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Manchester Evening News

Entertainment

Bethan Shufflebotham

Backstreet Boys strip on stage at AO Arena and prove 30 years on they've still got 'it'

Backstreet Boys AO Arena AJ McLean Kevin Richardson Nick Carter DNA Howie Dorough Manchester

Before One Direction, The Wanted and The Jonas Brothers, there was a boyband that paved the way for those to follow, including Five, Blue, NSYNC and Take That. And some 30 years later, they’re back out on tour to show each and every one of them how it’s done. That’s right, Backstreet’s Back, ALRIGHT.

Music lovers flocked to Manchester’s AO Arena last night to see the Backstreet Boys perform the penultimate leg of their European DNA World Tour, which started in 2019. Formed in 1993, and in their 29 years have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling boy band of all time. They are the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first ten albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, and the only boy band to do so, which is pretty impressive.

The DNA world tour is the band’s tenth tour since their inception, and with almost three decades of its to get through, many wondered how they’d fit them all in.

The room was buzzing with nostalgia as women in their 20s, 30s and beyond wore LED flashing headbands, holding signs with messages for the boys to decipher from the stage as they drank gin from plastic cups.

The quintet were introduced on stage to Everyone, before kicking off a two-hour, 32-song set with I Wanna Be With You. It was immediately apparent that Backstreet Boys - no longer in their teens - have still got ‘it’, which was later confirmed when two female audience members threw their underwear on stage at AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson.

The Call and Don’t Want You Back came before Brian Littrell - Kevin’s cousin - took on a solo of Nobody Else while his band mates, including Howie Dorough and Nick Carter, completed their first outfit change. The band had a bigger wardrobe than Mika at Eurovision, taking on around a dozen different looks, including an all white ensemble, a glittery number and some fantastic 90s fashion throwbacks.

Backstreet Boys at the AO Arena, Manchester, November 8 (Justin Segura)

“Thank you for helping us create a legacy,” said Howie, as he introduced his ‘favourite song off the DNA album’ Chateau, which he sang solo as adoring fans screamed and reached out to touch his hand from the pit in the centre of the staging.

The production of the show pulled out all of the stops, with a tiered mainstage, a trap door, with an arched path around a handful of lucky fans who snapped up the best tickets within touching distance of the men now in their 40s and 50s, Nick being the youngest at 42, having joined the band aged 13.

A movie trailer marked the start of the second set, and yet another outfit change, as the five-piece kept up their energy for hits like Incomplete, Chances and Shape of My Heart. Their harmonies - something they’ve always prided themselves on - were faultless, many of them sounding even better with age

AJ and Kevin, now rugged and tattooed, returned the favour to their undergarment-throwing fans by getting changed on stage, launching their underwear into the crowd where it was snatched at lightning speed by screaming women, with AJ joking he ‘felt like Tom Jones’.

Backstreet Boys performing an iconic hat sequence at AO Arena (Justin Segura)

Cheesy and retro as it was, their trademark hip-hop choreography was still as enjoyable as ever to watch on stage. The boys, all completely synchronised without missing a single beat - a testament to their long-standing career as seasoned performers, who began their rise to fame in an era where fans would sit in front of boxy television sets watching actual music videos on MTV.

But last night at the AO Arena proved that Backstreet Boys have stood the test of time, where many who followed have fallen or dated. A lot has changed over the last 30 years, but it was clear that a love for Backstreet Boys isn’t one of them. That’s the kind of thing that sticks with you for a lifetime.

A third set featured tracks Quit Playing Games (With Me Heart) and As Long As You Love Me before the band introduced No Place - a song about family - which was dedicated to Nick’s brother Aaron at their London show at the weekend, following the tragic news of his death.

There was no direct mention of Aaron at the AO Arena on Tuesday night, though there didn’t need to be. There was an unspoken understanding between artist and audience, and I’d be lying if I said Nick didn’t look a little emotional throughout. But it was clear to see the support from his bandmates spurring him on as they patted him on the back during the show, giving him encouraging smiles and lifting him up.

Backstreet Boys are embarking on their DNA World Tour (Justin Segura)

There was much anticipation among the 21,000-strong crowd as the opening notes of Everybody (Backstreets Back) rang through the speakers. The track - released in 1997 - is one every single person over the age of 20 knows the words to, and the lads brought absolutely everything they had to this performance, treating each and every song like a Top of the Pops appearance, giving it 110 per cent.

A string of best-loved songs saw We’ve Got It Goin’ On, It’s Gotta Be You and That’s The Way I Like It, before Get Another Boyfriend and The One, finishing off with I Want It That Way, with the audience throwing their arms skywards as they belted out the chorus “TELL ME WHY”.

But seriously, tell me why we couldn’t have Backstreet Boys on stage for just a little longer. The heart-throbs returned for Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Larger Than Life, completing their 32-song set, but what we would have all given to hear just one more.

Backstreet Boys gave AO Arena a boyband masterclass on how it's done (Justin Segura)

Backstreet Boys’ AO Arena performance was the ultimate example of how ‘it’ is done. A boyband masterclass in the art of performance, perfect harmonies, showmanship and the slickest dance moves many of us are still trying to do at home. Though after 29 years, it’s no surprise that their professionalism allows them to execute such a clean and polished pop production on a ‘larger than life’ scale.

It was absolutely faultless, and obvious that the Backstreet Boys are still extremely passionate about what they do, which is refreshing to see after 29 years. A fiercely loyal fanbase combined with their brotherly love for one another made for the most heartwarming and nostalgic show, and I sincerely hope that Backstreet will continue to come back again and again, because I will never not scream their lyrics at the top of my lungs for as long as I live.

Here’s the full setlist from the Backstreet Boys DNA tour at AO Arena, November 8, 2022:

Set A