Backstreet Boys
Concord Pavilion
Concord, CA
August 9th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

In 1999, grunge was out, nu-metal was rising, and boy bands like Backstreet Boys, N*SYNC, 98 Degrees, and a plethora of other pop groups were catapulted into the stratosphere. Boy band fever swept the nation. And then, almost all at once, it stopped. While One Direction did emerge years later and re-ignite a fervor for the genre temporarily, the days of the boy band are long gone. With the exception of New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys are the only group of their kind that still exist today, on the scale that they’re at. No other act from that era that’s around today could come back and play massive sold-out amphitheater shows around the country. No one but the Backstreet Boys, who just concluded a three night run of shows around Northern California on Tuesday evening at Concord Pavilion. On a tour that found the five-piece supporting their most recent studio album, 2019’s DNA, Backstreet Boys prove that they still have the ability, the talent, and the showmanship to put on an incredibly captivating show.

This tour had all the bells and whistles: cryo cannons that lined the catwalk in front of the stage, a large platform for dancing that was backed by giant LED video screens, and costume changes galore. While there were a couple moments that felt scripted, the show had a loose energy to it as the band chatted with the crowd, even leaning down to sign autographs and give hugs mid-song. You can tell that this is a group that knows how special of a position that they’re in, and how genuinely grateful they are to have the fanbase that they have today. You could even see multiple generations of Backstreet Boys fans in the crowd; some brought their kids, while other brought their grandkids. It’s not as crazy of an environment as it was in the 90s and early 2000s, but it’s still home for the fans.

The group performed their way through an epic thirty-three song set list, which featured old favorites and new hits, with a large amount of material coming from their DNA album. In a unique way of structuring the show, members Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter each came out and performed portions of their favorite tracks from DNA. I thought this was a good move; it was a way to introduce the newer material, let it have its own moment, and then immediately jump into one of the hits like “Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely”.

The last third of the show featured the group donning white jumpsuits, a modified look to the Y2K style that they became known for during the Millennium era. The second that the opening notes for “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” came pouring through the speakers, the screams of excitement became deafening. Multi-platinum efforts like “It’s Gotta Be You”, “The One”, and “I Want It That Way” led multiple generations of fans into a sing-along frenzy. The choreography isn’t as intense as it once was when the world first got to know the Backstreet Boys, but they’ve still got some moves. The special sauce of this group is in the vocals; years later, they can still sing.

A two-song encore followed that featured “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “Larger Than Life”, a song that I played to death on my Walkman when it first came out. In my opinion, “Larger Than Life” is still one of the best written and best produced pop songs of all time, and I don’t really see any other way to close out a Backstreet Boys show.

After Tuesday night’s show, I don’t think you can really say “backstreet’s back” anymore. They haven’t really gone anywhere. They never left.

Backstreet Boys Set List
Everyone
I Wanna Be With You
The Call
Don’t Want You Back
Nobody Else (Brian solo)
New Love
Get Down (You’re The One For Me)
Chateau (Howie solo)
Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely
Incomplete
Undone
More Than That
The Way It Was (Nick solo)
Chances
Shape of My Heart
Drowning
Passionate
Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)
As Long As You Love Me
No Place
Breathe (a cappellla)
Don’t Wanna Lose You Now

I’ll Never Break Your Heart
All I Have To Give
Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
We’ve Got It Goin’ On
That’s The Way I Like It
Get Another Boyfriend
The One
I Want It That Way

Encore:
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Larger Than Life