Backstreet Boys dazzle devoted fans at the Arena

Backstreet Boys dazzle devoted fans at the Arena
Heartthrob group performs a mix of favorites and new stuff for a mostly teen crowd.
By Brad Patton
November 03, 2008
The Times Leader

The biggest-selling boy band in history entertained a small but spirited crowd at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday night.

Backstreet Boys, with their trademark harmonies and dazzling choreography, performed their greatest hits and songs from their latest album while the audience made up of mostly teenage girls shrieked in delight.

The foursome of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean, who burst onto the scene in 1997 with a self-titled record full of hits, were introduced like prizefighters and performed their opening number in a boxing ring. (The other Backstreet Boy, Kevin Richardson, left the group in 2006.)

“We are going to take you on a trip down memory lane and sing some songs from our new album,” Dorough said after the third number.

“Thanks to you, Backstreet Boys have been a band for over 15 years,” chimed in McLean. “We love each and every one of you.”

After a slew of selections from their 2007 album, “Unbreakable,” the boys led a sing-along on one of their biggest hits, “I Want It That Way,” a song from their second album, which spent 10 weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart and reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1999.

Other early highlights included a trio of songs from the new record: “Any Other Way,” “You Can Let Go” and “Unmistakable.”

Each member of BSB took a turn in the spotlight beginning with Dorough, who sang a new song called “She’s Like the Sun,” which will be featured on his upcoming solo album. Carter did “I Got You” from his 2002 record “Now or Never,” and Littrell did the title track from his 2006 album, “Welcome Home.”

The best of the bunch was McLean’s offering, “Drive By Love,” which prominently featured a wailing electric guitar and was the most radical departure from the BSB sound.

After “More Than That” from 2000’s “Black & Blue,” the four singers jumped off the stage, giving kisses to some of the screaming girls. Then McLean announced the boys will begin recording a new album in December, and the girls screamed some more.

Beginning with a medley of “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “As Long As You Love Me,” the giant screens alternated between scenes from Saturday’s show and clips from their videos of the late 1990s. Throughout the evening, with just about every song came a change in wardrobe as the boys went from silk boxing robes to black leather jackets to sleeveless T-shirts.

Other standouts included “Trouble Is” and “Incomplete” from the latest album, and “All I Have to Give” and “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” from the first one.

BSB ended with a supercharged version of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and encored with “Shape Of My Heart.”

Donnie Klang, who was awarded a solo contract from Diddy following his appearance on the 2007 season of “Making The Band,” opened the show with a 25 minute set. During his final number “Easier Said Than Done,” he passed out a dozen red roses to audience members.