Givin' It Their All (eBook)

PROLOGUE: Meet the Boys!The fans have been waiting outside the hall for hours, maybe even since
the night before. They are with their best friends, and perhaps with a
parent or older sibling who has come along to make sure everything goes
okay. They have been anticipating this night for weeks. Maybe they already
stood in line outside this very hall for tickets weeks before. Maybe they
dialed the telephone number for the ticket agency over and over again
until they finally got through. Maybe they won the tickets in a local
radio station contest. No matter how they got the tickets, the fact is
that they _have_ these precious pieces of paper in their hands,
and they are not letting them go until they must hand them to the
ticket-taker, who will finally allow them into the hall.

At last the gates open and the girls--thousands of them--are allowed
in. The crowd surges forward once the buzz moves back to the farther
reaches of the line that the time has come for these dedicated fans to be
let in at last. After all, haven't they been waiting forever? It seems
that way.

Their tickets are ripped in half, and the fans race into the hall,
cardboard signs, teddy bears, roses, and chaperones in tow. The wide-open
space that was empty and silent just moments before now fills with
thousands of people within minutes. The fans settle themselves in the best
spot they can find, which with some luck has a decent view of the stage.
The stage is set fairly high up, so even though thousands of people will
be standing at the same level, they should be able to see well enough. But
even though they have now staked out their positions, they must wait some
more. It seems like an eternity.

The noise in the hall increases as the thousands of people pour in.
Soon chanting begins: 'Back-street Boys. Back-street Boys.' It starts
softly, swells, reaches an ear-shattering, floor-stomping pitch, and then
subsides again. It starts again a few minutes later, washing over the
crowd in waves. Some people are singing snippets of songs. Others are
climbing up on their friends' shoulders to get a better view of the stage
and find out what is going on, but the only thing they see is roadies
walking back and forth across the stage, moving equipment around,
seemingly meaninglessly. When will they leave the stage so the show can
begin?

Finally the lights go down and the screaming starts. The fans don't
even realize how loud they are, because they are so happy and excited, the
screams and yells of delight just come out of their mouths spontaneously.
The chanting begins again, only much louder than before. It continues
nonstop for several minutes, people stamping their feet to keep the beat.
They wave their signs high in the air and hold up sparklers and lighters,
trying to will the Boys onto the stage. Spotlights start to pan over the
crowd, momentarily lighting up the thousands of hands waving in the air,
alternating between bathing them in bright white light and plunging them
into darkness.

The spotlights go out and a momentary hush falls over the crowd as the
tiniest bit of music is heard. Ten, maybe twenty seconds of the song
'Everybody (Backstreet's Back),' and then silence. A pause. More screaming.

At last a man's deep voice is heard over the loudspeaker--a thunderous
noise, even louder than the chanting. 'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!
Welcome to [whatever hall, stadium, forum, or center]! We have a very
special show for you tonight!' Suddenly two huge screens above the stage
light up,...