicator of how members of a group are viewed by the fandom, and it'd be insane to think celebrities or their companies wouldn't monitor that. For example, if a member is routinely villainized in stories where a certain pair is the focus of the fanfic, that might indicate bigger issue brewing in that group of shippers.

As an aside, that list of ships is made up. I read the actual hybe report and the only mentioned "ships" were nct and maybe one other group, nowhere did they provide any extensive list about ships they monitor. Pretty sure that list is just the popular ship list from postype (korean ao3).

So I’ve addressed the list already, but I’m going to take this opportunity to address your other point about companies monitoring fan fic overall. Regardless of whatever specific ship list we do or do not have proof of Hybe monitoring.

I mostly agree with you, celebrities have been aware of fan fic for decades, but most of the conversation about it has been more of a casual acknowledgement that it exists without going much deeper. Perhaps it was always a bit different within kpop, I haven’t been here that long but if you were following tvxq in the 2000’s it seems like you have been. The concept of the fourth wall has been eroding as social media has changed the way both fandom and every day life exists on the internet. The fourth wall is basically the imaginary wall that separates performers from an audience. As a fan you are aware you are watching a show, with music it’s a bit different than theatre as some interaction is expected at a concert, but the encore ends and fans share their excitement with each other and the band goes home and the wall is fully back up. In kpop maybe the wall was never quite as high, but I think my general discomfort with the idea of Hybe execs reading and discussing fan fics has to do with this blurring of lines in fandom culture. Which is also much bigger than just fan fic.

When I was younger and in the BSB fandom at their peak, fandom had only been online for a handful of years. We lived in message boards, ezines, random angelfire and geocities pages that functioned similar to a tumblr blog but without the connection. Search engines were not great, and you had to HUNT for fics. Things were starting to move over to livejournal as I stepped away from fandoms in general for over a decade- but there was no ao3, a perfect categorized library where you can find the most random specific fic you want in no time at all. Because it is so well organized, it makes it so much easier to track metrics. It wasn’t being done before because it was impossible to do, but the impossibility of it let the fourth wall carry over from the physical space (like a concert) to the internet. It was like that for a long time, until maybe 5-10 years ago.

The fourth wall is important because not every fan wants everything they say, do, or create to actually get back to the artist. We behave differently when we think they might be watching. Weverse has proved that there is some demand for a space like this, but I also think it’s just as important for fandom to have spaces that aren’t. Where we can be a little unhinged at times, share art or writing where the target audience is other fans and not the actual artist. Maybe you’re trying to teach yourself to draw or graphic design using your fav idol and you don’t really want your first attempts actually getting in front of their gaze. Maybe it’s just nice to have a space where you can say your fav wore an ugly sweater and *know* they’re not looking at that platform to ever see it.

To me, fan fic is in that domain. Fans write it for other fans to enjoy, and it feels like a fourth wall break for a company to be mining in there for market research and song inspiration. As much as I very much understand your point about why it’s done, I think it’s fair for us to ask if it should be done. Do we want it to be done. What if people start posting empty fics with their fav ship tags so their favs can have the best numbers, like people do now with streaming bragging rights. Does every aspect of fandom culture have to be a metric, a data point, a tool for more competition and consumerism?

I also think that if I was a famous person, the existence of fic wouldn’t bother me. If fans are writing it, reading it, staying on their side of the wall- it doesn’t impact the life of the celebrity much if at all. I listened to a podcast once, where they discussed hockey fandom drama over certain hockey fans screaming at the players about ships and fics from the sidelines at games and it made the players and their partners uncomfortable- which is fair, fans are climbing over the fourth wall. In this instance, it feels like Hybe may be crossing over the wall from the other side. Knowing it exists and having to confront it in your day to day life are two different things. The artists themselves also deserve to use the internet and live life with some protection from our wildest thoughts getting delivered directly into their laps as well. The fourth wall protects everyone, and Hybe potentially mining fan fic data is just another chip away at it.

[buddieisgoingcanon25]

So this is the reason last night I couldn’t post the clips. I was at the “Joey & A.J. - A Legendary Night” concert in Fort Lauderdale. And look who I got a pseudo selfie with. None other than A.J. McLean of BSB.

