Fervent Fans Throw Selves Before
Backstreet Boys
Source: Excite
By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - From Tokyo to Rio, fervent fans of the Backstreet Boys have literally thrown themselves in front of the U.S. superstars on their whirlwind 100-hour world tour.
The quintet, billed as the world's biggest selling group after record sales topped 55 million, are flying in their personal jet across six continents to promote their new "Black and Blue" album.
In Tokyo, at least 10 fans were injured when they crowded round the group's tour bus at Narita airport.
In Rio, the group said they attracted 45,000 fans for an impromptu 10-minute concert staged on a hotel roof. Fans threw themselves in front of their bus on the journey from the airport.
"It was crazy. You would have thought the President was here or Michael Jackson, not the Backstreet Boys," said group member Howie Dorough after watching the fans spill onto the roads.
Fellow member Brian Littrell agreed, telling Reuters on the whistlestop tour of the globe: "It was scary. I was worried some of those fans were going to get seriously hurt."
On the frenetic globe-trotting trip, the group are spending 55 hours in the air and 45 on the ground, getting just a fleeting glimpse of Tokyo, Sydney, Capetown and Rio before touching down in their last stop, New York, on Tuesday.
They started off in Stockholm where they performed at the MTV Europe music awards ceremony and were picked for the Best Group award.
Dorough revealed that he has approached fellow MTV award winner Madonna to perform a VIP gig at his Taboo nightclub back home in Orlando, Florida.
After the birth of her son, Madonna is relaunching her career with small-scale concerts in New York and London.
"I was trying to get her to come down," said the 27-year-old singer. "I heard Madonna was giving these private gigs in intimate venues in America and I think that is a great idea. It gives something back to the fans."
And in Capetown they met the most eye-popping fan of their tour -- a cheetah that was paraded at their South African press conference much to their astonishment.
"It scared the hell out of
me," admitted the band's youngest member, 20-year-old Nick Carter.
"But it was such a beautiful creature we couldn't stop ourselves from going
over to say a quick hello."