Pop-Culturalist.com

Oh, my god they’re back again! The Backstreet Boys–Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, and Howie Dorough–are back together performing in Las Vegas, and it is a fun, nostalgia-filled show that BSB fans will not want to miss.

As a die-hard Backstreet Boys fan in middle school and high school face it, they’ll always have a special spot in my heart), I was beyond thrilled when they announced their show in Vegas. Like countless of other females (and, yes, males, too), I quickly planned a quick trip with severals to go see them.

How did they hold up, you wonder? Well, take a look at this performance from last fall as they were prepping for their Vegas show (which started this past March):

Obviously, they still got it! And they’re even better in Las Vegas since they’ve had time to perfect their songs, dance moves, and get used to being back on stage together.

The Highlights

• Their voices are still wonderful. They’re a harmonious blend that sounds super close to their younger days which is perfect in creating excitement and nostalgia at the show. Brian’s smooth voice still gives you warm tinglies, and A.J.’s gravely vocals still make him the “bad” boy you want.
• The chair dance in “As Long As You Love Me” is still a crowd-pleaser. This is their dance routine that I spent hours learning back in the day. I think it’s more fun than the “Everybody” dance so it was amazing to see them perform this one again and with such precision and flair.
• They can still work a crowd. They made sure to come to the front part of the stage to interact with fans that were not right up against the stage, and they even performed one song in the middle of the orchestra section to get closer to fans even farther back. Although their banter was minimal amongst themselves on stage, A.J. did a great job of chatting a bunch with the audience.
• Um, did Kevin age at all!? He looked great…and almost exactly like he did years ago. Whatever water he’s drinking, I want some too!
• As an adult, I could afford better seats. I’ve seen BSB multiple times, and I’ve never had seats as close to the stage as I did for Backstreet Boys Vegas. I hate to say it, but being close really does make a difference.

The Lowlights

• Their merchandise wasn’t the best (and was, of course, overpriced).
• There were two to three songs that were not super well-known (like “Undone”). Rather than perform songs that most people didn’t sing along to, they could have performed others that didn’t make it into the show.
• One tiny moment of stage banter between Nick Carter was a little too ridiculous. At one point, he asked which ladies in the audience have a “hall pass” in their relationships if they ever meet a Backstreet Boy. I get playing to the Vegas, more adult crowd, but it also just came off being a little too full of himself. (I should say, he is still an engaging performer, and he definitely had fun on stage which was contagious!)

Overall, Larger Than Life was a show I recommend to any BSB fan. You’ll spend the almost-two hours singing, dancing, and, sometimes, screaming with joy. Indeed, you’ll leave the show thinking about planning a return trip to see the Backstreet Boys one more time…