The '80s teen star formerly known as Debbie Gibson will open up for 'NSYNC at six shows starting Thursday (August 16) at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, and ending at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, on August 27.

"The guys are very familiar with my career," Gibson said Tuesday from her Manhattan home. "The first time I met Chris [Kirkpatrick] and Lance [Bass] was at one of their shows at Madison Square Garden a year and a half ago. I went backstage and they did double takes and went, 'Oh, my God, I bought your records!' "

Gibson will perform a 20-minute set with six of the singers and dancers she recently worked with on the national tour of "Cinderella," which also featured Eartha Kitt. Her show will consist of a medley of "Foolish Beat," "Out of the Blue," "Shake Your Love," "Electric Youth," "Only in My Dreams" and "Lost in Your Eyes" — hits from 1987's Out of the Blue and 1989's Electric Youth. She will also play "What You Want," "Your Secret" and "M.Y.O.B." from this year's M.Y.O.B.

'NSYNC have taken a number of young up-and-comers on the road in the past, including 3LW, Lil' Bow Wow and BBMak, but it's not often they bring out a performer who was popular in another era. While much of 'NSYNC's fanbase was unborn or in diapers when Gibson was strutting her stuff in the '80s, the singer remains unfazed.

"It's funny, I quite often hear parents saying to their kids, 'This was our Britney,' " Gibson said, laughing. "It's fun being able to feel like I'm established with half the audience but I'm introducing myself to the other half. And it's pretty cool to have a clean slate with some of these kids that have no preconceived notions."

'NSYNC may be pleased to help re-establish Gibson with modern pop audiences, though it wasn't their idea to tour with her. It was Gibson's mother and manager who set the wheels in motion last month.

"My mom just went, 'OK, how do I reach the audience I want to reach? Who's the biggest act on the road right now?' We quite simply went after it and we got it."

Of course, the guys remembered bumping into Gibson 18 months ago in New York, and it probably didn't hurt that Bass and Gibson sang together six months ago at House of Blues in Los Angeles.

"We were both at a birthday party of a mutual friend, and we got up and did [Madonna's] 'Into the Groove' with a cover band," Gibson said. "That was hysterical and totally surreal."

Deborah Gibson's tour dates with 'NSYNC, according to her label:
8/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ RCA Dome
8/18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field
8/20 - Columbus, OH @ Columbus Crew Stadium
8/22 - New Orleans, LA @ Louisiana Superdome
8/24 - Jackson, MS @ Veterans Memorial Stadium
8/27 - El Paso, TX @ Sun Bowl Stadium


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*Nsync's Joey Fatone was sidelined by pneumonia for the group's August 5th show in San Antonio, Texas. Fatone's bought of bronchitis developed into pneumonia, and the singer was hospitalized on Saturday but has since been released. He is expected to get back onstage with his 'N Sync brethren tonight for a show in Birmingham, Alabama.

'N Sync manager Johnny Wright broke the news to fans in San Antonio informing them that Fatone would not take the stage. But Chris Kirkpatrick gave Fatone a call during the show letting him hear all the well-wishers in the crowd.

Meanwhile all of 'N Sync had to sit out a show in Miami on August 2nd because of the tropical storm that passed through the city damaging part of the group's computerized lighting system. The group will not reschedule that date, but instead refund fans.
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Fatone has since been released from the hospital, but he returned to the PopOdyssey tour only to find that Tropical Storm Barry caused yet another cancellation of an *NSYNC concert. Poor weather conditions forced *NSYNC to cancel Thursday's (August 2) scheduled concert at Miami's Pro Player Stadium, and Tuesday's (August 7) the storm left thousands of disappointed *NSYNC fans in its wake in Alabama. The *NSYNC concert planned for Tuesday at Birmingham's Legion Field was canceled because the set up for the elaborate concert could not be completed because of the rain and wind caused by remnants of Barry. In a statement, the concert promoters said the date will not be rescheduled, "Both the venue and *NSYNC have made every possible effort to reschedule, but there are no mutually compatible dates available."

