the heat is on..
The summer belongs to 98* : As they travel across the country, screaming fans and sold-out concerts meet them at every stop. So why haven't they take an ego trip yet? Keep reading..

by laura jamison
photographs by george holz

As he crosses the golden gate bridge in a strech limo, 25-year-old nck Lachey peers out at San Francisco's often-gray sky, marveling at how his group, 98*, lucked out the day they filmed their video "Because of You" high upon the span's spires. It was July of '98, and they'd spent a long week waiting for the fog to lift, he recalls, "and then, on our last day, miraculously, it cleared." That was a mixed blessing for Jeff Timmons, 26, who's afraid of heights. "I nearly peed my pants up there," he says, eyeing one of the bridge's red-orange towers, where an elevator took them to the top of the world -- in more ways than once.

Less than year later, 98* has catapulted to celebrity status, hence their return to Northern California. Today, they're bound for Skywalker Ranch, director-producer George Lucas's storied property about 45 minutes north of San Francisco. There, not only will they hobnob with fellow celebs ("Alyssa Milano is going," Jeff says with a big grin), but they will be treated to a preview of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.

Although the screening requires them to take a grueling early morning flight from Orlando, the band members -- all fans of the Star Wars trilogy -- feel privileged to have the opportunity to view the prequel a week before its cinematic release. When he was a kid, Nick recalls, "Somebody in our family was the vice president of Kenner toys, who made all the Star Wars [action figures]. So we would get the Yoda with the feet on backwards -- toys that [had] something wrong with them."

SERIOUS BUSINESS Despite his band mates' bubbling excitement, Nick's brother, Drew Lachey -- at 23, the group's youngest member -- repeatedly tries to redirect their attention to pressing business issues. After all, just ahead lies the busiest schedule of their lives, one that includes, among many other things: a headlining gig with the all-star All That tour (they've just wrapped the first leg of their own Heat It Up trek); recording sessions for a Christmas album to be released in October; taping for a multi- show stint on General Hospital (they'll play themselves); and promotion for their new single, "I Do," for which they also need to shoot a video.

STAR TRIPPING But such a schedule isn't without its perks. Just yesterday they experienced their first-ever private jet flight when they traveled to the Bahamas -- for an afternoon -- to perform on a Disney Channel special. "I never thought I would take a day trip to the Bahamas," Nick says, still disbelieving.

"It reminded me of Puffy's video ['Been Around the World']," adds Justin Jeffre, 26. "It's this white plane, and it's a very big, and everything's very nice. Leather seats, freshly baked cookies -- just anything that you'd want."

Three weeks later, they're once again the victims of an unforgiving agenda. At 7 A.M., they wipe the sleep from their eyes for an interview at New York's Z100 radio station -- which is actually located in Secaucus, N.J. Then they're off to an all-day photo shoot in Manhattan for TEEN PEOPLE. After that, it's back to Jersey to sound check for Zootopia, Z100's summer concert event at the Continental Airlines Arena.

But wait, there's more. 98* has two shows to perform tonight -- at two different venues. After rehearsing at the arena, the foursome and their numerous handlers will head to Trenton via helicopter to open a concert sponsored by another radio station, WPST; immediately following their one-song performance, they'll have to get back in the helicopter to fly back to close Zootopia. The sky ride will be a first for all but Justin; he once flew in a chopper over the Grand Canyon on a family vacation.

Such posh travel arrangemnts will soon be the norm, according to their manager, Paris D'Jon. But he says, it's not as glam as it seems: "People think it's all fun, but sometimes you don't even see daylight. You just go from one [event] to another."

"It can be very stressful," Jeff says later, "but we try to be there for each other. We give each other a hard time to make each other laugh."

One wet-and-wild tour escapade ended with a visit from hotel security. "We started big water fights in hotels with [Jessica Simpson] on our tour," Justin says. "Everyone had water balloons and super soakers."

98* is like a close-knit cluster of boisterous brothers, but each has his own unique personality. "Nick's like Jake from Melrose Place -- the bad-boy biker," says Paris. "Justin's the cool guy who likes R&B, likes going to clubs. Jeff is our cute poster boy. Drew is the baby. He has a girlfriend; he's in love. But he's also the little general-- he's one who goes over all the money, all the contracts."

One thing they share is a common devotion to their fans. All four are very involved with their official website, 98degrees.com, and they accommodate autograph seekers every chance they get. Occasionally, though, some fans expect too much.

"Sometimes they want you to sing at their prom or birthday. Or they want you to .. well, it gets a little crazy," says Justin with an uncomfortable laugh. Then he continues: "We find it hard to believe that anyone would like us. We look at ourselves at the same old goofballs that we were when we started."

