The Las Vegas residency is going to be a new phase of the Backstreet Boys life and something new for us Backstreet Boys fans who have been around since 1998 or longer.
I mean, Backstreet’s definitely back now.
Watching various live streams of the concert last night or snapchats, I could sense something different. It was something I hadn’t felt in a while. Sure, a part of it was pride, but it was more than that. It was happiness. No, I wasn’t in Las Vegas and won’t be there until the first three June shows, but I was happy.
Why would I be happy while lying in bed, feeling sick and switching between Instagram, Facebook and Twitter? Because suddenly it is cool to be a Backstreet Boys fan again.
Remember when we would roll our eyes at people who laughed when we said we were going on a Backstreet Boys cruise or traveling across the country to see the guys in concert? Or make snide remarks that ‘N Sync was always better just so we would turn a little red with anger.
That’s no longer the case. The boys are getting spreads in national magazines, and the press are covering the residency very positively with great reviews. Other celebrities are coming to the shows to see the boys or plan to. They’re back on the charts with Florida Georgia Line and today’s stars think it’s cool to wear a retro Backstreet Boys T-shirt.
Sure, they aren’t back to the “Millennium” status, but I’m no longer 18 or 19-years-old so I look at it all differently. I feel like THIS is the time that the boys can make that next leap to the next phase of their career where they aren’t just a boy band from the 90s. They ARE a vocal harmony group who can sing something at the drop of a dime. People are realizing that. This residency showcases those vocals amazingly on songs like “Darlin'” and “Undone.”
I have been a proud Backstreet Boys fan for almost 19 years now. I became a fan in 1998 and in 2017, I have never been more proud to be a fan of a group who loves their fans, who are still as great as they were the day they came out and, actually, even better now than they were then.
This is the greatest time to be a Backstreet Boys fan.
Let’s embrace it.