Kid-Fest At The Gorge Was `All That & More'

------------ Music review ------------

"All That Music & More Festival," last night, the Gorge Amphitheatre, George.

GEORGE, Grant County - Had the Gorge Amphitheatre not been so sturdy, it might have cracked under the weight of about 8,000 crushes yesterday.

Thousands of fluttering hearts, halter tops and temporary tattoos greeted the "All That Music & More Festival," Nickelodeon's kid-friendly carnival that brought thousands of teens and their families out into George's flawless sunshine.

Gleeful screams sailed up to the heavens, buoyed by bubbles of laughter and joy. Only those with jawbreakers for hearts could resist "All That's" charms.

98 Degrees topped off an elaborately choreographed and sharply executed four-hour concert that also featured two other boy bands, No Authority and EYC. They shared the bill with Monica, a bouncy Tatyana Ali and the quartet of Irish pixies known as B # Witched. All had the predominately female audience squealing with delight - especially 98 Degrees.

"They can sing, they can dance, and they're hot," 18-year-old Pasco resident Nayda Cortez explained.

The quartet was also main attraction for male audience members. Boys poo-pooed B # Witched's bright, hippity-hop dance numbers and crisp Celtic-inspired harmonies. Ali, whose set was not as tight as the others, nonetheless managed to charm a few young men's hearts. EYC's overzealous delivery was a little too earnest to win new fans.

Co-headliner Monica's castle set and furiously hoofing dancers and her four, count 'em, four costume changes during her 45 minutes was as impressive as it was flashy. The prom anthem "Angel of Mine," elicited cries of approval - from girls. Guys liked the art but weren't mesmerized by the artist. Snips, snails and puppy-dog tails, you see, deflate the power of the crush.

"We're boys," explained 10-year-old Kacy Harrison of East Wenatchee, who came to the Gorge with his buddies to celebrate his birthday. "We don't like girls."

Other fun was blessedly water-related. A "car wash" for kids had tykes saunter through a tunnel that cooled them down with mist and bubbles, blew them dry and sent them off with a puff of sweet strawberry scent and a sample of blueberry shampoo.

Though "All That" was designed to be a first concert experience for kids, many of the show's young attendees were already veterans. Andee Freytag, who traveled from Eugene, has taken her 5-year-old daughter Arielle to so many concerts that Mom's lost count. Arielle's first show was a House of Pain performance she saw at the tender age of 2 months.

"This is a just great venue for family," Freytag explained. "We went to (KUBE) Summer Jam last week, and every other word was . . .," she described an obscenity, " . . . and they were talking about marijuana."

That couldn't happen at this G-rated show. 98 Degrees got shrieks for stripping, though they only removed parkas to reveal baggy camouflage pants and flak vests beneath. They also inspired excitement at a Planet Hollywood gathering earlier in the day.

"Show us your abs!" yelled a fan at a 600-strong, screech-filled meet-and-greet event in Seattle, a public party to celebrate Drew Lachey's 23rd birthday. 98 Degrees's members apparently have abdominal muscles you can scrub your laundry upon. We can only guess, since they didn't take off their vests, much to hundreds of teen girls' and their mothers' disappointment.

What they did display was a sense of humor in their 45-minute set. In addition to melting hearts with their ballads, the singers poked fun at themselves with a cover "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" and nods to Eminem and the Beastie Boys. They and Monica were the only performers backed by live bands; the rest sang and high-stepped along to recorded music.