Backstreet Boys performed in front of a sold out crowd August 8 at DTE Music Energy Theatre. (Photo by Dylan Dulberg)
Last night, DTE Energy took a trip back in time, as the Backstreet Boys performed for a sold out audience made up of mostly young women. I got to be seven years old again, admiring Nick Carter’s dance moves during a fan-girl experience I’d never expected to have.
During their two hour, 22-song set, the Backstreet Boys performed ‘90s pop hits “The Call,” “Incomplete,” “I’ll Never Break Your Heart,” and “We’ve Got it Going on,” creating a pop party in the music arena. The men’s personalities showed through with their constant jokes and the thankfulness they showed the audience throughout the evening. They premiered tracks from their new album “In a World Like This” including “Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of” and “Breathe,” and while the songs seemed more mature, they were still reminiscent of The Backstreet Boy’s signature boy band sound.
The party pop vibe kept me dancing and singing along the entire night. It was a cool experience to see the fab five—Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (who returned to the group last year after a six year hiatus to pursue other things)—dancing onstage in coordinated outfits like they had when they started 20 years ago.
Though they are older, and many of them now have families, they are still the same men. While they’ve grown up from the days when they were boys, their fans grew up too, but this night gave them a chance to go back to a simpler time. I wasn’t ashamed to dance and sing every song, cheering loudly after each performance and laughing at all of their jokes. As a kid I’d always wanted to go to their concert, but did not attend a concert until I was 19. This show took everyone back in time, and the audience united through a shared love for one of the best boy bands of all time. “The One” had always been a favorite song of mine, that got me through good and bad times, and seeing it performed live was amazing. The Backstreet Boys care about their fans, and wanted everyone to have a good experience –from bringing audience members onstage, to getting them involved in the performance, The Backstreet Boys provided a night that was “Larger Than Life.”
*All photos by Dylan Dulberg.
