20 July 2022 (gig)
22 July 2022
It's really unfair that the Backstreet Boys are still referred to (by some) as a boy band. Sure, they were definitely a boy band in the late '90s and during the early years of the millennium (and a monstrously successful one). But now, as they are all in their 40s, it is much more accurate to refer to them as a vocal group (as their once-teen fan base are all well into their 30s).
The Backstreet Boys performed (in the midst of a heatwave) at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts on July 20, 2022.
Not shy about a bombastic opening, the group commenced the show with an array of pre-recorded sounds and smoke before belting out "Everyone", a tailor-made show opener from their "Black & Blue" CD, before going back to 1996 for a sizzling "I Wanna Be With You".
For the first few songs, the group (Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough) elicited massive screams from the crowd whenever one of the guys would take the lead vocal spot (although Carter and Littrell seemed to arouse the best crowd responses). Carter especially knows how to work a room, and drove the members in the stage pit wild when he wiped his face down with a towel, then tossed it to the very happy front stage patrons.
Though the guys are primarily known for their romantic numbers, they also explore the darker side of romance, as they tackle the topic of a two-timing lover on "The Call" (the band's last Top-10 U.S. hit). Also, the quintet were on fire during the rejection-permeated "Don't Want You Back" (which was one of the first times back in the day when they got a little blue, with lyrics as: "But I should've known that I would be/Another victim of your sexuality).
The dance-flavored "Get Down (You're The One For Me)" lit up the crowd into a post-Disco frenzy (to this day, the image of the band dancing on half of a Disco ball in the original video for the song still sticks in one's mind).
A big part of the audience was here to relive their teen crush years and to swoon, and they had plenty of opportunity to do so on slow jams as "Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely", "More Than That", and "Shape of My Heart". The band continued on with another sensitive cut, "Quit Playing Games With My Heart", before the irresistible ear candy of "As Long As You Love Me" (arguably their best song).
They really shined on "All I Have To Give", which is ballad-ish with elements of the early '90s New Jack Swing sound (giving a nod to New Jack Swing pioneers as Guy, Jodeci and New Edition) before the blaring opening of "Everbody (Backstreets Back)" greatly upped the decibels on the crowd's screaming meter.
"The One" and "I Want It That Way" (while not their biggest hit, is possibly the Backstreet Boys' most recognizable song) ended the set before quickly returning for "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and ended with the buoyant "Larger Than Life".
Although the shelf life of a boy band is thought to be limited, the band has dispelled that falicy, as the Backstreet Boys said several times during the night that they will be celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2023.