*NSYNC singer Lance Bass told local Birmingham NBC station WVTM, "They were telling us before we started touring things would happen. We thought we would take our chances, but next tour--definitely, I don't think we will do stadiums. We will definitely play Birmingham again." The promoter said it takes approximately four days to set up the pop group's massive stage, sets, lighting and sound gear, and poor weather conditions on Monday (August 6) prevented workers from unloading equipment from trucks and completing the job in Alabama. Ticket holders can get refunds at the point of purchase starting today (August 8). All Ticketmaster, phone, and Internet orders will be automatically refunded or credited within the next two weeks.

*NSYNC's is next scheduled to perform Thursday (August 9) in Louisville, Kentucky.
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High winds and heavy rainfall destroyed or damaged "a considerable amount of equipment" that had been set up at the venue for the group's performance, according to a press release from tour promoter Clear Channel Entertainment.

About 40,000 people were expected to attend the show, according to the promoter.

Tour organizers are investigating potential make-up dates for the show. Meanwhile, ticket refunds can be obtained at the point of purchase, a venue official said.

'NSync had originally planned to begin its current PopOdyssey tour at Pro Player Stadium on May 12, but that performance was postponed to accommodate unfinished production work, and the kick-off date was pushed back to a May 18 performance in Jacksonville. Subsequent production issues further delayed the tour opener until May 23.

'NSync is no stranger to bouts with bad weather. Last summer, while touring in support of "No Strings Attached" (Jive), the group was forced to cancel a Chicago-area performance when high winds knocked down a portion of the group's stage.

The group's PopOdyssey tour is scheduled to resume on Sunday night (8/5) in San Antonio, Texas.

"Celebrity," 'NSync's new No. 1 album, hit stores on July 24 and sold about 1.9 million copies during its first week of release, marking the second-highest first-week total in SoundScan history. The group's previous release, "No Strings Attached," holds that top honor with first-week sales of about 2.4 million copies.

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At least, there were enough diligent devotees in the house to make a distinct hum rise from the crowd of 60,000-plus during the hooks of such tunes as "The Two of Us," "Celebrity" and "Up Against the Wall."

"What is today? The 24th, right?" Joey Fatone asked midway through the show, scanning a sea of glow sticks and strained larynxes from the satellite stage. "This is the biggest album release party I've ever seen."

Like concerts as disparate from an 'NSYNC show as a Phish fest, the party began in the parking lot, with Celebrity's first single, "Pop," blaring from cars and minivans decorated with slogans like "Honk if you love 'NSYNC."

"It's the dirty pop party, and it's never gonna fade out," said 15-year-old Teena Baxley, who wore an 'NSYNC bandana and a candy necklace with the letters "JC." "It's so cool we get to see them the day the album is out. It's definitely the best day of my life."

'NSYNC were in a celebratory mood themselves, peppering their high-energy, high-tech performance with frequent references to Celebrity's arrival.

"I gotta tell you, this is probably the most exciting night of the tour," JC Chasez said when introducing "The Two of Us" early on in the show.

Because Celebrity's release was pushed back four weeks, 'NSYNC spent the first two months of the PopOdyssey Tour acting as a sort of live Napster, previewing the album's material. The group sought an edgier sound for the follow-up to last year's record-breaking No Strings Attached, teaming with producers from outside the boy-band cache such as BT, the Neptunes and Brian McKnight.

"It's a different level, but it's a little weird — they sound like they're angry on a lot of the songs," said 16-year-old Hadia Kabir of Thousand Oaks. "But the more I listen, the more it grows on me."

"It's got a better beat than No Strings — it makes you wanna get up and dance," 13-year-old Ashley Wroten of Los Angeles said.

But 8-year-old Kelsey Kinkle of Fresno, whose PopOdyssey T-shirt came down just below her knees, said she was too awestruck to dance while 'NSYNC were strutting around in chaps and riding mechanical bulls onstage. The experience was more than enough to hoist the group way above her other favorite boy band, the Backstreet Boys.

"I like 'NSYNC better now because they sing better and they look better," she said.
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No, it's not a new skit. That's really Joey Fatone — well, Joseph, to be precise. He's Joey's father, and his new group, the Not So Boy Band, has been added to eight dates of 'NSYNC's current tour.

If the Not So Boy Band, or "NSB2" for short (remember NKOTB?), sounds like a joke, it's probably because it once was.

