A Boy Band Christmas - An Evening of Holiday & Hits
Concert Dates: December 9 - 10, 2022
Location: Niagara Fall and Salamanca, NY
With the holidays approaching, I can’t help but reminisce about the amazing two days of the Boy Band Christmas concert last year.
The Boy Band Christmas concert was a 12 US City Tour with an all-star line-up - Justin Jeffre, Jeff Timmons, and Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees, Jamie Jones of All-4-One, Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town, and Ryan Cabrera.
Originally, 98 Degrees was going to do their own tour with Nick. But due to scheduling conflicts, Nick couldn’t make the tour. So Jeff, Justin and Drew decided to invite Jamie, Erik and Ryan to go on tour with them instead.
The show was my first Jamie Jones concert and my third concert with Erik and Ryan. I had previously seen them earlier that year during the Pop2000 tour. Boyband Christmas was also my seventh 98 Degrees concert. I had previously seen them at Disney World that year and 98 at Christmas in 2018.
My friend, Margaret and I caught two shows in the New York area - Niagara Falls and Allegany at the Seneca Resorts and Casinos.
Seneca Resort and Casino
Similar to past concerts, we opted to stay at the Seneca Casino itself in both Niagara and Allegany. We want to make it easier for us to get to the concert venue from our hotel rooms. We also planned to spend the whole time there anyway. And the concert will be ending late at night.
To avoid any delay, I arrived a day early before the first concert in Niagara Falls. I flew from Boston to Buffalo. Then took a 30 minute uber ride to Niagara. My friend, Margaret drove in the next day from Long Island.
I actually met Justin while walking around the casino that night.
The next day, we drove to Allegany for the 2nd concert which was only an hour away.
And, by coincidence, we got a hotel room next to Jeff’s. We actually could hear him warming up his vocal cords through the walls.
VIP Soundcheck and Q&A
Of course, we did the VIP experience on both nights
VIP tickets were sold separately from the actual concert tickets. VIP took place about 2 hours prior to the concert.
During the VIP, each individual fan got to take a group photo with the guys. I would like to say the boys loved both my concert t-shirts. Though I had to apologize to Erik for not including O-Town in the 2nd night’s t-shirt.
The photos were taken with our actual phone cameras instead of a professional photographer. Their tour manager, Joel, took the pictures. I personally prefer the photos taken with our own phones because you have more control of how the photos turn out. And Joel took multiple photos! And the quality is still great.
Jamie did not join us for VIP on the second night because he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest his voice.
After the photos, we watched the boys do soundcheck with the crew. They rehearsed “This Christmas”, “This Gift”, and “On The Way Down”. Even though it was a sound check, I felt we got our own private acoustics concert. The boys’ vocals still sounded wonderful. Erik even sang Mariah Carey’s famous Christmas song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and his vocals sounded awesome. Not Mariah level but hey no one can reach Mariah level!
After soundcheck, we got to do Q&A with the boys where we can ask questions. The second night, Margaret and I were the lucky ones where we were the only two of three VIP attendees. So we pretty much had the guys all to ourselves!!
That night, we were able to have a more intimate conversation where I may or may not have dominated that conversation.
We talked about Dead 7, a zombie movie Jeff and Erik starred in with Nick Carter and AJ Mclean from BSB and Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC. I also asked Jeff about his experience doing the magic show with Criss Angel. And I may have pushed Drew’s buttons a little when I asked his thoughts about which trophy was more prestigious - the Masked Singer trophy or the Dancing with the Stars trophy. His brother, Nick had won the Masked Singer that year. But Drew argues he worked harder to earn the Dancing with the Stars trophy. Ryan revealed he was initially asked to do Dancing with the Stars. Drew and Erik both definitely have a dry sense of humor.
I truly enjoyed talking to my boybanders and getting to know them on a personal level. It was just so wonderful to see them again.
Scoring Front Row Tickets
I was lucky enough to score front row center seats in both shows. Originally for the Niagara Falls show, I had a 6th row ticket. After a long call with Ticketmaster’s customer service, I was able to upgrade and exchange my seats to the front row.
Having a front seat, undeniably, is always the best seat in the house. Despite craning my neck from looking up at the stage, I was so glad to watch the guys perform up close in full view.
The Show
The stage was accessorized with Christmas decorations, making the show extra festive. Christmas trees, wreaths, and poinsettias adorned the stage.
The concert began with one of Santa’s elves appearing on stage and adding more decorations. The boys kicked off the show with three classic Christmas songs, “This Christmas”, the famous Wham! Song, “Last Christmas” and “Give Love On Christmas Day”. They continued the show with the All-4-One hit, “I Can Love You Like That” and “I Swear”.
Their set list additionally included “Run Run Rudolph”, “Santa Baby”, and “All I Want For Christmas”.
During the concert, Ryan Cabrera performed his famous songs, “True” and “On The Way Down” where Drew accompanied him on the guitar. Erik later joined Ryan onstage to sing their upbeat Christmas duet, “Spend It With You”.
There were three costume changes. They started the show with formal suits and blazers. Then midshow, they changed into Holiday sweaters. The boys closed the show in all white outfits.
The show is choreographed by Drew’s wife, Lea Lachey.
One of my favorite performances was definitely “The Hardest Thing”. Jeff actually sang Nick’s parts and he did an amazing job with the solos! I have to admit that I preferred Jeff’s vocals over Nick’s.
Jeff’s vocals also shined on their performance of O-Town’s “All or Nothing” where he sang Dan Miller’s solo. He did mess up the lyrics a bit but the performance was still great. When Erik started singing his solo, he heard the crowd singing along and decided to direct the microphone towards us. That made the performance extra special.
My other favorite performance was “I Do ( Cherish You)”. Drew and Jamie did a great job taking over Nick’s vocals. I personally think Jeff was serenading me with the ballad cause during the song, he pointed right at me and looked at me and said “especially you”.
My favorite part was the medley of “I’ll be home for Christmas”, “The Christmas song” , “Silent Night” and “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)”. The boys were dressed in their holiday sweaters and sitting on stools with a “fireplace” background. Justin’s base voice really stood out in the beginning of “The Christmas Song”. You could tell the boys had great chemistry. They truly enjoy each other’s company onstage as they interact and joke with each other. Their voices synched really well during “Silent Night”. It was lovely to see the boys slow down the show with this intimate performance. Definitely lifted the holiday spirits.
I also enjoyed “O Holy Night” sung by Jeff, Drew, Justin, Jamie and Erik. That performance truly touched me at the core. You could really feel their emotions and vulnerability in the song. It was just so pure.
Boyband Christmas fittingly closed the show with the 98 Degrees song, “This Gift”. Erik’s voice was a lovely substitute to Nick’s original vocals. Ryan’s guitar playing further complemented the song's melodies. Moreover, despite being from different groups, the boys’ harmonies blended well together in the song.
Throughout the whole concert, Jamie, Ryan, Erik, Jeff, Drew, and Justin truly put their dedication and commitment to their performances. Each song transition was seamless. The acoustics during both concerts were excellent.
Though they were following a script, the guys were very engaging with the audience and fed into their energy and excitement.
Overall, I enjoyed the entire concert both nights. The shows definitely got me into the holiday spirits.
See my blog on Boyband Mardi Gras.
