Aaron Carter is the younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, and he sang some songs in the early 2000s that were fairly big hits: "Crush on You," "I Want Candy," "That's How I Beat Shaq." Then, you know, he sorta wasn't super-famous.
But there's a twist to the story. Lately, A.C. has been making waves. His randy Twitter profile -- often dedicated to his level of horniness -- has blown up recently. He's on tour again, too, calling the outing the "After-Party Tour," which might be why his performance Thursday night at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale started so late. Don't get me wrong. I didn't go. I had work to do, and also I needed to catch up on All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men (you're crazy for those, Bendis!) and watch the first third of Empire Strikes Back. But my wife, New Times staffer Becky Bartkowski, went with her friend Emily, who was celebrating a birthday. The case of Carter nostalgia is super-interesting, so I interviewed Becky about the show.
See also:
-The Flirty Tweets of Aaron Carter
What compelled you to go see Aaron Carter?
Curiosity mixed with a desire to watch a train wreck.
There was a reality show about the Carters, right? Is that what gives the impression that any live performance by Aaron Carter could be a train wreck?
Yeah. House of Carters was the name of the reality show. It starred all the Carter siblings, including Nick, of Backstreet Boys fame, and Leslie, their sister who overdosed.
So it's fair to say there's an element of "American tragedy" to Carter.
Uh. Yeah. I mean, here's a dude who, while talented enough, is mostly famous because his older brother was in one of the biggest boy bands of ever. The show probably contributed to my anticipation for a train wreck, but more so, I think it's the fact that Aaron Carter, who's 25, still sings songs that he sang when he was 13.
Okay, so about that. He sings songs he sang when he was 13, like the one about beating Shaq, but he does new stuff too, right?
Frankly, I am not extremely well-versed in the deep cuts of AC albums, of which there are four. I'm familiar with the singles. So I'm not super-sure if there were new songs in the mix last night. Although, between Aaron's songs the DJ would spin commercial hip-hop like Kanye and Wiz Khalifa. But, don't worry, there was lots of lip-syncing, too.
That's not all that was happening "lip wise," right? How many girls did he kiss?
[Laughs] Based on reports from girls around me, the kissed-girls count seemed to hit 10. That's including the two girls he brought onstage to serenade, and, as my friend put it, "molest." I see. So reports regarding his "horny level" are not exaggerated. Dude really likes the ladies. And they like him, right? The show was packed?
Ladies of all ages apparently love Aaron. One girl also told me that Aaron Carter was her first kiss. I'd guess most of the crowd was in their mid-20s. But there were some tweens hanging around. Lots of X's on hands. The show was super-packed. I was convinced that it would be me, my friend Emily, and maybe five other weirdos.
Oldest lady you saw?
Oldest lady I saw . . . Maybe 30-ish?
Do you think his Twitter account -- and the sorta "gone viral" nature of his stuff -- has increased his profile?
Liking Aaron Carter is a weird phenomenon. I think it's sort of how Ringo got the most fan mail, because girls thought they actually had a chance. Eh. I don't think his Twitter has really opened up new people to liking him/his music. Most everyone seemed to be nostalgia tripping -- even the young, young girls who brought handmade signage. And their dads. It was so cute. I could've cried if I'd been drunker.
A man was with a girl who looked about 10. He was holding her "I <3 Aaron" sign and standing as close to the stage as they could get.
That's actually pretty sweet. So it's fair to say the crowd enjoyed the show, and that Aaron enjoyed himself?
Yeah. It seemed like everyone had a pretty good time. And, yeah, it seemed like AC was into it. For all his hokey jokey-ness, he's really a good singer and dancer. Maybe the Disney machine just wasn't ready for him. Maybe he'll be in Harmony Korine's next movie.
Perfect.
Thumbs up.
