Attention all PST fans: Cancel your dates, skip your parties. This weekend, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys are coming to town.
Well, almost.
Though they may not be the real thing, the Tribute Talent performers promise to deliver a shining replica at their show on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the lawn between 1879 and Woolworth.
From the crop-topped, flat-bellied exuberance of Britney to the spiked hair and soulful glances of the Backstreet Boys, these entertainers have taken impersonation to an expert level.
"Some people say we're better than the actual band," said Russ Underdown, who plays Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys. "I'm never sure what to say when they tell me that, so I just thank them."
During the past two years, the imitation Backstreet Boys have played for audiences as large as 30,000 and at venues including Hawaii, Saudi Arabia and Amsterdam. According to Underdown, his group has been internationally acclaimed as the "best Backstreet Boys tribute band in the world."
While the group members were originally "thrown together" by a Canadian agency — which drew talent from theaters, movie sets and even a karaoke bar — after dozens of shows on the road they are "just like brothers," Underdown said.
Tribute Talent's Britney, 17-year-old Anna Czyszczon most recently appeared in Panama — "Central America," she points out, "not Florida" — where she performed among palm trees and tiki-torches for a crowd of over 5,000.
"It was amazing," she said. "I love to see so many people get really hyped up." After touring for nearly three years, she is still eager to perform.
"I love to sing. I love to dance, but more than anything, I love to make kids smile," she said.
Czyszczon said her favorite Britney dance songs are "Crazy" and "Oops, I did it again."
"The dancers and I have a great choreography for those two," she said. "But I'll be doing everything from ballads to faster songs."
This weekend's performance will consist of two acts in which "Britney," accompanied by back-up dancers, and the "Backstreet Boys" will take turns on stage, changing costumes at each switch.
After the show, the performers will stay around to meet and greet students and take photos.
"We're all really excited about coming to Princeton," said Underwood. "I've never been to an Ivy League [school]."
The show is sponsored by the Trustees Alcohol Initiative, Quadrangle Club, Frist Campus Center and the classes of 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 as part of an effort to provide students with options besides alcohol-related activities.
"We wanted to find something fun to present to kids as a social alternative," said Aimee Scott '01, an Alcohol Initiative boardmember.
Amy Chen '02, the event's organzier, said that the Alcohol Initiative picked the Tribute Talent show because they thought it would appeal to a wide range of students.
"I think it will attract students on their way out to the 'Street,' probably more freshman and sophomores because they are closer to Backstreet and Britney than the upperclassmen. But I think a lot of people will come because it will be so funny to watch," she said.
Fliers posted for the event have elicited postive student reactions.
"I can't wait to see the Backstreet Boys," Nikki Semenetz '03 said. "My boyfriend loves them too and we're both really excited."
"If [Saturday's performer] is even half as hot as Britney, I'll definitely be there," said Kyle Wente '03.
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