Aaron Carter diehards waited for six hours outside The Westcott Theater in the snow and rain on Sunday afternoon, just so they could be front and center for The After Party Tour.
Their wait was well worth it.
Catherine Sasso lined up with two friends outside the Westcott around 1 p.m. hoping that she’d get a peek at Carter when his van pulled up.
“I had to move my car out of the way and I missed him,” Sasso said. “It’s OK though because [the tour manager] felt bad and gave me a free VIP meet and greet.” Sasso beamed as she recalled her experience from earlier in the day; she was eager to meet the one person she’d come to see.
Pop singer Aaron Carter, 25, entered the business when he was just 7 years old as the lead singer of local Florida band Dead End. Two years later, Carter was out on his own as a solo artist, opening for big brother Nick Carter and The Backstreet Boys. Catchy pop hits like “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)," [10] [11] and “I Want Candy" [12] captured the hearts of thousands of tweenage girls, many of whom are now in their 20s like Carter himself.
But even though it’s been about seven years since the “original Justin Bieber” has been out on tour and performing his own music—he’s had a reality show [13], performed in two Broadway productions [14] and danced on Dancing with the Stars—Carter has decided to stick with virtually the same songs, many of the same fans and a similar “party guy” image, just with a bit of remixing.
Opening for Carter at his Westcott show on Feb. 24 was Big Dan’s iPad Experience, Leo LeMay, Justin Levinson, Jay Loftus, Nikki Flores and Petrel. Big Dan kicked off the night by mixing music and crafting beats on his iPad.
Next came Burlington, Vt. singer/songwriter Justin Levinson [15]; singer Jay Loftus [16] from Old Bridge, NJ, who mixes coffeehouse acoustics and pop rock; and Mexican-American singer/songwriter Nikki Flores [17], who draws inspiration from Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey. Finally, Petrel [18], a pop/rock group made up of three sisters from Long Island, rocked the stage with their punk version of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Although the crowd rocked out to Petrel, it was nothing compared to the reaction Carter would soon evoke.
Before Carter’s entrance on the Westcott stage, the audience, made up of mostly teenage girls and young women, screamed, chanting his name while waiting for him to come on. Eagerly anticipating Carter’s arrival, the audience cheered whenever anyone walked onstage. Many fans had homemade signs throughout the audience, and held them up for Carter to see. Just a little bit flirty, one female fan held up a sign that read, “We kissed once. Make it two times!”
Finally, just after 10 p.m. the lights went out and a man darted on stage to take his post behind a DJ booth. As the lights came on, two male back-up dancers walked on stage, and a man stood up in a black morph suit that resembled a body bag at center stage. The figure danced around, reaching and flailing his arms for several seconds before Carter emerged, completely surprising the audience. The room went crazy.
Carter started off his set with the upbeat jam “Another Earthquake.” But, instead of singing his original version from 2002, there were beats in the background. Carter also showcased some new dance moves, as well as a back flip.
His set included fan favorites like “I Want Candy,” “America A.O.” and “Aaron’s Party,” all remixed with hip-hop beats. Carter also sang two new songs: “That’s Life” and “City Lights,” which he said he hopes will be released soon. Carter said in an interview with The NewsHouse that he hopes to release an album by the end of the year [19].
Everyone in the audience could tell just how much fun Aaron was having not just by how big his smile was, but by his level of interaction with his audience.
Between songs Carter chatted with the crowd, emphasizing how much he appreciated their support.
“I love you all so much,” he said repeatedly.
Throughout his set, Carter jumped around from each end of the stage, reaching out to his screaming audience and shaking their hands.
In total, his set featured 19 old songs, many remixed with hip-hop-esque beats to reflect his new, more mature direction. It was a successful balancing act: a fresh take to his old songs while maintaining the lyrics that every girl in the room already knew and sang with him.
Even though he looked ecstatic on stage, it took a lot of hard work for Carter to get his career back on track after years out of the mainstream spotlight. When his parents divorced, Carter said he had a difficult time transitioning from his teenage years into adulthood.
“It’s been hard trying to figure this out on my own,” Carter said. Finally, he said that he decided that a pop star is who he is, and that’s who he's going to be.
“It’s amazing seeing all the support I have after thinking that this might not ever happen again for me,” Carter said, grateful for the fans who supported him when he had no idea what was happening with his career. “And it did. It’s surreal.”
Sunday's show at The Westcott was only Carter's third show on a 51-city tour. For more information about Aaron Carter or the tour, visit his website [20].