More than a year ago, the Orlando, Florida, top-40 radio station WXXL-FM set out to change the city's reputation as a garden of boy bands by holding auditions for a 35-and-over pop group.

"It was a publicity stunt," said Eddie Johnson, president of Millennium Broadcast Corp., which is producing a documentary on the group. "But the guys actually felt some chemistry and realized they should act on it."

After NSB2's first performance flopped, WXXL cut its ties to the group, which also features Kevin Armstrong, Alex Merida and Ray Harmdierks. The foursome refused to give up and hired vocal and choreography coaches. 'NSYNC's Fatone even taught the group a few dance steps.

"They have a little ways to go, but they have some impressive moves," Johnson said.

The Not So Boy Band has since performed a few times in the Orlando area and will grace the stage at the Child Watch Benefit at Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios on Friday (June 29).

The group has also recorded three tracks, all of which sound similar to works from 'NSYNC's oeuvre, shockingly. "With You by My Side" is a sappy ballad, "I Know" is a Latin-flavored dance number with the chorus "She tells me that my love is gone," and "Bad Girl" is pure radio pop.

"They're pretty darn hot," Johnson said of the songs. "They don't sound like middle-aged men, that's for sure."

Believe it or not, NSB2 is not the only adult "boy band" looking to crack the pop charts. A London publicity firm recently put together ManBand, who are going into the studio next week to record their debut album.

The Not So Boy Band's confirmed dates with 'NSYNC, according to Johnson:

The holdup, says Cody's mother, Shelley Unser, is promoter SFX Entertainment.

"We put in a bid to get them between (concert dates in) San Antonio and Las Vegas, but SFX scheduled them for two Florida concerts," says Shelley, president of the foundation. "We're still trying to work it out."

Shelley says the performers "have not said 'No.' I think there's a real chance."

SFX Entertainment, the nation's largest promoter of concerts and live events, recently became Clear Channel Entertainment as a result of a merger with radio company Clear Channel. Clear Channel Entertainment is the promoter for 'NSync's 2001 tour, and anyone wishing to book the band would have to buy the act from the company.

Laura Clemmer, executive director of Journal Pavilion, which is operated by SFX, had no comment. And calls to Clear Channel Entertainment, headquartered in Houston, were not returned.

Joe Cordova, a board member of the foundation who has been involved in the negotiations, says local SFX officials would not be involved and that the foundation would be the promoter.

Cody, the daughter of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., contracted transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disease that attacks the spinal cord, in February 1999. Since then, she has been paralyzed from the waist down.

Cody established the First Step Foundation last year to build public awareness of the disease and to raise money for a cure. An estimated 34,000 Americans suffer from TM, which primarily strikes youths ages 10 to 19.

Cody first met 'NSync shortly after her 1999 illness, her mother says. Cody was in a Phoenix hospital to which she had been transferred several days after she became ill.

The group heard about Cody's plight through one of Al Unser Jr.'s business managers who knows Joey Fatone, one of the singers. 'NSync invited Cody to a concert in Phoenix while she was still hospitalized, but she was still bed-ridden.

"Cody wasn't able to go," Shelley says. "They sent her a tape they made, singing to her. They inserted her name and made it personal."

So when the First Step Foundation started looking for ways to raise money, somebody suggested an 'NSync concert. The band does other charity events: 'NSync has sponsored a celebrity basketball game called Challenge for the Children, which benefits children's groups around the country.

"The governor and others wrote letters we gave (the band)," Shelley says. "(The band was) asking 'Why not New Mexico?' The group wants to do it. But they have to do what their management tells them to do."

The concert would be at University Stadium, Shelley says, because UNM has offered free use of the facility. Journal Pavilion, which seats about 12,000, is too small for a concert by superstars like 'NSync, Shelley says. The band is on a national tour that is drawing crowds of around 40,000 screaming teen-agers a night, stopping in places like the Superdome in New Orleans, La., and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The 36-city tour is in support of the group's latest album, "Celebrity."

Getting the band to Albuquerque would be a coup. 'NSync is one of the most successful pop music acts of the last 10 years and the darlings of the pre-teen set. The band has sold more than 15 million albums since its 1998 debut.

Shelley hopes to hold several concerts as fund-raisers. "The William Morris Agency loves the idea. They have Eric Clapton and the Eagles, and we plan to be working with them," she says.