[carolmunson]

⭐️ for LGDW 💛

Director's Cut Ask Game This is an excerpt from LGDW Part 2:

“Hey Mr. DJ, easy,” you tell him, “It’s the most fucknasty song they’ve ever made and it still holds up. Like, I want it played at my wedding. I’m trying to make a child to that song.”  Eddie loses it at fucknasty, head falling back on the headrest while his chest bounces, “The most fucknasty song? We’ll have to play that next.”  “You won’t be disappointed,” you say, “AJ sings it and he was my favorite.”  “Oh, baby, that does not surprise me at all,” he grins. Calling you baby sounds comfortable now, even after just talking for a week. He’s not sure how fast or slow these things are supposed to go, but your little smile every time he says it makes him wanna say it more.  “I saw them in concert, when I was like, nine or ten or something,” Eddie says, “For their Millenium Tour – was when I Want It That Way was huge.” 

The Director Cut: Below the Cut.

I needed Eddie to be a BSB fan, but peronally I do think he would've been more of an NSYNC guy. Either way, I WENT to the Millenium Tour when I was freshly seven years old back when TD Garden was the Fleet Center. (Love aging myself). My mom and her best friend won the tickets on the radio! And I remember the literal AWE I felt when I watched it and I really do think something of that caliber -- tens of thousands of screaming girls, the loud music, the stunts -- he'd be so fucking obsessed with that rush. And I think this Eddie is definitely still into metal primarily (he mentions it in this same/similar scene) but because he teaches music theory he's drawn to so much different music and has been since he was a kid. And he's not really embarrassed about it and I don't think he was when he was younger either because he had all the trailer park boys and girls looking out for him. Also, Hey Mr. DJ is THE MOST FUCKNASTY SONG by The Backstreet Boys and this is a CANON FACT in Carol Lore. Also, AJ has always been my favorite because I have A TYPE.

[an-ivy-covered-summer]

i feel like, as an early ‘90s kid, there’s a whole weird generational incongruity i’m part of when it comes to boybands.

i was never into *nsync or the backstreet boys, like, i could listen to them, and i remember them and their big media takeover for so many years, and there are a few songs i really really like, but i was never a fan. never bought an album, merch, fangirled, or anything, really.

instead, i got deeply obsessed with one direction later. all the albums, merch, magazines, interviews, movies, random trinkets. i knew everything. i even managed to go to a concert in a time when it was a very unlikely thing for me to do. it was my thing.

and i think it’s interesting bc sometimes it makes me feel like i’m not really a part of any generation? like, most late millennials were mostly *nsync and bsb fans (which i’m not), and most gen z kids (which i’m also not) were into 1D.

so what am i? is it just me? is it more common than i think? who knows. just some random wednesday thoughts.

[blackgirlsreverything]

How was the BSB concert?! 💕

A SNOOOOZZZEEEE 😭😭

they sang sooooo many new songs!!

Like sirs, we want to hear the songs from the 99s and 00s!!

And let’s not talk about the fact that they don’t have an opening act and don’t start their show until 2 HOURS late!!

[softsnzstuff]

assumptions? i’m assuming you either had a 1D or 5sos phase at some point? or some type of boy band? :]

Absolutely HAHAHA • Was super into Big Time Rush (my first concert), 1D, BSB, and the Wanted.

OH DUH AND THE JONAS BROTHERS. I saw them in concert twice in 2019 and all my childhood dreams came true lmfao

The real question is who’s yalls fave? Back in the day I was a Louis girl for sure. But now Niall and Harry are my faves.

[caelenath]

Oh my God, they're back again

Tonight's Shower Thought™ was rather elaborate.

~ ~ ~

The Senshi attend a BSB concert, which Usagi of course drags Mamoru along to, and he in turn pulls Motoki along to keep him sane.

Sometime during the show, the boys head out for a "bathroom break", get plastered at the bar (not entirely on purpose), return to the wrong seating section (not entirely on accident), and during the next set, start clowning and challenging each other to a dance off.

The thing is, Mamoru has (against his will) picked up the dance moves from watching Usagi at home, and he is now too drunk to be terrible at them. He and Motoki get their whole row going, and they get picked up on the Jumbotron because heeeeeey look, two unreasonably good-looking guys are moving like Jagger in the stands.

Somewhere across the arena, Usagi is hyperventilating because wherewhenhow!?!?!?!? did Mamoru learn to toss his hair like that, Makoto and Rei are holding onto Usa so she doesn't fall down into the next row of seats, and Minako is filming everything with both her phone and Mako's to double-ensure she doesn't miss a second of it.

