“I don’t care, who you are, where you’re from, what you did, as long as you love me”….
If you find yourself singing or humming along to these lyrics instantaneously, then there’s no denying we are from the same era. Don’t be too quick to refute that statement though.
We are fortunate to be able to grow up with some of the finest Boybands’s songs. The “Golden Era of Boybands” that belonged to Take That, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, Westlife and so many more…
I’m sure we were in love with The Backstreet Boys back then, just as much as how the kids love One Direction now. We still love the old boys now, and we deliver through our actions.
24 years it has been and they definitely have got it goin’ on.
20,000 tickets were snapped up in a flash for more than a good reason.
It’s not just to reminisce “Yesteryears once more”, but also to party on NOW with the boys when we finally have the purchasing power. They have come this far to where they are now and we have all grown up too. It’s like a high school reunion party for everyone, except that we weren’t in our school uniforms.
Walking down memory lane has never been as fun and enjoyable as this, when you were surrounded by many fans (around your age) who share the same love for the boys. You knew exactly when to join in for the lyrics when they threw the mic out at you, or shouting to the “Woo”, “Wah”, “Yeah”, etc.
Growing up and aging is an inevitable process, but what better way to celebrate this graceful journey together with these 5 men and their adoring fans?
You had “permission” with an official ticket to be a young or old fangirl, just go wild, shriek to your lungs’ contentment, sing, groove and dance along to the most popular boyband of all time.
Nostalgia at its very best.
What better way to unleash once in a while to make your money worth?
The medley video before the concert commenced was a good prelude to how the audience would behave when the 5 boys-turned-men now, finally came on stage. I LOVED how the echo of the mass sing-along sounded in my ears.
There was no stopping them, LITERALLY, when the 5 men appeared on stage.
AJ Mclean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Nick Carter are all happily married with kids. They may have dad bods now, but that did not take away their glamour on stage.
Neither do the fans mind.
Nick Carter has been, is still, and will always be my most favourite. Doesn’t matter that he has gained some weight. Brian has got the best and most soothing vocal, followed by Howie and Kevin. Kevin’s still as charming, but was hoping he could trim his long locks. AJ’s still the one to jive up the atmosphere.
(Nick Carter)
(Brian Littrell)
(Howie Dorough)
(Kevin Richardson)
(AJ Mclean)
Don’t all 90s boybands have synchronised dance moves?
The guys were either decked in leather jackets or bling bling diamante jackets, doing their famous synchronised old-school dance moves such as the “Zombie Dance” during “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”, reviving the Folding Chair dance during “As Long As You Love Me”, lifting their index finger when they sang this line “You are my fire, the ONE desire” during “I want it That Way”. The way they swayed their mic stands during the ballads such as “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”, was also an iconic 90s boyband stance.
They retained all that gist and they would just grip your heart with their sentimental love songs.
No one’s expecting them to dance like the Korean boy bands now or have some head spinning dance moves definitely. We don’t mind a layer of “cheese” added to their dance moves.
Good ol’ cheese tastes oh so good.
Despite the several times that Backstreet Boys have been here to stage their concerts, my first BSB concert was at the Star Theatre in 2015. It was their 1st 5-member performance after Kevin’s return, performing to a smaller audience. My oh my, was I thrilled and delighted to know that almost everyone in the hall stood up and grooved along to the music, shouting the lyrics as they came to mind.
I was blown away. They did not lip sync, they could sing LIVE perfectly well!
They proved once again last night, that they could just harmonise so well, sapping away all the fangirls and (some) fanboys’ energy, attention and affection. I was hoping they could have an Acapella segment like they did in their last tour though.
Drowning, Incomplete, Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely, I’ll Never Break your Heart, gave the guys a chance to take a breather and rest while sitting on the stage.
So did some of the fans but mostly were still fervently on their feet.
I loved the fast tracks such as “Larger than Life”, “We’ve got it going on” and “Everybody”.
“We’ve got it going on” felt more like the theme song for the night.
As the music went on, the fans would be singing “We’ve been waiting so long, just could hold it back no more, creeping up and down now, it’s time for me to let it go”! , while the guys sang “Jam On cos’ Backstreet’s Got It, Come On Now Everyboy, We’ve got it going on for years”.
