Tokio Hotel — and frenzied fans — check into Starland Ballroom
SAYREVILLE —Music fans from around the world — well, at least from across North America — descended on the Starland Ballroom in the borough Thursday to see a band from Germany whose lead singer dresses like a Japanese anime character.
Welcome to the world of Tokio Hotel, and if you haven't heard of them yet, you will.
"Tokio Hotel will play to an audience of five or to an arena full of fans, it doesn't matter to them because they care about the music and the fans and that comes across,'' said Samantha Watson, 18, of Roselle. "Other bands care about money or material things but not them.''
Fans lined up by the hundreds in Starland's parking lot Thursday afternoon to get into Thursday night's sold-out show for the glam-pop group — described as an emo version of Disney teen stars the Jonas Brothers.
Kiila Lowe, 21, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Rai Renee, 21, of Philadelphia, were the first two on line. They arrived at 1 a.m. yesterday even though the venue prohibitted fans from forming a line until 10 a.m. They were asked to leave, they said.
"We're bush babies because we slept in the bushes,'' Lowe said.
Others, like Geetika Lahr, 17, of Toronto, stayed in a hotel room.
"They're very awesome,'' said Lahr of the band.
Tokio (pronounced like the city, Tokyo) Hotel was formed in Magdeburg, Germany, and are fronted by twin brothers Bill and Tom Kaulitz, who are 18 years old. Bill, with black hair standing on end, an impossibly thin build and packed-on makeup, resembles an anime character, though he has said in past interviews that the look he's going for is goth.
The band has racked up four No.‚1 singles and two No.‚1 one albums in Germany so far, including "Schrei,'' their debut, in 2005. The English language album, "Scream,'' released in the United States on May 6, is composed of tracks from the band's first two German albums, re-recorded in English.
The band's video for their single "Ready, Set, Go'' was recently nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. So far, much of the attention garnered for the group has come from the Internet.
"It's like a Beatles thing for us,'' said Sam Ali, 40, of Hazlet, who was attending the show with his twin children, Anthony and Vanessa, 14, and several other family members.
The band's show at Starland kicks off a U.S. club tour. Locally, Tokio Hotel is scheduled to meet fans at an in-store signing at Hot Topic in the Freehold Raceway Mall at 3 p.m. today. Wristbands that guaranteed fans an autograph from the band have been distributed. There are none left, said a rep from the store.
Christine Giannetti, 14, of Florham Park, who attended last night's show with Shannon Healy, also 14 of Florham Park, was ready for anything.
"I can sing with them if they sing the songs in English or German,'' Giannetti said.
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