In one version of this story, that's more or less the end of it.

In another version, Mamoru may or may not fall over the rail himself, nearly giving Usa and several other people a heart attack, only for Tuxedo Kamen to appear a second later flying around the arena on a wire like it's all part of the show. He heads straight for Usagi, who is so mad that she slaps him for nearly dying in front of her, and the entire audience is just eating up the drama via the Jumbotron.

Ami then cleverly informs Tux that Sailor Moon is in danger over at the Starlight Tower, and the two make a swift exit.

Later, after the Senshi ensure the boys get home safe, Usagi is storming around like a thundercloud, both pissed off and turned on by Mamoru's hips antics.

As for whether this was the point where the Makotoki ship set sail, well, I'll let each of you decide.

THE END

[wordsinhaled]

9 & 10 for the music ask game?

9. How much did your parents music taste shape your own music taste? a lot actually! i grew up listening to my a lot of my parents' music. my mom wasn't so into music but my dad really liked eurodance, EDM, and new age music. i listened to a lot of secret garden, enya, eiffel 65, yanni, ABBA, sting... and my first arena concert was seeing sting & annie lennox with my parents. i also learned to love classical music from my parents & one of my grandmas

10. Any particular artists or songs give you nostalgia? fall out boy/panic/MCR trifecta... NSYNC and BSB... yellowcard... a lot of coldplay songs but especially songs from x&y, a rush of blood to the head, and parachutes... death cab... jack's mannequin/something corporate... the black eyed peas... i also literally haven't been able to listen to a single linkin park song after what happened to chester because it makes me too sad... since u been gone by kelly clarkson??? i remember watching the original american idol season where she won. the fray... i vaguely remember there was a house/wilson music video to "how to save a life" i think? there's also just artists that Bring Back Memories so i still sometimes struggle to listen to them but they do evoke a specific moment? like... gorillaz i have mostly worked through all that and can listen to them again but gnarls barkley i'm still working on coming back to

[jules-has-notes]

2013 Napa Valley A Cappella Extravaganza — VoicePlay live performances

In January 2013, VoicePlay were the professional headliners to a roster of collegiate and high school a cappella groups at the 8th annual Napa Valley A Cappella Extravaganza. The event is a yearly fundraiser for Napa High School's choral program, hosted by their Vocal Music Workshop a cappella ensemble. These audience-view videos give a taste of the live concert experience.

.

As indicated by the "Hello!" screen, this song is often their opening number for live shows. It's a great, energetic introduction to their playful sound, but doesn't get too far into the shenanigans that might startle the uninitiated.

Details:

title: Don't Stop Me Now

original performers: Queen

written by: Freddie Mercury

arranged by: VoicePlay

My favorite bits:

the slow build that gently eases you into things

Their choreography's not elaborate, but they do it well, and it allows for a bit of individuality to shine through.

the breakdown section culminating with ♫ "Any tiiii-IIIIME" ♫

the driving triplets in the ♫ "No one can stop me" ♫ section

Earl's soaring riffs

That big finish!

Trivia:

This song was the closing section of VoicePlay's Queen in 5 Minutes medley almost six years later.

.

As much as mainstream pop culture might turn up its collective noses at boy bands when they're at their height of popularity among tween girls, there's no denying that a lot of beloved oldies have their origins there. And no wonder. Pop music is darn catchy and fun by design. VoicePlay makes these selections even moreso with their antics.

Details:

title: boy band medley

original songs / performers: "ABC" by The Jackson 5; [0:50] "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles; [1:30] "My Girl" by The Temptations; [2:18] "Sherry" by The Four Seasons; [3:16] "YMCA" by The Village People; [3:50] "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by New Kids on the Block; [4:12] "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys; [4:52] "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC; [5:23] "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction

written by: "ABC" by Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, & Deke Richards; "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by John Lennon & Paul McCartney; "My Girl" by Smokey Robinson & Ronald White; "Sherry" by Bob Gaudio; "YMCA" by Jacques Morali & Victor Willis; "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by Maurice Starr; "I Want It That Way" by Andreas Carlsson & Max Martin; "Bye Bye Bye" by Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, & Andreas Carlsson; "What Makes You Beautiful" by Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub, & Carl Falk

arranged by: VoicePlay

My favorite bits:

thirty-something Earl being able to recreate the sound of preteen Michael Jackson, holy heck

the way the choreography gets more complex as they move through the eras of music

making hand gestures to signify members of the Village People during YMCA

"I hate you guys." :(

the ♫ "wah-wah-wah-wah" ♫ harmonies transitioning from NKOTB to BSB

hamming up their roles in the "Boy Band 101" section

🎉 Party poppers!!! 🎉 (Which they got in trouble for a year later.)

