Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean Goes Solo

By Mark Dagostino

Originally posted Tuesday March 18, 2008 06:00 PM EDT

Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean put tickets on sale Tuesday for two sneak-preview solo concerts this coming Sunday and Monday in the Los Angeles area.

On Sunday, McLean will play the House of Blues in Anaheim; and on Monday the famous Roxy on L.A.'s Sunset Strip.

"After 13 years with the Backstreet Boys, and 75 million records sold worldwide, A.J.'s excited to take a step out on his own and present his music, in his style," his manager, Eric Podwall, tells PEOPLE. "He's excited to connect to his fans on a one-on-one basis at smaller venues – something you can't do in large arenas – and to give them a taste of some of the music that will appear on his first solo record later this year."

McLean's record, expected to be released toward the end of the year, will include songs such as "What If," "I Hate It When You're Gone," "London," and "Drive-By Love," a tune that McLean has already been singing at Backstreet Boys shows.

Following his own two shows, as well as the Backstreet Boys' European tour wrapping up May 14, McLean is set to play a series of solo shows in small venues throughout Europe before returning the States to continue working on the record.

But Backstreet Boys fans need not fret. A source also confirms that McLean is planning to record another album with the group next year.

SOURCE: People

Chicago's Ravinia Festival Takes Shape

Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 3:11AM

James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Backstreet Boys, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Dave Brubeck, Dianne Reeves and Betty Buckley are just a few of the jazz, pop and cabaret performers who will be on board for this year's Ravinia Festival.

The annual summer concert series, which kicks off with a pair of shows by Taylor June 6-7, takes place in Chicago suburb Highland Park, Ill., at Ravinia Park, summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1906.

Other jazz offerings for this year include Gilberto Gil (June 19), Dave Brubeck Quartet on a triple bill with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and the Turtle Island Quartet (June 21), Reeves and The Manhattan Transfer (June 22), Jane Monheit and Michael Feinstein in "Gershwin Under the Stars" (August 17), Tony Bennett (August 22-23), and a "Legends of Jazz" show, featuring the Ramsey Lewis Trio, plus Kurt Elling and Ernie Watts performing music of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (September 12). (July 11), (August 24),

Pop acts on the schedule include Taylor, Isaac Hayes and Roberta Flack (June 13), Kenny Loggins (June 15), Willie Nelson (June 20), Boz Scaggs (June 27), The Temptations and The Four Tops (June 28), FeistLyle Lovett and His Large Band (July 12), Punch Brothers, featuring Chris Thile (July 21), Hootie & the Blowfish (July 25), Los Lonely Boys and Los Lobos (August 8), UB40 (August 20), Backstreet BoysJonny Lang and Buddy Guy (August 28), Dave Stewart (August 29) and Donna Summer (August 30).

The "Martinis at the Martin" cabaret series features Kevin Cole performing "In the Words of Ira: The Songs of Ira Gershwin" (June 8), Barbara Cook (July 6-7) and Carol Lawrence (September 4).

World music fare on the roster includes Tiempo Libre (May 31), Los Tigres del Norte (June 14) and Gipsy Kings (August 2).

Other various offerings include Garrison Keillor presenting a live national broadcast of "A Prarie Home Companion" (July 5), "Lawn of Lincoln," a free day of music featuring Tony Andriacchi, the Harlem Quartet, Chicago Tap Theatre and others (September 7) and the Ruth Page Festival of Dance, featuring Luna Negra Dance Theatre (May 31), Concert Dane, Inc. (June 11-12), Natya Dance Theatre (June 28), Joffrey Ballet (August 16) and River North Chicago Dance Company (September 13).

Tickets for the series go on sale online April 17 at Ravinia.org and via phone May 18. Cabaret shows can be purchased only as a series, though lawn seats will be sold for individual concerts.

SOURCE: Pollstar

Backstreet Boys Still Gets Crowd Screaming

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Backstreet Boys, one of the most popular boy bands of all-time, returned to Seoul for a successful concert at the Olympic Fencing Stadium, Saturday evening.

On their 16th year as Backstreet Boys, the now four-member group still has what it takes to get a crowd of thousands on its feet and screaming. Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A. J. McLean and Nick Carter showed a lot of energy during the Seoul concert, which was their last stop on the Asian leg of their ``Unbreakable'' world tour.

Once the lights dimmed, the crowd roared with excitement as one by one, the Backstreet Boys appeared on stage. Each member was introduced in the same way a boxer is before a fight. Appropriately enough, they were all wearing satin boxer's robes as they sang ``Larger than Life.''

``It's great to be back to this beautiful country,'' Dorough said, in between songs.

Backstreet Boys performed several ballads and pop-rock songs from their recent albums ``Never Gone'' and ``Unbreakable.'' However, it was apparent the crowd knew more of the songs from the group's earlier albums.

