Tracey Cheek, Staff Writer
A childhood dream came true at the Oneonta Theatre on a Thursday night on April 25. Fan girls and some fan boys gathered from SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick and the city of Oneonta to witness Aaron Carter’s comeback. With the former child star’s “The After Party” tour, Carter is traveling to cities across the country to please his fans with the old songs they grew up loving. Returning from about a ten year hiatus, Carter came back strong playing all of his hits, and with that boy band choreography, he had the entire theatre up on their feet dancing along.
A lecture was held the afternoon of the show, which consisted of a Q-and-A held by the Music Industry Club. Carter gave advice to music industry majors on how to make it, and went on about how it was growing up as a child star. He said that what really keeps him going and the reason behind this reunion tour is the fans. He is highly dedicated to them, taking the time to interact with his fans on Twitter and Instagram, even following and retweeting them.
Alexis Babini was the opening act for Carter on the night. This upcoming solo artist won over the hearts of the audience, using nothing but his voice, an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Playing a few Disney covers and a few songs of his own, Babini set the mood for a wonderful concert. His hit “Shut Up and Kiss Me” had everybody singing along, even those who have never heard the song before.
Between the acts, the DJ kept everybody busy with club banging hits, boosting everybody’s excitement for Carter’s anticipated arrival. What felt like forever was well worth the wait because Carter opened with a classic song of his from 2002, “Another Earthquake,” which really got the crowd going. “Iko Iko” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq” were choreographed perfectly with Carter and his two backup dancers, Nikko and Trey Rich. Two lucky girls were chosen from the crowd to come on stage and be sung to by the highly flirtatious Carter himself. In between songs Carter showed off his moves that impressed the ladies even more along to more recent songs by other artists such as M.I.A.’s hit “Paper Planes.” Carter still has an endearing effect on his fans, and they all appreciate his songs still today. When asked which performance was the best, freshman and true AC fan Julia Rosa said, “I loved every single song he performed, but if I had to choose it’d be ‘To All The Girls.’ He sang it really well and the lyrics are extremely relevant nowadays because even after ten years he still has fans who support him.”
Following the show was a meet and greet with Carter. Tensions were high as the line of girls wrapped around the theater, each waiting for their turn to meet him. Everyone in line received a photograph with Carter, a signed poster and a kiss on the cheek. The meet and greet was without a doubt a dream come true to the inner eight-year-old of every fan who met him.
The show was a wonderful kick-off to the OH-Fest weekend that followed. Carter put on a high energy performance that made it seem as if he had never left the stage. The Oneonta Theatre hosted a great show for all of Carter’s fans, who hope to hear much more from him in the future.
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