Trivia:

Having this medley in their repertoire may have given them an advantage when "Bye Bye Bye" was chosen as the battle song for their first episode of The Sing-Off.

Tony was, in fact, the first one from this configuration of VoicePlay to leave. Not to go solo, though. He wanted to be home with his family and focus on growing PattyCake.

The guys updated this medley and filmed a full music video for it as the result of a Patreon poll in 2019.

.

What happens when you take a country music classic, kick up the tempo a bit, and infuse your performance with an air of competition between bandmates? You get this, a favorite among VoicePlay fans.

Details:

title: Elvira

original performers: The Oak Ridge Boys

written by: Dallas Frazier

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

My favorite bits:

the opening harmonies from the trio

Eli nudging Earl to take the lead, resulting in Geoff going to pout next to Layne

Layne pointedly staying out of whatever's happening, but still keeping an eye on things

everyone's feigned surprise for the "Earl can sing low, too" gag, especially Geoff giving his best dramatic chipmunk

Earl's breath control on that long note and the ensuing huff to refill his lungs

Geoff's wide stance and shoulder wiggle to prepare for his high notes

those lush ending chords

Trivia:

Home Free liked this version of the song so much that they asked Geoff to help create an arrangement for them to record with The Oak Ridge Boys.

.

You'd think a cappella fans might be sick of this song, given how frequently it was used on Glee. But, as usual, VoicePlay bring their own talented twists to this classic rock song and make it something fresh. This recording is missing the first verse, but it still has most of the best parts.

Details:

title: Don't Stop Believing

original songs / performers: "Don't Stop Believin'"; [0:54] "Open Arms"; and [1:02] "Any Way You Want It" by Journey; [0:46] "Oh Sherrie" by Steve Perry

written by: all songs written by Steve Perry in collaboration – "Don't Stop Believin'" with Jonathan Cain & Neal Schon; "Oh Sherrie" with Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf, & Bill Cuomo; "Open Arms" with Jonathan Cain; "Any Way You Want It" with Neal Schon

arranged by: Layne Stein & Geoff Castellucci

My favorite bits:

the gradual layering in the polyphony section, using other Journey / Steve Perry songs to fit inside the rhythmic gaps…

…culminating in that huge chord (Are we sure there are only five of them?)

their use of silence during the unison section

the camera panning around to take in the well-deserved standing ovation

Trivia:

VoicePlay filmed a full video for "Don't Stop Believin'" a few years later when they were the featured guests at Camp A Cappella 2016.

They later did a full version of "Any Way You Want It" as part of the second round of their Partwork series.

For a couple years, Eli also sang with a Journey cover band called Raised On Radio in between VoicePlay gigs.

[piecesofeden11]

Hyperspecific and strange!!!

3. What is your favorite song that also makes you cringe a little bit?

8. If you could be any type of plant, what would you be?

16. Do you have a LEAST favorite color?

18. Are you hydrated?

19. If you were transformed into a tiny woodland creature and invited to a tea party, what creature would you be and what food item would you bring?

Haha! Thank you! These are fun! 3. Hm, my favorite guilty pleasure song. "Bye, bye, bye" by *NSYNC ... but I absolutely, wholeheartedly embrace the cringe in this case. I stand by my boy band love :D Heck, I went to a BSB concert at 30 :D

8. A type of succulent, perhaps a string of pearls or a hens&chicks :D

16. I used to have a set of colored pencils, one of which had the most garish ocre-yellow-green-ish tone. I pick that.

18. Yes! I just finished my second liter of the day and started on my third! (To whomever reads this: Have a sip right now!)

19. A squirrel and I would bring scones, because I make pretty great scones if I do say so myself!

[binbonsescape]

So... I saw the BSB last night and it was the best concert of my life! I'm so happy I had to share with you guys! I'm still hyped aaahhhhhhhhh