If you're a '90s kid, there's a very strong possibility you worshipped one boy band and only one boy band. Perhaps you argued with your best friend about how dumb she was for liking 98 Degrees when the Backstreet Boys were "totally hotter." It's also a possibility that you drew devil horns on the "enemy."
Regardless, The Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees were terrible.
*NSYNC was, and always will be, the crown jewel of '90s boy bands, and on Sunday night, they reunited with a two-minute performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Donned in matching black suits, the fabulous five - Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick - took audiences back to a time when boy bands ruled the airwaves. The group's medley featuring "Girlfriend" from their 2001 album Celebrityand their massive hit "Bye Bye Bye" off 2000's No Strings Attached instantly became one of the highlights of this year's VMAs.
When the camera panned to the audience, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga could be seen laughing and singing - a huge change from their reactions to Miley Cyrus' risqu?(c) and ill-perceived performance earlier in the night.
After the short-lived medley, fans took to Twitter and Facebook to react.
Of course, friends bonded about how old they felt with varying feelings about the performance.Some people commented on how ancient *NSYNC looked and how they could have likely broken a bone at any second. Comedian Kevin Hart shared these sentiments, saying the boys gained a few pounds and had difficulty dancing around the stage after the quick reunion.
Justin Timberlake, the leader and heartthrob of *NSYNC, has retained his spotlight in the music industry with three solo albums since the break up of *NSYNC, and he plans to release a follow-up to this year's The 20/20 Experience. Timberlake also toured with Jay-Z during the summer and was featured on the rap mogul's single, "Holy Grail."
As for the rest of the band members? They may have lacked some energy, but they knew it was time to reunite. How often do we hear about the other members? Chasez, Bass, Fatone and Kirkpatrick need to be back in the limelight instead of judging reality TV competitions if they want to keep some form of an entertainment career. This performance was the first step in taking *NSYNC off an all-too-long hiatus.
While their performance has since been picked apart with claims that Bass was way off in his dancing (he was), does it really matter? *NSYNC is a symbol of the '90s generation. They inspired the uprising of boy bands and continue to be an influence today for hit bands like One Direction. They might be getting up in age, but just reliving the memories of the '90s through their performance is enough for me.
MTV aims to shock the public every year at the VMAs with moments like the famous Britney Spears and Madonna kiss and various collaborations. *NSYNC's reunion is sure to be talked about for years to come.
Another issue associated with the reunion was the terrible sound quality. *NSYNC can't be blamed for that. Maybe with better sound quality, viewers would have been more appreciative of the performance. But again, the *NSYNC reunion was brought on by the fans' desires. The band had fun and we had fun screaming like children in our living rooms.
Of course, JT took the spotlight, starting off with a medley of his hit songs after accepting the prestigious MTV Video Vanguard Award. He's still relevant and highly talented, so nothing has changed in 12 years.
Whether you loved or hated Sunday's performance, you have to give *NSYNC some respect. After 12 years, they joined together for the love of music and for their still-hopeful fans. Maybe we're a little too hopeful, considering rumors of a reunion tour are swirling around the Internet. Until then, we can just secretly listen to our '90s hits playlists as *NSYNC tears up our hearts.
Email: felicia.hunt@ubspectrum.com
