Make Way for Newest Kids on the Block

Got kids? Then the odds are pretty good that you’ll be taking them to a concert this summer.

With the Spice Girls, Hanson and Backstreet Boys taking to the road, this is shaping up to be the biggest season of teen and preteen pop show attendance since New Kids on the Block played stadiums in 1990. And with such youth-appeal, if not youth-specific, acts as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and maybe Madonna touring as well, a new generation is entering the concert-going market.

“You’re seeing the children of the baby boomers starting to come of age,� says John Scher, president of Metropolitan Entertainment, the New Jersey-based firm that is promoting the Backstreet trek and also has a piece of the Spice Girls’ tour. “So you’ve got an audience of 8 to 15, and music’s been in their lives since the beginning since their parents are so into it.�

But what you experience--apart from screaming girls--may be quite different from show to show. At least the approaches of the Spice Girls and Hanson, each touring for the first time, will be very distinctive. The Spice Girls are mounting a major, glitzy global assault, with 39 North American dates booked, including a stop at the Great Western Forum on Aug. 15, and more likely to be added. And the group is commanding a top-flight fee, with nightly guarantees said to be in the $250,000 to $300,000 range.

Hanson is playing it a little lower key, with just 11 North American dates set so far, including an expected July 12 show at the Hollywood Bowl, and a much more modest production in tow. The group’s nightly fees are also said to be more modest than the Spice Girls’.

“For the Spice Girls, it’s tour and make as much money as they can while they’re hot,� says one promoter who is not involved in this venture. “It’s not a matter of artist development. But Hanson should probably be treated differently. There’s a chance they might have some life span as an act people want to see.�

Peter Grosslight, who as vice president in charge of the William Morris Agency’s music division is overseeing both the Spice Girls and Hanson tours, says the reason for the different strategies is actually much simpler than that.

“Remember, Hanson is actually kids, while the Spice Girls are grown-ups who appeal to kids,� he says. “Working for kids that age is a different ball game than for the Spice Girls. Career strategy is clearly on Hanson’s minds, but I would say that it’s the Spice Girls’ thing too. I would assume they think they can be around as long as they make good records. They’re not looking at this as their only chance.�

But Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of the concert trade publication Pollstar, warns both acts to study history.

“The problem with a teen audience is their attention span is very short,� he says. “New Kids on the Block at the peak were as hot as anything, selling out stadiums. And then just two years later, I think, they couldn’t even sell out nightclubs.