What happens when Jeff, Drew, Justin and Nick start belting out their famous tunes? Throw in a live audience and some back-up dancers and temperatures start rising well above 98 Degrees.
Where: Vancouver, CanadaWhen: May 12, 2001
So we all know that 98 Degrees have some great songs, but a lot of them are slow. Does their do-wop ballad style make for an upbeat live show? In a word, yep. Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, Nick and Drew Lachey headlined a show which included Wild Orchid, Debelah Morgan and the infamous, barking, Baha Men (Woof! Woof!)
98 Degrees took the stage under fireworks and sound effects that would probably give your grandma an instant heart attack. They entered one by one, each drawing louder and louder screams and each wearing some version of ripped up army gear.
Highlights included Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche) and their latest hit The Way You Want Me To. Both songs had awesome dance moves and really got the crowd going. But, as we all know, 98 Degrees have more ballads than fast tunes - which I don't get because when they do a fast tune (especially live) they have the harmony and the dance moves to back 'em up. Because of the amount of ballads the guys do, this show was much less frenzied than an *NSYNC show or a Backstreet Boys show. Still, the guys managed to keep the crowd entertained and pretty upbeat with some synchronized moves and a little crowd interaction.
They all took turns chatting with the crowd and touching extended hands. Jeff went as far as to sit on the edge of the stage and swing his legs which girls tried desperately to grab. He seemed to get a kick out of that but I was worried for his life. A cool moment was when Nick explained that Vancouver was close to their hearts because they recorded three songs off of their album 98 Degrees and Rising here. He then dedicated their hit All Because of You to the crowd.
The guys gave it their all and did not disappoint. Unfortunately there is only so much hype that can be created by a bunch of ballads - even when they are performed by four talented, hotties. I would definitely see them again but I hope next album they do more dance tunes.
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