KICK OUT THE JAMS

Thursday, February 12, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Kick Out the Jams

Hilary Duff at Mandalay Bay Events Center, Feb. 7

By the looks of the crowd parading through Mandalay Bay on Saturday evening, you'd think that Strip executives are fibbing when they deny they are going after the family market. The average age in the queue snaking through Mandalay's restaurant row was 9--still a little young to gamble, let alone sit in the lounge to gobble a quick Border Grill taco.

But what these kids--most of them girls--lacked in years, they made up for in style. Many of them were dressed to the, well, nines, sporting slick leather jackets, fancy shoes and oversized J.Lo caps. And a lot of the moms, who clearly were of age, appeared ready for their closeups in a Motley Crue video.

So, what exactly was the occasion for this collection of children and parents--10,000 strong--to clog the halls of the Strip's hippest adult hangout? They were giddy with expectation to see Hilary Duff's soldout performance in the Events Center.

At this point, graying readers of the Mercury may be asking, "Who?" Well, the more cynical among us might call Duff the "new Britney." After all, now that Ms. Spears has moved on to shocking liplocks, chain-smoking and annulments, America needs a new teen sweetheart. Duff certainly fills the bill. The 16-year-old got her start as a sitcom star on the Disney Channel, which is the same place Britney cut her teeth.

But a more charitable observer would not call Duff the new Britney. Duff, for one thing, doesn't perform synchronized dance routines on stage, though she's probably more than capable of doing them well if she wanted to. For another, Duff's music is different. She's more of a rock chick, backed by an energetic guitar-based band that, unfortunately, was mixed to overpower her vocals during much of Saturday's show.

The kids didn't seem to care much, though. They knew the words anyway, as Duff & Co. rolled through the tracks from her platinum-selling debut album, Metamorphosis, including radio hit "So Yesterday."

Duff's performance, including an encore, was over by 9 p.m.--still several hours before clubgoers would start lining up at Mandalay's various hot spots. This was due in part to Duff's limited repertoire, but also because most of her fans needed to go nigh-night.--Geoff Schumacher

Editor's note: This review relies on notes taken by Erin Schumacher, 13. The writer did not actually enter the Events Center during the concert. Sara Schumacher, 9, said the concert was "rockin'."