By Michelle Pitcher
Editor-in-Chief
Although 10 years have passed since Aaron Carter last visited Texas, his After Party Tour was like a moment frozen in time – a time characterized by orange camouflage cargo shorts and songs about Shaquille O’Neal.
On May 10, Carter performed at Hat Tricks Sports Bar in Lewisville for a modest-sized crowd of screaming girls. Tickets for the concert ran for around $20, with an optional $50 for a meet-and-greet.
Carter is best known for his relation to Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys and for his somewhat short-lived music career in the late 90s that lasted into the early 2000s. Entering the music business at 7-years-old, he suffered from many of the common struggles of childhood stars and faded gradually out of the spotlight. But for many Coppell High School students, Friday night’s concert marked the return of the beloved childhood era they thought they had lost.
“This concert was the culmination of all my childhood dreams,” senior Katie Sandfort said. “It brought me to tears. Aaron’s powerful dance moves moved me in ways I didn’t think I could be moved.”
Sandfort got to the venue five hours before the concert started to secure tickets. Sandfort, as well as the majority of the crowd, has been a fan of Carter’s music since she was very young.
“I got his first CD when I was 7-years-old and it was the first CD I ever got,” Sandfort said. “I listened to it nonstop for three years.”
The small venue and intimate crowd allowed several concertgoers to interact with Carter in ways they may not have expected.
“I paid a little more to do the meet-and-greet,” senior Natasha Shams said. “I got to meet Aaron and get a bunch of signed merchandise and things. It was really awesome; he was really nice. I even got to kiss him. That was really something I didn’t expect. I talked to him one-on-one about his music and everything.
While those who did not jump on the bandwagon during Aaron’s childhood performance years did not understand the hype the concert was receiving before the fact, they soon understood the importance this comeback held for many students. IB history teacher Michael Brock’s class saw firsthand the reaction of many of his seniors as they found out about the concert.
“There was shock, there was panic, there was hysteria, there was laughter, and there were tears,” Brock said. “Everyone was very verklempt. It was as if the moon landing had just occurred. It was clearly the event of the year. Never mind a diploma and never mind graduation; Aaron Carter was in town.”
While Aaron’s After Party Tour may not be the definitive mark of the return of 90s culture, it is part of a wider trend that has featured the returns of artists such as New Kids on the Block, Enrique Iglesias and the Backstreet Boys. This reemergence of music from the previous decade is for many, as Shams describes, “a childhood dream come true.”
“I’ve listened to Aaron Carter all my life, so getting to meet him was a really big deal,” Shams said.
