Greatest Hits tour proves boy-band fever is still kickin'

Source

By Joy Fang

What: The Greatest Hits Tour: Blue, Jeff Timmons of 98 degrees & A1 Live in Singapore
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
Attendance: 3,000
When: Tuesday, 8.30pm

Artists often complain that it gets lonely while they're on the road.

This was perhaps never more true for Jeff Timmons than during his solo set here on Tuesday. The former 98 Degrees member was in town with fellow boy bands Blue and A1 for their Greatest Hits tour.

At times, Timmons looked as though he wished that his 98 Degrees mates - brothers Nick and Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre - were onstage with him as one thing after another went wrong during his six-song set. His first song, Emotional High, off his second 2009 solo album, ended with the backing track skipping madly.

It happened again when the 38-year-old could not finish I Do Cherish You properly as the backing track at first refused to start, and then skipped. He gamely belted out the song a capella, which turned out surprisingly heartfelt and pitch perfect.

Timmons was a good sport despite the glitches. He was gracious and all smiles, offering to make up for the boo-boos by singing other tunes a capella.

That is not to say that Timmons, whose wife Amanda and newborn daughter were in the front row, was perfect. Rather, it felt as though he was over-compensating for his former bandmates' absence, as he bounded about the stage too enthusia- stically, and even leapt over the front-row barrier to walk on top of the chairs among the audience.

Still, the three-hour concert was a nostalgic trip back to boy-band land for those in their 20s and 30s. And though the stadium had just 3,000 people, those who had gathered there were in high spirits, cheering and singing along to their favourite hits.

British-Norwegian boy band A1 - comprising Ben Adams, Mark Read and Christian Ingebrigtsen - were the highlight of the night, kicking off their 14-song set with the up-tempo Same Old Brand New You while accompanied by a full live band.

The band, which broke up in 2002 before reuniting in 2009 (minus one member), looked like they hadn't aged a day. Adams' voice remains pristine, his trademark nasal tone in fine form.

And British quartet Blue, who served as the closing act with eight songs, was all swagger with their smooth voices and choreographed dance moves.

The lads - Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa - got everyone on their feet with the classic All Rise, and were a hoot bantering with each other while onstage.

As I was leaving the stadium, I overheard an audience member lamenting: "Why didn't they sing Guilty and The Hardest Thing?"

I do declare that boy-band fever is far from dead.

Blue, a1 & Jeff Timmons Greatest Hits Tour: Autograph Session

Jeff singing Because of You - Singapore

Random Jeff pics from asia

A1, Blue and Jeff Timmons Live in Manila 2012

SOURCE

photos by KRIZELLE MARIE PARI-AN

WHO WOULD EVER THINK THIS WOULD HAPPEN AYT? The boy bands my generation grew up and fell in love with----A1, Blue and Jeff Timmons of 98 degrees Live in Manila? Crazy but it did happen last Saturday, February 25 at the Smart-ARANETA Coliseum.I donno what prompted these guys to suddenly resurface after years of living private lives but it sure is a welcome thing. We all miss them!

And we are fortunate because a photographer friend, Krizelle Marie pari-An was at Araneta Coliseum last Saturday and she was very excited to share the photos with all of us. Take note, she went there as a fan and not to represent my blog whatsoever.I was on my staycation of course so I wished her good luck especially because the venue is dslr-camera-allergic ( I donno what's the big deal with Araneta Coliseum when it comes to bringing dslr's in) But she did manage to sneak in her Nikon d3100 so I was congratulating her  last night, not so much for the lovely photos but for the feat of taking the camera in.After all, these photos would not be available without the dslr inside the stadium in the first place.hahaha

I think it's easy, but if you wanna know the trick on how to do it, be sure to send her a private message, I will be leaving the link of her Facebook fanpage at the end of this post so that you can communicate. For now, just enjoy the following photos taken from the The Greatest Hits Tour Live in Manila.