But for now, Cody is determined to get 'NSync. "She won't give up," Shelley explains.

"She's been very tenacious in getting 'NSync to New Mexico,'' Cordova added. ''She's working very hard to get it done.'' Shelley says that Cody hasn't let up.

"We've been trying for three or four months now. She wants a concert in New Mexico. She's still pushing it. They're considering adding us at the end of this tour or starting the next tour in Albuquerque."
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Sponsored by Beaches Resorts, SFX and Clear Channel Communications, "*NSYNC in the Sand at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa" is not accessible through ticket agencies, but through a special two-week promotion beginning July 23, 2001 on more than 90 Clear Channel radio stations across the U.S. and on each participating station's website. Radio fans from around the country will have the chance to join the musical performers by winning tickets to the end-of-summer's hottest event through various promotions.

Lucky winners will enjoy "fun-in-the-sun" at Beaches Turks & Caicos with an all-inclusive prize package entitling winners to deluxe accommodations for 4 days/3 nights, all meals and unlimited premium brand beverages, on-property activities, roundtrip airport transfers, all hotel taxes and tips, and roundtrip airfare for two on American Airlines.

The "*NSYNC in the Sand at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa" promotion is also sponsored, in part, by American Airlines, the only airline with more room throughout coach, offering three daily flights to Providenciales and the Turks and Caicos Islands ... Beautiful by Nature.

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa, voted "World's Best Family All-Inclusives," is part of the Sandals and Beaches Resorts family. Located in one of the "Top 10" best scuba diving destinations in the world on exotic Grace Bay in Providenciales, the 462-room Beaches Resort caters to singles, couples and families with children. Highlights of this all-inclusive resort include: luxury accommodations including lavish one-and-two bedroom suites, nine gourmet restaurants, unlimited premium brand beverages, six pools, a spectacular European-style Signature Spa (spa services additional), state-of-the-art fitness center, and an array of land and watersports including scuba diving, snorkeling and tennis. The new exquisite French Village brings Parisian-style to the resort with 166 rooms and a 4000 sq. ft. swimming pool plus 3 specialty restaurants. The $4 million state-of-the-art Pirates Island themed water-park is sure to captivate kids of all ages with its water-slides, kids' pool with swim-up soda bar and Jacuzzi, Sega Dreamcast Center, jungle games room, 50's-style diner, and a "teens-only" disco.

Sandals Resorts, Beaches' parent company, is the largest operator of luxury, ultra all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. There are a total of 10, couples-only Sandals Resorts including six in Jamaica, one in Antigua, two in St. Lucia, and one in Nassau, Bahamas. There are two more Beaches family resorts located in Negril, Jamaica. And, most recently, Beaches opened two, new resorts for "adults only" (guests 16 years and older) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. For more information about Sandals or Beaches Resorts, call 1-800-BEACHES or visit the Web site at www.beaches.com.

Clear Channel Communications, Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a global leader in the out-of home advertising industry with radio and television stations, outdoor displays, and entertainment venues in 45 countries around the world. Including announced transactions, Clear Channel operates approximately 1,170 radio and 17 television stations in the United States and has equity interests in over 240 radio stations internationally. Clear Channel Entertainment is one of the world's largest diversified promoters, producers and presenters of live entertainment events and is a leading fully integrated sports marketing and management company.
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Revealing that the band - whose new single 'Pop' went into the charts at Number Nine yesterday (July 15) - are laying plans to visit Britain in November, singer JC Chasez admitted that the band have neglected their fans in Europe.

He said: "There was a time when we were just huge over there and we couldn't go out on the streets... and now we can't get arrested in Europe. It's because we 're just not there. We haven't been there enough because the States is such a big territory."

He added that the group had been at pains to prove to their European audience that there was more to them than the average boyband.

He stated: "We are five musicians. We are five singers. We would go out and do a capella stuff just to prove to the European audience that there wasn't a tape playing behind us. We weren't out there just to sell them a T-shirt."

