Yes, you are reading that right! Last night, I went with a group of high school friends and headed to the middle of nowhere to catch my 90s musical obsession, the Backstreet Boys.
Honestly, back in 2019 when the tickets went up for this tour, it was a no hesitation from me. Back in 2016, a friend and I had got to see them perform during their Las Vegas residency, and I was beyond impressed. It also helped that I knew almost all the songs from their first three albums. Of course, no one expected this tour to be delayed over two years, but here we are. I’m the big 3-0 and it just felt right to be there. of course, as excited as we all were for the show, we are a subdued group of friends, so there was a whole crowd that had us beat for hype-level. But still, we had a great time.
The show opened with a very brief set from Australian artist, Delta Goodrem, who sang cover songs for half of her stage time. Good vocals, just not crazy about the songs. Luckily, not much time passed in between, and I strapped myself in for a 32-song set. I know that number sounds crazy, but I’d say at least eight of them were only snippets of songs off of their latest album, 2019’s DNA. I was kind of bummed that the show-opener, “Everyone” got cut short, too, because I really like that song! Oh, well. The rest of the show was a nice mix of all the popular nostalgic tunes, interlaced with material from their post-2000 records.
I can’t really say that any of the “newer” stuff really made a lasting impact on me, but when five guys with this much talent sing them, it’s hard to tap your foot to at least. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Backstreet Boys performance if “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “All I Have to Give” and set closer, “Larger Than Life” weren’t on the list. I was also excited to hear “The Call” early in the setlist, and totally forgot about the awesomeness of “Get Another Boyfriend” from that same album! The only song I was really disappointed with that didn’t make the cut was “Hey Mr. DJ (Keep Playin’ This Song)” – I freaking love that song!
Overall, this was a joyous show, and we caught them early on the tour. So if you’re at all a Backstreet Boys fan, it’s not too late to grab a ticket and fulfill a childhood dream.