February 28. 2006 6:59AM
Knight, Timmons
thrill with boy-band flashbackREVIEW
KAREN
RIVERS
Tribune Staff Writer
When two
former boy band members played the Blue Chip Casino on Sunday, a night that was
little more than karaoke managed to keep itself afloat thanks to a few key
factors.
First, Jeff Timmons, formerly of 98 Degrees, and headliner
Jordan Knight, formerly of New Kids on the Block, had just enough charisma mixed
with self-deprecation to rule the small stage. Second, they had the good sense
to play what the crowd wanted to hear (i.e. the old stuff, not their solo
work).
But third, and most important, the crowd in the Grand Ballroom was
in a frenzy of total and unchecked
nostalgia.
Before they could relive the '80s and late '90s, however, the crowd of
several hundred girls (and the occasional guy) had two opening acts to get
through. First up was rapper Brainz Davis, who gave an energetic performance of
catchy if not wholly original songs. (Sample lyric: "Let's get/ Butt nek'/And
sweat/ It's a feeling that you won't forget.") The crowd was, in fact, totally
on board with the performance.
Next up was Mic One, a Chicago rapper with
a rocker edge. In his sometimes off-color rhymes, he dissed a number of
celebrities to an eclectic mix of backing tracks (including Weezer). He then
picked up a guitar and, completely inexplicably, covered Radiohead's "Creep."
Riiiight.
The first boy-bander to take the stage was Timmons, who
performed a couple of originals, but stuck primarily to 98 Degrees hits. He
politely declined requests to take off his shirt while crooning along to a
sometimes overbearing backing track. About his dating status, Timmons was
upfront.
"I'm definitely single and looking. I'm almost single and
desperate," he said. As that comment sunk in, he added, "I bet this is the only
concert you'll ever walk away from thinking, 'Wow. I'm actually less attracted
to that guy.' "
Sorry, Jeff. No such luck. As he ended with the up-tempo
98 Degrees hit "Give Me Just One Night," five girls were invited on stage to
dance. Their efforts to grind with Timmons almost knocked him into the
crowd.
After the long build up, the less-talky, almost shy Knight took
the stage to Beatlemania-like screams. He started with New Kids classic,
"Favorite Girl," greatly exciting many 30-somethings. The emcee then asked
everyone to find that 10-year-old inside, the one that had New Kids sheets and
socks pulled up over her jeans.
The suggestion, however, was unnecessary.
The inner girls had already been tapped.
The falsetto that Knight was
famous for in his New Kids days was out in full effect, as were the classic
dance moves. When he sat at the keyboard to do the ballads, a broken pedal made
things tricky, but he worked through it.
Knight did all the hits, from
"Step by Step" to "Please Don't Go Girl." The crowd was so loud and
enthusiastic, sometimes he stopped singing entirely. When Timmons joined him for
his new single, "Where Is Your Heart Tonight?," the two seemed happy to be
sharing the stage.
The show ended with "Hangin' Tough," the audience
swinging their arms without the least bit of shame. If the final cheers were any
indication, the sold-out crowd had gotten its $15 worth.
Staff Writer
Karen Rivers:
(574)235-6442
krivers@sbtinfo.com | | 
