Hoopla over Hilary Duff

Jon Bream, Star Tribune
August 2, 2004 HILARY0802

One of the Olsen twins just left a clinic for eating disorders. Avril Lavigne is sooo yesterday. And Lindsay Lohan is trying to grow up too fast (like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera did).

That makes Hilary Duff, 16, the reigning queen of 'tweens, the role model for preadolescent girls. She's the princess of all things Disney -- she stars in TV's "Lizzie McGuire" and is in the theatrical hit "A Cinderella Story," and she has sold more than 3 million copies of her first CD. Duff drew 12,000 people Sunday night to Target Center, mostly screaming girls between ages 6 and 11 (with their moms or dads) who were attending their first concert.

"She was better than I thought she'd be," said Kevin Cobb, 41, of Eagan, who brought 8-year-old daughter Nicole to her first big music event. "I didn't expect it to be this much of a rock concert. The guitars were really good."

Cobb's first show was Rush when he was 16. He recently saw Van Halen and Prince in concert. And on Sunday night, he was leading a chant of "Hil-ah-ree! Hil-ah-ree!" before Duff's encore, as Nicole, in her new Hilary T-shirt, waved her Hilary glowstick with glee.

During the singer's 70-minute performance, Nicole sang along to all the tunes from the "Metamorphosis" album, which became a staple not only on Radio Disney but also on KDWB. Once or twice, Nicole even spontaneously sprang to her feet with excitement.

Afterward, she said her favorite part of the show was when Duff came over and sang right in front of her and her dad.

"As a parent, it's fun to see girls get excited about Hilary," Cobb said. "She's a great role model. Her TV show has good values. It is funny and fun; it has good humor that parents can relate to. You don't see girls here dressed as risqué as Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. I don't want my girls to grow up like that."

Moms agree with dads on this one.

At Target Center, Debbie Hamilton, 35, of Jordan, dropped about $60 on Duff stuff for her daughter, Chelsey, who turns 11 on Friday. That didn't include the tickets, which were her birthday present.

As Hamilton waited for her daughter's $15 photo with a cardboard cutout of Duff, she recalled that for her 15th birthday her parents took her to see Michael Jackson's "Victory Tour."

"I think Hilary is a great role model," Hamilton said before the concert.

Chelsey was sporting her Hilary T-shirt, pins and pink Converse tennis, like Duff wears in "A Cinderella Story."

Pink is Hilary's color. She wore a pink top onstage and sang into a pink microphone. The pink long-sleeve Duff T-shirt was the best-selling souvenir at Target Center, a vendor reported. There were 10 styles of Hilary tees (priced from $30 to $40) to choose from, but just two (at $25) for her sister Haylie, the opening act.

Converting parents

Before the concert, Kelly Herrera, 41, of Maplewood, said she would have preferred that someone who appreciated Duff more than she had accompanied her daughter, Krista, 10. However, after the performance, Herrera was singing a different tune.

"I'm glad I came," she said. "I didn't know her songs. But it was better than I expected.

"I liked the way she touched everybody and made you feel welcomed."

Of course, Krista knew all the songs, save for a couple of new ones from Duff's upcoming CD, due out on her birthday, Sept. 28. Krista also knew a little bit about concerts, having been to one at the Minnesota State Fair two years ago. "This was way better than Aaron Carter," she proclaimed.

The significance of the evening was perhaps best understood by KDWB morning personality Dave Ryan, a parent who introduced Duff. He instructed the young fans to look at mom or dad "and say, 'I'll remember this forever.' Because you will."

Thanks for that! [img]graemlins/thumbs.gif[/img]