The guys weaved their ways into their fans’ hearts effortlessly with all the sweet nothings, such as Nick Carter’s “We love each and every one of you”, “We Love you so much, Thanks for being the best fans in the entire world!”, “Don’t you just love to see the Backstreet Boys sweat?” and Howie’s “We Love you Singapore! Thank You for keeping the Backstreet pride alive!”
If you weren’t present last night, good news is, Nick Carter announced that they are in the midst of working on their new album and that will mean another World Tour, which includes Singapore too!
The guys seemed a little weary from the 30-hour flight and they were soaked from head to toe with perspiration (due to the humid weather and dancing) but it did not deter the fans from reciprocating with more love and hype.
The concert set list was a replica of their Las Vegas Tour, with about 19 songs:
- Larger than Life
- The One
- Get Down (You’re the one for me)
- Drowning
- Incomplete
- Quit Playing Games (with my Heart)
- Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely
- I’ll Never Break Your Heart
- Anywhere for You
- Darlin’
- Undone
- As Long As You Love Me
- The Call
- We’ve Got It Going On
- Get Another Boyfriend
- More Than That
- Shape of My Heart
- I Want It That Way
Encore
- Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
The sound system at National Stadium was erratic (as expected) and Brian sounded a little hoarse (he’s still as good though) due to his vocal tension dysphonia and dystonia, but no one seemed to mind at all.
Being here with the Backstreet Boys, was all that it truly mattered.
As they belted out their classic hits and award charting ballads, song after song, memories flooded your mind and it just tugged at your heartstrings.
It’s easy to resonate with at least one BSB song since your adolescent years.
Lyrics would just come out of your mouth automatically, as if they were ingrained in your hearts.
Be it boys or men, or some may even label them as “Uncles”, you know they are back and they are here to stay.
With the legions of loyal fans around the globe, it’s almost a guarantee that their next album and concert tour will still sell like hotcakes.
I’m sure everyone has a BSB song that they love the most.
My most favourite song in my teens was “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”, but as years went by, “I Want it That Way” & “As Long As You Love Me” just grew on me.
“You Are My Fire, the One Desire, Believe when I say, I want it that way”, just kept ringing in my head since the concert ended.
The concert ended on a high note with “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”.
It seemed like the fans were still ready and in the mood to party on longer but we knew that the guys needed their rest. It may be too taxing for them to perform another 30 minutes more.
1.5 hour is too short for me, to even really remember anything.
Maybe I have been too pampered with all the 3-hour Asian concerts.
I can be assured of at least another 7 days of BSB Withdrawal Syndromes, when I’m just gonna keep re-looping their songs.
Do you remember those years when you had to copy the lyrics as you listen to the songs on the radio, or having to keep rewinding the cassette tapes to learn how to sing along? There were also the BSB posters from magazines that we would tear and paste on our walls, etc.
The one song that was so ever popular back then was their love ballad “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”. Teenage girls would go swooning when they hear those lyrics and would hope that they will meet a Prince who wouldn’t break their hearts. Those adolescent years were good memories, because there was the Backstreet Boys.
They have been through some trying times over the years, such as contract issues with their record label, when AJ was having drug abuse issues, Brian’s vocal cord problems and when Kevin left the group and they had to function as a 4-men band.
Now they are back to being a group of 5 PERMANENTLY, much to our delight.
Most people can remember the lyrics to all those BSB classics at the back of the mind, but how are fans and the general public’s reaction to some of their new songs over the years?
While we love their classics and hope to hear them during live concerts, they can’t be just singing the same old songs throughout the many more years to come. New songs were introduced over the years, such as Inconsolable, where you notice the shift to a new “era”.
It’s been 4 years since their last album “In A World Like This” (2013) and we are anticipating the next album, which may probably be released next year.
They needn’t worry about the response; because they have moved along with the times pretty well and will continue to do so as a mainstream boy/men band.
BSB fans are not ready to let them go, as yet.
Growing old is sweeter with them around.
Backstreet’s Back, Alright!
Keep rocking, Guys!
We want it that way!
