Aaron Carter abandoned his iconic boyish charm for gyrating hips and striptease in his Madison performance Thursday.
The ‘90s pop sensation showed his true colors, and some skin, to a crowd of eager fan girls at the Majestic Theatre for the final performance of his latest tour.
His show featured an array of new vulgar-worded songs and a number of racy onstage dance routines with his backup dancer.
But the screaming girls were there for the classic Carter jams. The “high-school” vibe and audience filled with die-hard fan girls, proved Carter cannot change direction or top the glory of his early career.
Though venue doors opened at 7:30 p.m., a line began forming outside of the Majestic as early as 6 p.m. The room slowly filled with admiring fans, and the median age of the audience quickly became clear – there were very few 21-and-over silver wristbands in the crowd.
Rather, there were nearly 150 orange and green-stripped wristbands, distinguishing those who spent the extra $50 dollars for a post-show meet-and-greet.
The lights dimmed, and the two opening acts began. During the second opener chaos broke out. Carter ran on stage, jokingly pouring water on his tour mates. Girls began flocking the stage, pushing and reaching toward the star. Things got so crazy that security had to remove one fan from the audience for knocking over and breaking a microphone within arm’s reach onstage.
High pitched squeals echoed through the venue as Carter came out for his set around 10 p.m. He kicked off with a new song, which was a clear attempt to break free from past associations, as he yelled, “Throw your fuckin’ hands up,” again and again, over a heavily backed track.
He brought energy, jumping around and interacting with fans, which made for a quality performance. His strong ability to interact, standing at the very edge of the stage and even on the speakers to be closer to fans, prompted a mosh pit-like reaction and got the entire audience to throw their hands up, setting the tone for the rest of the show.
For the next number, Carter brought out his female backup, who remained on stage with him as he went through a streak of new songs. In unison, they flowed through some intensive hip-hop choreography with ease. Though both Carter and his backup dancer were extremely talented, showing in their side-by-side synchronized routines, the show became uncomfortable when they danced as partners, specifically because his backup dancer is also his girlfriend. The moves were sexual and revealing – another endeavor to veer from his childhood brand into an adult image. However, the pelvic thrusts, grinding and suggestive gestures were just unnecessary for the public setting.
Carter’s dancer exited the stage as he wrapped up his new material and moved onto his old stuff. With the first note of hit single, “I Want Candy,” the crowd grew even more responsive and went wild. Carter invited a handful of girls up onto the stage to sing the tune with him, upholding his incredible ability to interact with fans. The entire audience knew every word to the hit and, upon Carter’s invitation, sang along in bliss. As the crowd sang, Carter danced around to each individual on stage, allowing them to sing a line into the microphone.
The finale of the show was incredibly memorable: a performance of every girl’s elementary and early-middle school jam, “Aaron’s Party.” Feeling a bit egocentric, Carter introduced the song with a reference to being every girl’s first crush back in the day before they had their first boyfriends.
He then took things a step further by stripping off his shirt and waving it around before throwing it into the crowd. Finally, he transitioned into the song with a reenactment of the phone call for the “Aaron’s Party” music video – but with a twist. He used an audience member’s phone, taking selfies and pretending to make a call. The shirtless number was surprisingly satisfying, bringing the crowd to an all time high and closing the tour with a bang. It also ended the show with a reminder that the audience did not buy tickets to hear Carter’s new music, but rather to enjoy the memories of a childhood heartthrob and his glory days.