To keep things fresh, the Backstreet Boys tweaked many of their hit songs such as ``I Want it That Way,'' ``As Long as You Love Me'' and ``Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).''

It's impossible to expect the Boys to sing and dance like they did in their music videos in the late 1990's, since the members are all in their early 30's except for 28-year old Carter. They still had a few dance moves, but none of their old complicated routines or flashy back-up dancers.

Even the stage seemed somewhat bare, with just a few chairs and the band. Only the lighting would change as the group performed different songs.

Backstreet Boys were at their best with romantic ballads like ``More than This.'' The Boys seemed pretty laid-back while singing ``Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,'' as they sat around a table, playing poker and smoking cigars.

Each member had a chance to do a solo performance. Carter and Littrell have already released their solo albums in the past years, while Dorough and McLean are currently working on theirs.

Dorough surprised many with a strong performance of a Latin-inspired number ``She's Like the Sun,'' which will appear on his forthcoming solo album. McLean did a rock song, ``Drive By Love,'' and Carter, who appeared to have some vocal problems, sounded hoarse while also doing a rock number. Littrell sang ``Welcome Home,'' which was a number one hit on the U.S. Christian music charts.

Since it was their last concert in Asia, they specially performed an extra song ``Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon.''

Fans surprised the Backstreet Boys by throwing yellow airplanes towards the stage during the ``Inconsolable'' performance. The members looked surprised, but delighted the fans by throwing the airplanes back into the audience and even autographing some of the airplanes.
McLean thanked the fans for continuing to support the Backstreet Boys through the years.
``We really liked the paper airplanes. We never had anything like that. It was really cool,'' he said, as the fans cheered.

Backstreet Boys ended the concert with their hit ``Shape of My Heart,'' and a promise to be back in Seoul for another concert.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

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Backstreet Boys: Where Are They Now? On Tour in Asia

After the late 1990s, the Backstreet Boys seemed to fade into the boy band graveyard, with the bubble gum beats occasionally popping up on a VH1 special or adult contemptorary radio station.

Despite their recent relatively low profile, the boys, now men, are back in Asia. The best selling boy band of all time, which grossed a staggering $2.2 billion between 1997 and 2005, is now playing to older fans at more modest venues.

It's a classic tale for the superstars who have tasted levels of fame and success that few of us will ever know. Ten years ago, millions of screaming fans had their CDs permanently on repeat, but at their recent Hong Kong show, only 30 showed up to greet them at the airport. You can judge from the video clip above to see whether or not they still have the agility of their teenage years.

Although Asia continues to embrace Western artists, its local artists and musical styles are flourishing. On MTV's websites for mainland China artists like and He Jie from the popular Super Girl TV contest, and rocker Xie Tianxiao receive top billing. MTV's site for Taiwan and Hong Kong also features Asian musicians, like Japanese star Kokia or the Taiwanese-American singer Wang Lee-Hom.

South Korean phenomenon, Rain, has been a huge success, with his 2006 concert grossing over $100 million worldwide. His two Las Vegas shows sold out within a week, but in Japan, his concert sold out in about 30 seconds.

While he still doesn't have the name recognition in Canada. that Celine Dion has throughout South Korea, perhaps within the next decade or so the music balance could shift. With North American and European music sales faltering, and many major record labels restructuring, it's possible that within time, music from Asian countries could dominate the global charts.

But even in the midst of this growing industry, there's still room for familiar favorites like the Backstreet Boys.

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Backstreet Boys hit HK

BEIJING, March 4 -- The Backstreet Boys played their first Hong Kong concert, at the Asia World-Expo, last Friday.


The show, part of the American pop quartet's Unbreakable World Tour 2008, follows the release of the group's sixth album, "Unbreakable" last October.

It's the group's first concert in Hong Kong. The band has been away from the limelight for a long time, but it never officially broke up.

AJ Mclean, member of Backstreet Boys, said, "A lot of people in between "Black And Blue" and " Never Gone" thought we've broken up, thought we were done and we never really broke up, we've just taken a break, we had toured for nine years straight. And we had not taken a break, we probably going cuckoo, and probably wouldn't be here right now."

The group's first two albums, "Backstreet Boys" and "Millennium," released in 1997 and 1999, sold more than 10 million copies each and topped the charts in 25 countries. To date the Backstreet Boys have released 6 studio albums which sold over 75 million copies worldwide.

Brian Littrell, member of Backstreet Boys, said, "And I think look back on the past and everything happened with a reason, we're here today, you know because it's just meant to be. I think we would continue to get stronger hopefully, we have another 15 years together, but you know we always want it to be better musically, emotionally, physically. Touring get us back in shape and make us more ambitious, give us a drive, see our fans faces, make us stay out, tour forever."

The boy band, now comprised of Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean and Nick Carter, has already performed in Malaysia, Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. The group will go on to perform in Tokyo, and Seoul after playing a concert in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

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