This was a pretty modest-sized hall, and the concert was more like a House of Blues show. The doors were gonna open at 8pm, so I came there by 7.30, and the line had already snaked around the block by then. I have to admit I stood out from the beginning, being one of the few guys among an ocean of girls. It was past 9 pm before the opening act came out, some female pop singer named Guinevere. She looked hot in her flashy outfit, but was mostly lip-syncing, and I had to bear through her mini-setlist of around 4 songs. Then, the curtains came down while Nick's band set up their equipment. Finally, around 9.45 the curtain (more like a projector screen) went up and the crowd let out a huge roar. To the background of radio transmission excerpts from space flights, and some epic entrance music, the band members came out wearing white space-suits and settled in their places. Then Nick came, out with a full space-suit and helmet, standing in the center, back to the crowd, a band member equipping him with his guitar. As the lights came down, he turned to the audience as the screams grew louder, approached the mic and launched into "I'm Taking Off", the title track off his new album, followed by "Blow Your Mind" from his 2002 debut album Now Or Never, and "Not The Other Guy" again off the new one. He then paused to thank everyone for their support, and exhorted the crowd to be his 'aliens' he is visiting, and then sang "I Got You" from NON, which is my favorite solo song of his. I was naturally singing along, eliciting a few curious stares from the girls around me. Nick later did an awesome mix of "The Great Divide" (another fave) with U2's "With Or Without You". Later in the show Nick picked up the guitar again to do to BSB's "Larger Than Life", with his guitarist nailing the solo part perfectly. His drummer was exceptional as well, Nick mentioned he was with him during his first solo album tour. After the second break, Nick came out alone with an acoustic guitar in hand, dedicating his next song to his sister Leslie Carter, who had passed away just two days before with the words "I've not done his before and never thought I'd ever have to. I wanna dedicate this song to my sister". And he did an acoustic rendition of "Falling Down", and choking towards the end, he rushed to the corner of the stage as soon as he finished, to compose himself. That was a pretty intense moment, and the crowd went quiet for a while before starting a "We Love You" chant to cheer him back on to the stage. Nick came back, taking the mic and saying "Lets celebrate her life Goddammit" and went on to perform the last two songs of the show, the eternal BSB hit "I Want It That Way" and his new single "Burning Up", pumping up the crowd and ending the show on a high note.
To sum up, it was an incredible night. Nick was amazing throughout, and though I already know this from the countless live videos I have seen, I could witness in person that he (and also the other Boys) know how to deliver an amazing show, most importantly with amazing vocals. And I am looking forward to checking off the rest from my list: Backstreet Boys, Metallica & Dream Theater. Sadly, I would never be able to see the Eagles live. (Picture courtesy: user fsquared87 on Photobucket)
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