And Chasez had a dig at other boybands who were doing the rounds at the same time as *NSYNC, dismissing them as "bland", and adding: "When we were releasing over in Europe, there was a lot of - for lack of a better word - just bland things going on. Everybody would get a formula and then just work with it. When we started in Europe, there were two other groups that were all guys like us. We just went out there and said, 'This isn't exactly our style'."
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Despite his proximity to music royalty, Steve Fatone is not above promoting the corporations that are sponsoring *NSYNC's gargantuan "PopOdyssey Tour 2001," a 43-show tour that stops at 35 football or baseball stadiums. It stops at Arrowhead Stadium on Tuesday.

"If you don't get a free camera," Steve Fatone yells to the crowd, "you can go up (to the concessions) and buy one."

In many ways the giveaways and commercials that bombard the crowd before the show begins fit one purpose of this tour: to separate *NSYNC from other pop fads and establish it as a pop-music institution with an instantly identifiable logo and identity -- like Verizon and Fuji, two of the tour's sponsors.

But no other product will be promoted more heavily this evening than "Celebrity," the follow-up to *NSYNC's monster "No Strings Attached" album.

"Celebrity" will hit stores July 24, and it faces inevitable sales comparisons to its predecessor, which has sold nearly 12 million copies since its release in March 2000 (2.4 million copies its first week).

Though the music industry will be watching first-week sales of "Celebrity," this tour makes it clear that *NSYNC isn't interested in repeating itself for the sake of just another blockbuster record.

Everything about "PopOdyssey"-- from the videos played on the screens to the music from "Celebrity" to some of the suggestive male-female dancing -- makes it clear that *NSYNC is looking for things bigger than teen-pop celebrity: wider respect, more legitimacy and longevity.

Hip-hop hobnobbing

The atmosphere this evening is loud and electric, befitting a place built to house Super Bowls and Final Fours, and the crowd is a demographic hodgepodge: mostly teen-age and preteen girls and lots of nuclear families. But there also are plenty of adults without children, groups of boys without girls, threesomes of 20- and 30-something women and many college-age students, in groups and couples.

Most of the crowd is white, but unlike other *NSYNC shows the last four years, there's a small but noticeable contingent of African-Americans, which some observers think is evidence that *NSYNC is on the verge of doing the unthinkable: crossing over to the urban-music crowd.

In the latest issue of Vibe, a magazine that covers urban music, Mimi Valdes writes, "Lots of black people are beginning to admit they like *NSYNC. But don't think that coming to grips with this has come easy. It's like our first impression of Eminem. Some of us were a little uncomfortable admitting that last year's biggest hip-hop success story belonged to a white boy, but he does have skills. And for those who don't already know, so does *NSYNC."

When "Celebrity" comes out, its liner notes will include several big-name black artists and producers, like Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes and Brian McKnight. And though you won't hear *NSYNC on KPRS-FM (103.3), Kansas City's biggest urban station, you might catch the group on Black Entertainment Television, which has shown the group some respect.

"The black audiences like them a lot," Pat Charles, a senior script writer for BET's "106 and Park," told The Star. "They pay homage to the influences they've received from the black culture. They have worked with everyone from Janet (Jackson) to Brian McKnight. JC (Chasez) rapped on Blaque's album, Funkmaster Flex spins at their parties..."

And during "PopOdyssey" intermissions, the crowd is treated to rap videos, like "It's Tricky" by Run D.M.C., "So Fresh, So Clean" by Outkast and "Stutter" by Joe, which features some salacious bedroom scenes and a randy guest appearance by Mystikal -- not exactly teen-pop fare.

It's hard to gauge the intent of all that hobnobbing with hip-hop. *NSYNC either wants to break significantly into the urban-music crowd or to gain credibility with another crowd -- older, 20-something white fans who listen to Nelly, Outkast, Lauryn Hill and other crossover hip-hop/R&B artists.

The latter seems likelier, which also would explain *NSYNC's use of high-profile DJs and producers in the electronic world, like BT (Brian Transeau), who produced "Pop," the first single off "Celebrity," and the Iranian-born duo Deep Dish, who will produce their own "Pop" remix.

It's also significant that at all the stadium gates, ticket checkers were confiscating homemade signs and posters from youngsters, promising to deliver all signs of devotion to the guys backstage after the show.

The official explanation: safety and convenience -- so no one's view would be obstructed by a waved sign. But it's not hard to imagine that a group trying to shed its boy-band image would want to do away with displays of puppy-love sentiments like "I (heart) Lance!!!" and "Justin Will U Marry Me??"