That's not false modesty. When Jeff recalls their recent Bahamas show -- where attendants dutifully held umbrellas over their heads between songs to protect them from the scorching sun -- he says, "To me, it was uncomfortable. I didn't like it. I'm the same person I was before, and I don't want to be treated any differently."

"Plus," Nick adds, "you have an audience out there who is sitting in the sun watching us for an hour and a half, and every break they're bringing us umbrellas and water, and these people are out there dying. I felt terrible."

MANNERS MATTER Drew attributes their guys-next-door quality, in part, to being from the Midwest, where politeness is apparently the norm. "Being respectful of other people .. will get you farther than singing your face off," he says. "I think our work ethic and being from Ohio [Jeff is from Massillon; the others Cincinatti], and the upbringing that we had has guided us to where we are."

The four stay in a constant contact with their families. (During their van ride to the arena, they use their respective cell phones to chat with relatives, each eventually ending his call with an unabashed "I love you.") "They drive us crazy, but they're great," says Drew, who explains that his and Nick's mom, Cate Fopma-Leimbach, president of the 98* fan club, has a habit of inviting fans to come backstage with her; this cuts down on the few precious moments they have alone with their loved ones. "All mothers are the same," he says with a sigh. "They're so proud of us. They want us to show off."

The guys themselves still occasionally get starstruck, like when they recorded "True to Your Heart" for the Mulan soundtrack with their idol, Stevie Wonder. Still, they're not easily seduced by the showbiz scene. Of their visit to Skywalker Ranch, where celebs such as Shannon Doherty, Seth Green and the members of Korn milled about, Drew says, "It was kind of weird. It's a whole scene we aren't really used to -- the whole schmoozing, cocktails-on-the-lawn type of thing. We kind of expected to go, watch the movei and call it a day." They did, however, have a nice chat with Carmen Electra, but then, she's an old classmate of Justin and Nick's from the Cincinatti School for Creative and Performing Arts.

Finally, it's time to go up, up and away on the much anticipated helicopter ride. It's a calm, breeze-free afternoon, and happily for Jeff, the ride is uneventful. On the ground a mere 15 minutes later, the band is whisked away in a minivan to the theater. Warming up his voice, Nick sings along to the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" on the radio. When they arrive at the Trenton War Memorial Theater, there's no time to change into stage wear, so the boys sing their one song, "The Hardest Thing," in their street clothes.

A few bows later, the quartet and companions dash back to the helicopter pad to return to Zootopia. This time, however, three-quarters of the group wants to rev itself up with a daredevil chopper ride. Jeff, of course, opts to go in the other copter, the one that promises a no-thrills flight.

SKY HIJINKS The thrill-icopter, carrying pilot Jeff Smith, manager Paris, Drew, Justin, Nick and his TEEN PEOPLE reporter, doesn't disappoint. Almost on takeoff, it zooms ahead, then banks sharply to the left, tilting completely on its side. All the guys hoot and clap. "That's what I was looking for!" Nick shouts. But to his dismay, the craft soon levels off. "This is where it gets boring again," he mutters. Not exactly. Suddenly, the copter begins climbing high into the sky: It soars -- then drops like a roller coaster, free-falling. Stomachs are left behind, up in the stratosphere, but no matter: Nick, Drew and Justin whoop and holler with glee.

Before long, the helicopters are back in the New York City area and hovering over the Hudson River; the pilot takes a detour so that his passengers can get a view of the majestic Manhattan skyline. With the sun starting to descend, the sky is a brilliant orange, setting the buildings' windows aglitter like a thousand diamonds.

In the front seat, Drew takes out his camera and starts snapping photos of the Statue of Liberty. Then he politely asks the pilot if he can remove his seat belt for a moment. After receiving permission, Drew stands up and, with absolutely no warnings, drops his pants and plants his bare bottom in the in the window, causing Jeff and the riders in the other helicopter to crack up.

BACK ON EARTH On the ground minutes later, Drew recalls the sunset: "It was so romantic."

"That was way better than the Grand Canyon," Justin declares.

Nick says the adrenaline has re-energized him for their performance at Zootopia. Good thing too, because 18,000 fans are in their seats waiting to see 98* heat things up -- and the scene is pretty much at boiling point already. Britney Spears, Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight have performed, with crowd favorites Sugar Ray about to go on.

If there was ever any doubt that they had the star power to warrant day trips to the Bahamas, helicopter rides and special Skywalker Ranch screenings, it disappears when 98* hits the stage. They whip the crowd into a frenzy with their performance, complete with pyrotechnics and glistening biceps.

Later, unwinding backstage (where their new friend, pilot Jeff Smith, is hanging out), Nick is reflecting on his 18-hour (and counting) day. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time," he says, smiling. With a new single burning up the charts ("I Do"), a third album on the way and a huge arena tour planned for winter 2000, the fun has just begun..