{"id":11144,"date":"2025-07-15T08:02:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/11144\/"},"modified":"2025-07-15T08:02:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:02:05","slug":"backstreet-boys-interview-on-las-vegas-sphere-residency-concerts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/11144\/","title":{"rendered":"Backstreet Boys Interview on Las Vegas Sphere Residency Concerts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cThis is insane. I\u2019m losing my mind,\u201d AJ McLean told a sold-out crowd at Sphere<\/a> Las Vegas<\/a> on opening night of the Backstreet Boys<\/a>\u2019 Into the Millennium residency<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve cried at least four times since we\u2019ve been up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMcLean wasn\u2019t the only band member overcome with emotion during Friday\u2019s nostalgic, otherworldly trip down memory lane. Kevin Richardson became so choked up he couldn\u2019t sing his verse of \u201cThe Perfect Fan,\u201d while Brian Littrell cried next.<\/p>\n

\n\tNick Carter was meanwhile fighting tears before he even rose onstage for 1999\u2019s anthem \u201cLarger Than Life,\u201d which had audience members seemingly dancing through space while dodging meteorites thanks to Sphere\u2019s immersive visuals.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs I was about to come up, I started breaking down and crying because it was so emotional and surreal,\u201d Carter told THR in an exclusive interview. \u201cWe\u2019ve been together so long and had so many ups and downs, so the fact we can still perform on any stage is amazing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019d been rehearsing for two months and we\u2019re perfectionists, so we\u2019ve been hard on ourselves, and finally getting to that place where you\u2019re about to be launched out of a lift onstage was very emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not surprising emotions were running high. For Carter, Richardson, McLean, Littrell and Howie Dorough, 1999\u2019s Millennium record catapulted them to startling fame and cemented the foundations of a 32-year career that has seen them tour the world, release 10 albums, earn Grammy nominations, release a documentary and build solo careers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile for fans, Millennium ignited their first musical infatuation or concert experience \u2013 or the tour they forever regretted missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI was 17 in New Zealand when I helped launch a petition to bring the Into the Millennium Tour Down Under. Two decades later, I was mesmerized as the heartthrobs soared high above the stage on their DNA World Tour, sparking flashbacks to when they rode hoverboards through the air during Into the Millennium. \u201cThis is it,\u201d I thought. \u201cThis is the closest I\u2019ll ever get to seeing Into the Millennium.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThen came Millennium 2.0.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAn idea hatched eight years ago, Carter says the band hoped to transport fans back to simpler times.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere was no social media and technology wasn\u2019t as advanced,\u201d says Carter. \u201cPeople had to go to concerts to watch shows and we had to deliver. The Millennium tour was progressive. We were taking risks and facing the challenges of doing a production in-the-round and flying on surfboards.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere were times we\u2019d get stuck in the audience and things would break down because technology wasn\u2019t what it is now. It was a simpler, great time and we\u2019re bringing that back, so people can relive great music<\/a> and feel like kids again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tYet, the residency<\/a> was never about re-creating the 123-stop tour.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to redo Millennium,\u201d show producer and director Baz Halpin told THR. \u201cSphere\u2019s a unique venue and with Backstreet being the first pop show, we didn\u2019t want to repeat the Millennium tour, but take elements and blend them in. It\u2019s like, \u2018What would a BSB Into the Millennium Tour be if it was done for the first time in 2025?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe wanted to build a story around Millennium \u2014 give it a character, then let world-building from song-to-song transpire from that,\u201d Halpin continued. \u201cWe\u2019ve built a galaxy which incorporates things people will recognize, but it\u2019s Spherified.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of those familiar elements is the spaceship setting from \u201cLarger Than Life.\u201d Another Millennium dance anthem, \u201cIt\u2019s Gotta Be You,\u201d followed the opener, before the quintet veered off Millennium to 1997\u2019s \u201cAs Long as You Love Me,\u201d by which point Sphere was a dancing sea of white, thanks to McLean requesting concertgoers don white like the album cover.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMany had planned those outfits for months, a reflection of how journeying into the millennium kicked off well before opening night for many fans. For me, it started at LAX, where \u201cAs Long as You Love Me\u201d played in the departure lounge, before I landed in Vegas to hear \u201cQuit Playing Games (With My Heart)\u201d blasting through the terminal.<\/p>\n

Entering The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Millennium shirts dotted the casino floor, while Liam\u2019s Den & Bubble Bar offered a \u201cMillennium Cocktail.\u201d A jaw-dropping, edible chocolate, light-up Sphere greeted me in my room, before I headed to the \u201cBackstreet Boys Terminal\u201d<\/a> to hop on-board \u201cAir BSB.\u201d<\/p>\n

The immersive, free two-story fan experience was co-curated by BSB and Vibee<\/a>, a company founded by Live Nation that offers global destination experiences. Vibee package holders enter via a specially designed Air BSB check-in area, while regular \u201cpassengers\u201d are greeted by a departures board listing stops from the original tour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tInside the Backstreet Boys fan experience<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVibee<\/p>\n

\n\tSaluting the group\u2019s iconic \u201cI Want It That Way\u201d video (filmed at LAX,) the airport theme\u2019s dripping with \u201890s nostalgia, like a replica of MTV\u2019s Total Request Live set with cardboard cutouts of BSB and host Carson Daly. Fans can also stop by the BSB Mail Centre to post fan mail or see memorabilia including MTV VMA awards, handwritten set lists and costuming.<\/p>\n

\n\tStopping by on Thursday, BSB were said to be so excited by the experience they offered up more memorabilia, before eagerly recording and broadcasting boarding announcements.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom here, the walkway from The Venetian to Sphere feels like an airport air bridge (complete with a mass, post-show \u201cI Want It That Way\u201d singalong).<\/p>\n