The pop type

The music from the new record dominates the "PopOdyssey" show. In this domed stadium, which was built to hurl sounds back at the crowd, the mix is awful at times, especially during the new stuff -- a brash, high-energy blend of pop, electro-funk, hip-hop and R&B.

None of that mattered, though, because the 100-minute show was a manic, visual spectacle: a rush of lasers, flash pots, mechanical space-age bulls, video interludes, guide-wire flights and an array of garish (sometimes ugly) fashions and costumes. During "Up Against the Wall," the guys wore Velcro suits and were flung against a wall, where they stuck for a while (an old David Letterman gag).

The older songs, obviously, got the biggest responses, especially "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You," which they performed atop long, tall pedestals, and "It's Gonna Be Me." The guys have honed their act over four-plus years of performing. Their vocals are better, and their dancing is much improved -- more New Edition than New Kids.

*NSYNC opened its set with a video of someone typing out the definitions to "pop" and "odyssey." "Pop" was defined as a noun and an adjective in the context of something that attracts a large audience.

The crowd at the Trans World Dome was indeed large -- just over 32,000 -- but smaller than the crowd of 50,000-plus that nearly filled this place for *NSYNC back in November. Elsewhere on this tour, crowds have averaged more than 45,000.

According to Amusement Business, during a three-show run at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in early June, *NSYNC drew Springsteen-like numbers: nearly 155,000 people, only 20,000 under capacity. Compare that with the Backstreet Boys, who couldn't fill the 22,000-seat Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Va., on June 15. (They drew 16,000.)

The numbers the industry cares most about, though, will be first-week sales figures for the new record. Despite all the intense hype, "Celebrity" may not match the unprecedented commercial success of "No Strings Attached." The new songs sound keener and harder -- "dirty pop," they called it -- and less apt to draw such a huge audience.

Yet, even if *NSYNC doesn't break its own record, it seems more willing than any of its peers to evolve. It also seems acutely aware that "pop" is also a verb -- as in "burst" like a bubble -- and that like corporations who don't plan far ahead, bands who don't change and take risks are destined to be spoken about in the past tense.
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2 - DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, MACY GRAY - Giants Stadium-East Rutherford, N.J. (June 11-13). Total Sales $6,077,066.

3 - 'N SYNC, BBMAK, DREAM - Soldier Field-Chicago. (June 16-17). Total Sales $4,739,359.

4 - 'N SYNC, BBMAK, DREAM, TONYA MITCHELL, LIL' ROMEO - Veterans Stadium-Philadelphia. (June 13). Total Sales $2,534,204.

5 - WANGO TANGO: BACKSTREET BOYS, AEROSMITH, RICKY MARTIN, NELLY FURTADO, SHAGGY, JESSICA SIMPSON, VERTICAL HORIZON, DREAM, 3LW, SAMANTHA MUMBA AND OTHERS - Dodger Stadium-Los Angeles. (June 16-17). Total Sales $2,279,903.

6 - 'N SYNC, BBMAK - Ralph Wilson Stadium-Orchard Park, N.Y. (June 10). Total Sales $2,175,436.

7 - JIMMY BUFFETT AND THE CORAL REEFER BAND - Alpine Valley Music Theatre-East Troy, Wis. (June 2). Total Sales $1,129,274.

8 - ERIC CLAPTON, DOYLE BRAMHALL II AND SMOKESTACK - Palace of Auburn Hills-Auburn Hills, Mich. (June 6). Total Sales $973,777.

9 - BACKSTREET BOYS, KRYSTAL, SHAGGY - Nissan Pavilion-Bristow, Va. (June 15). Total Sales $870,863.

10 - ERIC CLAPTON, DOYLE BRAMHALL II AND SMOKESTACK - HSBC Arena-Buffalo, N.Y. (June 15). Total Sales $856,390.

