Opening with the title track to his latest release I’m Taking Off, Carter wowed the audience with an “out of this world” themed stage set-up complete with a starry background, metallic piping, and four-piece backing band dressed in white intergalactic gear. Carter himself made his way through the fog in his own astronaut ensemble complete with red zippered pants and a patriotic red, white, and blue jacket before dramatically removing his round helmet and dawning his guitar. The crowd ate it up screaming in anticipation while the band hit the opening notes.
So sure, the stage set-up was neat, and the clothing complimentary and kooky, but what about the music? Truth be told it wouldn’t have mattered if Carter just stood on the stage playing the triangle, the crowd would have been just as pleased. Fortunately enough Carter did perform and he performed well. Belting out tracks from I’m Taking Off including ‘Not The Other Guy’ and ‘The Great Divide’ the crowd sang along note for note often overpowering Carter. Surprisingly enough Carter also included a few tracks from his 2002 self-titled release including a “remixed” version of the single ‘Do I Have To Cry For You?’. During the obvious crowd favourite ‘Special’ he made his way through the crowd choosing a lucky lady to serenade while everyone surrounding him screamed, “Pick me! Pick me!” and waved pink heart cut-outs that said “Thank You Nick”.
The entire evening was that of dreams come true for the majority of the crowd witnessing their favourite Backstreet Boy after twenty plus years of being fans. The night had its moments of cheesiness when Carter would undo his jacket revealing his shoulder or provocatively hold his guitar mid-song to which the crowd would scream uncontrollably, but that just proves that he knows he’s still got it. For one night the fans were transported back to their youth, a feat that modern performers can only wish to sustain in a long-term career.