 
 A1, Blue and Jeff Timmons Live in Manila 2012 

 

JEFF TIMMONS--
98degrees

 

 

 

A1-
the British pop band

 

 

BLUE
a 2000s British pop/R&B vocal group




 



 

 KRIZELLE MARIE PARI-AN is a fellow at Young Photographers Club of the Philippines. She has been doing correspondents for www.pusangkalye.net a couple of times and her photos are indeed commendable.All of the flicks you see here in this post are her personal properties.You can interact with her via her FB Fan page below should you feel like asking questions about her photography.:)

___________________________

 http://www.facebook.com/krizellep.photography?sk=wall

Jeff with A1 & Blue

Still in honeymoon mode! Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey kiss and cuddle as they enjoy a romantic Mexican getaway

SOURCE
By JADE WATKINS

They got married over six months ago, but Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo are clearly still in honeymoon mode.

The couple kissed and cuddled during a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over the weekend for a friend's wedding.

The 31-year-old TV host looked summery, wearing a floral romper, which showed off her tanned and toned legs. 

Romantic getaway: Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lacey were seen enjoying a romantic getaway to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over the weekend

The brunette beauty lounged around in the sun, soaking up the sun rays, enjoying a cocktail and chatting away with friends.

She kept her face shielded with a straw fedora hat and went barefoot, occasionally dipping her toes into the pool.

Nick accompanied Vanessa poolside for some time before going off to play a round of golf. 

While he was gone Vanessa indulged in some refreshing drinks and some crisps.

Kisses: Nick planted some kisses on his 31-year-old wife before he headed off to play some golf

Vanessa officially took Nick's surname of Lachey last week and spoke out about the decision. 

'I got my social security card on Friday,' she told Access Hollywood. 'Now it's Vanessa Joy Lachey, not Minnillo. And today, after this, I'm going to get my driver's license.'

She said that she and Nick talked about the decision and by no means did her pressure her into it.

'We talked about it and he was so sweet,' she continued. '(He said) "Whatever you want, I understand." And I said, "But would it mean a lot to you if I took it? Because I'm old-fashioned and I want to."

And he said, '"What guy wouldn't want their girl to take their name fully?" So he wanted me to do it. (But) he didn't push me, no, no, no.'

Playful: TV host looked in summery, wearing a floral romper, which showed off her tanned and toned legs

Clearly Vanessa has been keen to take Lachey's name for some time now.

The former Wipeout host changed the handle on her Twitter account and Wikipedia page back in November, and even sent fans an exciting message letting them know about the thrilling move.

The TV host tweeted today: 'So. I'm making it official, and I LOVE my 'new name! @VanessaLachey has a nice ring to it.'

Cocktail hour: Vanessa reached for a refreshing drink as she chatted to a group of friends 

It is just the latest in a series of thrilling moves made by the former Entertainment Tonight correspondent.

Vanessa, who describes herself as a 'host by day, wifey by night, wanna-be mommy all the time' in her Twitter profile, also recently bought a home in the upmarket Encino area of California late last year.

The Spanish style 8,000 square feet estate is situated in the heart of San Fernando Valley. 

The well equipped abode has a generous eight bathrooms and 18 bedrooms.

It also includes fireplaces, vaulted beam ceilings, balconies and a swimming pool.

The spacious estate is another indicator that the glamorous couple want to start a family.

Special occasion: Nick and Vanessa are in Mexico for a friend's wedding

No doubt the cash they raised by turning their nuptials into a media event came in handy when making the purchase.

The pair let fans witness their big day with Nick and Vanessa's Dream Wedding on the TLC channel.

For the former it was par for the course, as he had previously starred with former wife Jessica Simpson in a reality show following their marriage in 2002.

Nick, 38, recently told E! News he has been 'doing everything I can' to get his wife pregnant.

The Sing-Off host added: 'Trust me, it would make me very happy.

'Family is very important. It's very important to us, and I'm sure that will be around the corner.'

\

Blue and Jeff Timmons have landed!

SOURCE

Blue members from left: Duncan James and Lee Ryan from the airport they were whisked off immediately to their official residence EDSA Shang Rila Hotel. They are in town for The Greatest Hits Tour with A1 and Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees produced locally by WLBROS, which will be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Feb 25, 2012. Photo by Sherwin Guzman

Written by

Jude Bautista

The top boy bands Blue and 98 Degrees’ have arrived at the airport recently for the Greatest Hits Tour. A1 also arrived from Cebu the next day from CEBU. The SMART Araneta Coliseum is expected to be jam-packed. WILBROS Head Winston Llamas said “Even from the airport fans have already come out to welcome these big names. They are already lined up to come out in TV shows like BANDILA and Showtime. Blue will have another interview with the ‘Boy’s Night Out.’ We’ve rolled out the red carpet for these guys. We’re also thankful to all the media partners such as ABS CBN and Magic 89.9 for their support.”

Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees arrived at the airport yesterday, he was whisked off immediately to the official residence EDSA Shang Rila Hotel. He is in town for The Greatest Hits Tour with A1 and Blue by WILBROS, which will be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Feb 25, 2012. Photo by Sherwin Guzman

After a quick rest at the official residence in EDSA Shang Rila, it’s a non stop media tour for the bands. Listed below is Blue’s interview with DJs Slick Rick, Tony tony and Sam YG of the Boy’s Night Out. The members of Blue include: Duncan James, Anthony Acosta, Simon Webbe and Lee Ryan.

Welcome Blue!

Duncan James: Flew in from London from Gatwick to Dubai. We’re on a tour at the moment. After we finish here. We’re going to a few other places it’s good to be back man! It’s good to be back in this part of the world hopefully we’ll be coming back again.

Slick Rick: What have you guys been up to?

Lee: The album’s been done. We’ve been in the studio in what feels like about a year now. We went to the States, we went to Miami and went up to L.A.. We met Red One he’s amazing. Literally he’s done half the album. Now we’re ready to rock and roll and release it.

Blue members arrived in Manila yesterday From left: Simon Webbe and Anthony Acosta from the airport they were whisked off immediately to their official residence EDSA Shang Rila Hotel. They are in town for The Greatest Hits Tour with A1 and Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees produced locally by WLBROS, which will be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Feb 25, 2012. Photos by Chris Lucas

Tony tony: How is the group different now to what it was before?

Duncan: Before there was no YouTube, no myspace, not anything. For us it’s as if we’re a new band. We’re ten years older but we’re coming back out. As the boys have said we’re here in Asia. So many boy bands have come out: JLS, One Direction in the UK. We just wana be a part of that scene. We want to do what we love doing and that’s dancing and singing.

Tony tony: How did you guys get back together?

Lee: We always said we’d get back together for our tenth anniversary. We just did and I guess the rest is history.

Anthony: People didn’t realize it but we wrote “One love” and “Alright”, “Fly by” and most of the big singles that you hear we actually wrote. Again we collaborated for this album writing it together. We’ve written some amazing songs. Our writing abilities are still there. If anything it got stronger. I think that shows in this album

Blue member Simon Webbe arrived at the airport yeaterday he was whisked off immediately to the official residence EDSA Shang Rila Hotel. He is in town for The Greatest Hits Tour with A1 and Blue by WILBROS, which will be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Feb 25, 2012. Photo by Chris Lucas

Slick: 10 years ago who’s the craziest person? And who’s the craziest person now?

Simon: Lee or Duncan probably. One’s a fire and one’s a gasoline.

Lee: How are you not crazy?

Simon: Just because I got crazy tats in my arms doesn’t mean.

Anthony: Were going out there and be insane again!

Tony Tony: Are you guys going to stay here longer?

Lee: Hopefully we’ll be coming back doing our own concerts. And doing just Blue, just Blue.

Duncan: We’re just happy to be here.

Tony tony: All of you worked on the album?

Anthony: it’s about getting the sound right.  Its as if we’re a new boy band again. For us we’re a man band now.

Simon: I jus took a Twit pic of you guys. I’m just taking a pic of the Boy’s Night Out here. Check us out on: Official Blue Twitter

Blue members arrived in Manila yesterday From left: James Duncan and Lee Ryan from the airport they were whisked off immediately to their official residence EDSA Shang Rila Hotel. They are in town for The Greatest Hits Tour with A1 and Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees produced locally by WLBROS, which will be held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Feb 25, 2012. Photos by Chris Lucas

Slick: in the music scene  now who do you guys like?

Lee: Adele that album 21 is amazing. It’s a great album. She’s a great artist.

Simon: For me it’s jesse Jane (sings) All about the money money money

Lee: She can really sing.

Duncan: Bruno Mars, another old guys who’ve reinvented themselves is Maroon 5. His voice I think is fantastic. The Christina Aguilera duet they did I think was the best song of 2011
.