\n\tAlong with such hits, the band delivered favorites like \u201cDon\u2019t Want You Back,\u201d and \u201cGet Another Boyfriend,\u201d accompanied with slick dance moves care of longtime choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega. Heart-wrenching \u201cShow Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,\u201d meanwhile, was backdropped by smoky spirits performing interpretative dances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe set list was the first and most \u201ccritical\u201d step, according to Dublin native Halpin, who carved out his career working with boy bands like Westlife, Boyzone and Blue. He\u2019s since worked on The Eagles\u2019 Sphere residency, UFC Noche and Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour.<\/p>\n

\n\tHalpin recalls hearing about the \u201ciconic\u201d Into the Millennium tour, but never imagined he\u2019d one day get a call from BSB manager Ron Laffitte about creating a Sphere version. He\u2019s grateful the group quickly comprehended the \u201cgravitas\u201d of every creative decision.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou can\u2019t reverse when you\u2019re creating in Sphere because it\u2019s so technologically complicated,\u201d Halpin said. \u201cWith every layer, you\u2019re building on the foundation and it\u2019s got to be absolutely right, so the next layer\u2019s solid. If you pull a toothpick from the bottom, the whole thing topples.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe band caught on that we had to nail down songs and not deviate six months out otherwise all the work would fall apart. There\u2019s no time to redo things like a normal tour. You can\u2019t make another piece of content in three days \u2014 it takes three months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the hits were a must, it was a medley of lesser-performed ballads that had fans hypnotized, like \u201cBack to Your Heart,\u201d \u201cNo One Else Comes Close to You\u201d and \u201cSpanish Eyes\u201d. \u201cThis is my mom\u2019s favorite song,\u201d Dorough shared. \u201cShe\u2019s here and 91!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMoms were also the theme of \u201cThe Perfect Fan,\u201d with photos of the band\u2019s wives, kids and moms flashing across screens. \u201cThis song\u2019s super-special to me,\u201d Littrell explained. \u201cI wrote it many moons ago and dedicate it to my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFans were in tears as the group crooned haunting 2005 ballad\u201cSiberia,\u201d while screens showered virtual snow and displayed aged versions of BSB in a Mt. Rushmore-style visual.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey also performed 2025 single, \u201cHey,\u201d which features on newly-released Millennium 2.0<\/a>, alongside remastered versions of the original tracks, live recordings and B-sides like \u201cIf You Knew What I Knew.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOf course, it was the final act everyone was waiting for \u2014 airborne BSB. The \u201cBSB Army\u201d had long wondered if the hoverboards from the original tour would appear, with Dorough teasing an \u201cadaptation\u201d of such moves to THR<\/a> in May. The singers instead rose on a spacecraft-style platform during \u201cI Want It That Way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Carter, it was the coolest moment of the production. \u201cWe\u2019re raised into the air suspended with four cables,\u201d says the musician, who has released solo album Love Life Tragedy<\/a> alongside preparing for Sphere and will drop new single \u201cSearchlight\u201d<\/a> on Thursday. \u201cIt\u2019s secure, but also a little dangerous and just mind-boggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing debate over the best seats for the show, the 200s sections proved optimal for taking in 360-degree effects, while feeling eye-to-eye with BSB as they floated above the stage. However, general admission took visuals to another level as I frequently questioned if the ground or stage was moving while feeling sucked up into the screen.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m going to need chiro after this,\u201d one fan remarked, craning her neck. Other GA attendees wore compression socks, stretched mid-show and briefly left to pump breast milk \u2014 somewhat answering Halpin\u2019s question of what an Into the Millennium Tour looks like in 2025.<\/p>\n

\n\tGA was also where the party was at as \u201cEverybody (Backstreet\u2019s Back)\u201d closed the show with robots performing the video\u2019s iconic choreography onscreen.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy the time show two wrapped on Saturday, the quintet was in celebratory mode at The Venetian\u2019s Voltaire, where Richardson, 53, led a singalong to Fugees hit \u201cKilling Me Softly.\u201d It\u2019s rare the whole band attend afterparties<\/a>, but it reflected the solid team effort behind Sphere.<\/p>\n

\n\tHalpin stressed how each member\u2019s input was imperative. \u201cIt\u2019s like Inside Out, where they\u2019re all different emotions and bring a unique character. Kevin questions everything. He needs to understand every detail to build the whole picture. Brian\u2019s asking, \u2018How is this decision impacting everything else we\u2019re going to do?\u2019 AJ\u2019s all about, \u2018How do we keep the crowd\u2019s energy up?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHowie wants to understand the emotion behind everything. Nick\u2019s the canary in the coal mine. When we did tests, he was the one I\u2019d look to to gauge reaction. You look to Nick to see how an audience member\u2019s going to experience it.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen you combine all those perspectives, it becomes cohesive and very Backstreet Boys. They know who they are and what their fans like. But they\u2019re also risk-takers, who want to push boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn doing so, Halpin believes Into the Millennium\u2019s a game-changer for Sphere.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re pushing the limits of what\u2019s been done at Sphere because we came in with the experience of other shows,\u201d he says. \u201cSphere was a newborn with U2, and with every artist that\u2019s gone in since, it\u2019s had another birthday and grown. Every band before has been a soundtrack to the visuals, but this show\u2019s different. It\u2019s the most ambitious show that\u2019s been done in there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThis is insane. I\u2019m losing my mind,\u201d AJ McLean told a sold-out crowd at Sphere Las Vegas on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[9826,88,2114,216,5659],"class_list":["post-11144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-backstreet-boys","tag-entertainment","tag-las-vegas","tag-music","tag-sphere"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}