The Boy Band Boom

posted in: Music News • Pop

Do you ever miss the days when boy bands reigned supreme? When *NSYNC dominated the charts and when having a crush on Nick Lachey was totally acceptable? At the risk of losing all of our indie cred, we’ll admit that we still rock out to “It’s Gonna Be Me” from time to time. And we must not be the only ones who miss the choreography, matching outfits and frosted tips, because last week VH1 announced that they’re giving ex-*NSYNC member Lance Bass his own boy band-themed reality show.

The series, which is still unnamed, will feature Bass and fellow *NSYNC-er Joey Fatone, as well as former boy band juggernauts A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block and maybe even New Edition‘s Bobby Brown. From what we’ve heard so far, it’s sounding kind of like an all-male version of NBC’s The Voice” the former stars will each coach a group of young men, who will then compete to determine who will be the next made-by-TV band to crash and burn shortly after the series ends. (R.I.P. O-Town.)

If this sounds like it’s just a group of washed-up ex-celebs making a desperate last ditch grab at their former “glory”, well, that’s probably because it is. But hey, in a world where the Rolling Stones can tour into their seventies, why shouldn’t these guys stretch out their careers as long as possible? As long as this show includes at least one Backstreet Boys cover in every episode, we’re willing to overlook the crows feet and slightly less nimble dance moves.

Besides, Bass isn’t the first boy band star to get a career facelift over the last few years. New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys are in the middle of an expansive summer tour to support their latest effort NKOTBSB”a thirteen-track collaboration that peaked at Number 7 on the Billboard Top 200. And sure, if this was 1999 that would have been a Number 1 album, no question. But seven ain’t nothing to sneeze at, and their ability to sell out arenas on this tour may be proof that they’ve still got it. As we pointed out a few months back, fans of these bands may have been broke teens during their heyday, but now these same fans have enough cash to drop upwards of $50.00 on a ticket. If they choose to tune in every week, the same demographic that’s keeping the NKOTBSB tour alive could be enough to prevent Bass’ show from flopping.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that this show is another ill-fated venture in the vein of VH1’s Mission: Man Band. (Remember that series? Exactly. No one does. It was awful.) But after seeing the success of NKOTBSB and other more current boy bands like the Jonas Brothers, maybe we’re all just nostalgic enough for Lance Bass and co. to stand a chance in the music scene of 2011. Either way, we’re going to start relearning the dance moves to “Bye Bye Bye.” Just in case.