Backstreet's Back

Pop superstars and world-famous 90s boy band, the Backstreet Boys, continued the North American leg of their ‘This Is Us' tour when they stopped in New York's Hammerstein Ballroom for the second time this year.

Fans started lining up at the Manhattan Center theatre at the break of dawn last Thursday to catch a glimpse of the boys and get as close to the stage as possible. Meanwhile, certain members of their fan club arrived on the priority VIP lines to meet and greet their favorite artists during sound check before the concert. At sound check, the boys answered questions from one lucky fan each. Since it was an intimate gathering, everyone got to see the boys up close and personal, noting each of their individual styles and personas. You could tell that Brian Litterel was the silly jokester of the group, Howie was the balanced and sober-minded one, Nick was the romantic, and A.J. was the rebel, all during a few precious moments spent in their small company.

The concert itself began with a DJ spinning hit tracks at the center of the stage, creating a club like atmosphere that was only enhanced by the neon light work from all around. But this wasn't enough to please the die-hard Backstreet fans, now restless to see them for the first or even tenth time.

And soon enough, the band got the crowd going even before dramatically coming on stage from behind a film screen. The excitement was instant as the boys sang an old favorite and obvious choice for opening song, "Everybody." They continued with remixed medleys of sorts of their greatest hits like: "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," "As Long As You Love Me," "Larger than Life, "The Call," and "I Want it That Way."

In between sets, the film screen aired four different videos featuring the boys in spoof movie trailers. Howie starred in a version of The Fast and the Furious, AJ in Fight Club, Brian in Enchanted, and Nick in The Matrix. Meant to be silly and please the fans, the videos certainly got everyone laughing and made great segues to the next performance. 

Even after seventeen years since forming and starting a life-long following of listeners across the globe, the Backstreet Boys still have it. The boys danced like they always could, if not with greater intensity, and sang with the same soul and boyish charm that stole hearts and Total Request Live votes in the 90s.

Older but still youthful in their music, the boy band featured their newest album, This is Us, with tracks like: "Straight Through My Heart," "Shattered," "Bigger," and "If I Knew Then," all of which show how much they've grown and display their breadth of talent in vocals and dance skills all the same.

The Backstreet Boys closed the night with an encore of "Straight Through My Heart." And before exiting the same dramatic way they had entered, the boys ended on a grateful note to the city of NY for having them again and AJ personally and emphatically let the crowd know that, yes, indeed "Backstreet's Back."