Contrary to appearances, MOBIUS 8, who momentarily steals the show from *NSYNC on the mega- group's summer tour, is not a computer-generated superhero (or villain). In fact, he is more of a space age, mad musical genius/conductor, controlling the music, the visuals, the lasers and the lighting -- all with his own movements. MOBIUS 8's remarkable instrument, the HYDRA (said to be, like Mobius 8 himself, of alien origin), responds to his every gesture, while the visual effects follow suit in a dynamic phantasmagoria of sound and light. MOBIUS 8 developed the HYDRA using a dimension of infrared lightbeams to produce sound and light that can be altered by the slightest movement of any body part. The result is a spellbinding, revolutionary and unearthly audio/visual experience that must be witnessed to be believed.

It is rumored that MOBIUS 8 is on a mission to complete his musical persona by appropriating the pop music genre he is missing. This rumor is substantiated by those who have sighted him on *NSYNC's summer tour during the show's encore song "Game Over". It has been reported that MOBIUS 8 has suddenly appeared in what seems like an attempt to take some pop from *NSYNC. Although MOBIUS 8 struggles and seems to gain some pop from *NSYNC during the ultimate video game-like battle, those who've encountered MOBIUS 8 believe he may appear again in attempt to obtain more from *NSYNC as the tour moves across the United States. Those wanting to witness the magic, mystery, and musical mission of MOBIUS 8 for themselves, can try to catch a glimpse on the remainder of *NSYNC's tour!

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"This group won't be appearing in the Pacific Northwest," said Kelley Kurtzman, president of Verizon Wireless' Pacific Northwest Region, "so, we're offering Oregon and Washington fans the next best thing -- an opportunity to win their own 4-foot by 5-foot standing cardboard *NSYNC portrait. It's a way of celebrating our sponsorship and a great way to enable local fans to 'Join in' the fun of the concert tour."

*NSYNC's POPODYSSEY Tour will include 45 concerts in 38 cities concluding August 24, and is a unique sponsorship for Verizon Wireless. "The *NSYNC 2001 POPODYSSEY Tour offers Verizon Wireless exciting opportunities to reinforce our brand and capabilities with young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, a group that increasingly relies on wireless communications to stay connected," Kurtzman said. "*NSYNC is active, energetic and has broad appeal to tech savvy young adults."

Fans of all ages may stop by any Verizon Wireless store or kiosk in Washington or Oregon to complete an entry form. No purchase is necessary to enter. The winners will be drawn from completed entry forms submitted beginning June 25 and through July 31. Winners will be announced August 1.
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Smile, You're on *NSYNC Camera!

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This summer, *NSYNC, AmuseMatte Corp., and Fuji Photo Film USA, Inc. have partnered to create an *NSYNC branded, one-time-use camera bearing the likeness of Chris, JC, Joey, Justin and Lance. The cameras will be available for purchase at concert venues beginning on May 23rd, with $1 dollar from every one-time-use camera sold to be donated to *NSYNC's Challenge for the Children Foundation. This year's ultimate goal is to raise $1 million for this beneficial foundation that provides financial support to children's programs and other charities around the country. *NSYNC's 2001 POPODYSSEY TOUR, the group's 43-date stadium tour, crossing the country from May 23rd-August 24th, is

set to become the interactive concert event of the year. During each performance of *NSYNC's title track from their new album "Celebrity", the audience will literally be a part of the show by becoming shutterbugs and capturing the group's performance. The visual of thousands of cameras flashing will create a paparazzi effect as *NSYNC walks down a red carpet set-up on stage. At every show, during the performance of "Celebrity", 20 lucky fans will have the opportunity to take pictures of the group up close with their *NSYNC cameras. In addition, fans will have a chance to win a day with *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick at the offices of his own clothing line, Fumanskeeto Inc.
"We're thrilled to provide the fans with a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of one of biggest concert productions ever," says *NSYNC business manager Barry Klarberg. "This promotion gives the group a way to personally connect with their fans and in return, their fans can contribute to a cause that is close to the group's hearts."
AmuseMatte is also creating exclusive *NSYNC Photo Fan Packs complete with an autographed photo, 3D Fan Access Pass, 3D trading card and an *NSYNC branded one-time-use camera available at concert venues and at local retailers.
In addition to the proceeds earned from camera sales, *NSYNC's Challenge For The Children Foundation will further benefit from the group's generosity as they host *NSYNC's third annual Challenge for the Children event in Las Vegas on July 27-29. Last year, this special weekend featured participants such as Pink, Queen Latifah, Jordan Knight, and several NBA superstars.