Backstreet Boys rock Key West
Source: http://keysnews.com/
Thousands thronged to Duval and Greene streets Tuesday to cheer the Key West arrival of the Backstreet Boys, as they performed two songs and hosted the taping of MTV's "TRL Retirement Home" show.
"Welcome to our new home for the summer," said VJ Carson Daly to screams of delight from the mostly young, mostly female crowd, many of them watching from balconies and rooftops.
On the ground, mothers ushered their youngsters through the swelling crush as stagehands hosed down the crowd and threw candy. Kid Rock, Britney Spears and 'N Sync blared from the massive speakers along the street.
Nancy Swift concurred. "They're very talented," she said. "This is the biggest event that's ever happened in Stephanie's life."
The taping, which began earlier in the day, reached a fever pitch by 2:15 p.m. when the five-piece group, originally from Orlando, walked onto the stage to sing their latest single, "More Than That."
Inside the fenced-off press area, Tampa resident Tina Webb stood with her daughters, Kaitlyn, 9 and Tiffany, 13, as they clutched cameras and waved to the band. They had been waiting since 8 a.m.
"We met Carson Daly at Capt. Tony's yesterday," said Webb, "and he was a really nice guy. He let the girls take their pictures with him and asked them how their vacation was going."
Filming in Key West is a dream come true for Bob Kusbit, MTV's senior vice president of production.
"I've always wanted to be right in the middle of the town," he said of the MTV Beach House series, which shoots at different locations each summer. "It's good to be in a place where we can be right in the center of things, with real people around. Key West is just fabulous.
Kusbit said that by the end of the summer, MTV will have hired between 100-200 locals and provided audience spots for hundreds more -- not to mention the hotel rooms, restaurant meals and other direct and indirect benefits to the local economy.
"The VJs are going to be here all summer," he said. "And we'll have different celebrities coming back and forth. It's a pretty big production."
But for Backstreet Boys fan Jacob Mir, 9, the details of the operation were irrelevant. "I like AJ the best," Jacob said. "I think he sings very well. I've never seen them before, so I'm very excited."
His mother, Bertha Mir, seemed equally pleased to be watching Key West music history unfold. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," she said, smiling broadly. "I have to be a fan. It's all I hear at home."
The footage from Tuesday's shoot will be broadcast on MTV at noon Saturday.
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