Backstreet Boys
Qudos Bank Arena, March 3
★★★★
The Backstreet Boys were always cemented in Sydney’s psyche, but a cheeky stunt on stage has created a core memory for some, as the world’s best-selling boy band flipped the script on Saturday when AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson threw their underwear into the crowd.
“Kevin and I would like to return the favour tonight,” McLean told the crowd, as he recalled a time back in the day when fans would throw underwear to them on stage. “If you brought your little ones here tonight, don’t freak out,” he added.
The Backstreet Boys are back.Credit:Rick Clifford
The boys burst back onto the Sydney scene after seven years, synchronised moves and all, singing their earliest hits including Everyone and I Wanna Be with You. Framed by giant, geometric lights, lasers and jets of smoke, the band’s performance was far from stripped back.
Age has failed to drag these guys into daggy “dad moves” territory; the heartthrobs from the 90s still know how to dazzle with sharply executed moves. They also know how to charm a crowd.
Solos by Brian Littrell in Nobody Else, Howie Dorough in Chateau – the singer’s favourite song on the band’s newest DNA album – and Nick Carter in The Way It Was showcased the band’s scope of individual talents.
But it’s when they came together in acapella that the pop and R&B group thrived. That skill, which McLean said landed them their first record deal, shined in ballads Don’t Wanna Lose You Now and I’ll Never Break Your Heart.
The Backstreet Boys are just shy of three decades in show business, as they tour Australia.Credit:Rick Clifford
A heartwarming compilation of the Backstreet Boys with their partners and families in No Place reminds us they’re now dads and husbands. But in some ways, they haven’t changed. Their playful jibes at each other on stage are a delight to witness, including Brian Littrell’s rendition of a 12-year-old, pre-pubescent Nick Carter.
Hits like Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely, I Want It That Way and Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) echoed through the stadium, as if by instinct, as every voice in the crowd joined in.
At times, the backing music overpowered the band's vocals, but overall, the production was well executed.
McLean, who stunned throughout the performance with his powerful voice, said April 20 would be the band’s 30th anniversary.
For 25 of those years, the Backstreet Boys have sung that they’ll be “comin’ back, again.” If this show was anything to go by, McLean’s toast to another 30 years is a promise rather than prophecy.
The Backstreet Boys play another show on Sunday, March 5 at Qudos Bank Arena.
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