Aug. 11, 2001: Pop music, Pop-Tarts and the cable network Noggin made for a fun night for those attending the Aaron Carter concert at the Coors Light Amphitheater on Montage Mountain.
Concert-goers arriving at the venue were greeted by the World’s Biggest Pop-Tart, where they could pick up a sample of the toaster pastry.
Fans reach out for a handshake from singer Aaron Carter during his Aug. 11, 2001, concert at the Coors Light Amphitheater at Montage Mountain. Times-Tribune Archives
While waiting for the concert to begin, the audience enjoyed entertainment by employees of Nickelodeon’s sister channel, Noggin. The moderator threw out T-shirts and invited some members of the crowd to play games on stage. During one game, the moderator asked, “What would you do for a used Aaron Carter sweat towel?” to which a teen girl answered, “Run around totally naked.”
The games quickly came to an end with that answer, and Carter’s choreographer came out on stage for a quick performance before the show started.
Carter’s sister, Leslie, then performed, and the crowd welcomed her with squeals and applause. She started her set with a cover of the Kirsty MacColl song “They Don’t Know” followed by her own songs, “Mr. Shy Guy” and “Like, Wow.”
After her set, the Noggin team then returned to pass out more merchandise that this time included an Olympus High Snap Camera.
Following the camera giveaway, Swedish teen pop group A*Teens started its set with “Upside Down,” “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen.” At the end of its performance, group member Dhani Lennevald reminisced with the crowd about the group’s performance at Nickelodeon’s “All That Music and More” festival that stopped at Montage in 2000.
“We were right here like one year ago, and we’re tourin’ with Aaron Carter,” he said.
Fans reach out for a handshake from singer Aaron Carter during his Aug. 11, 2001, concert at the Coors Light Amphitheater at Montage Mountain. Times-Tribune Archives
Then came Carter’s time on stage. The 13-year-old began by tossing towels to the crowd and then opened with “Tell Me What You Want,” “Get Wild” and “I’m All About You.”
The next year, Carter returned to Montage with his “Rock, Rap and Retro” tour. Triple Image, Jump Five and No Secrets joined him for that show.
In 2017, Carter came back to Scranton on the day of the St. Patrick’s Parade. He traveled the parade route on a float sponsored by a local radio station and later held a meet-and-greet at Levels Bar & Grill.
To see more images from the Carter’s Aug. 11, 2001 performance click here.
Brian Fulton has been the librarian at The Times-Tribune for the past 15 years. On his blog, Historically Hip, he writes about the great concerts, plays/musicals and celebrity happenings that have taken place throughout NEPA. He is also the co-host of the local history podcast, Historically Hip. He competed and was crowned grand champion on an episode of NPR quiz show “Ask Me Another.” Contact: bfulton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9140; or @TTPagesPast
