A word with Nick Carter as Backstreet Boys come to Ruth Eckerd Hall May 31

Is this where we make the "Backstreet's back" quip?

Let's not. It's way overused, not to mention possibly inaccurate. Nick Carter says the Backstreet Boys never went away — even if you didn't notice. For 17 years the group has toiled to stay alive. They've sold more than 100 million albums. They've been golden boys and guilty pleasures. They lost a member and continued as a foursome. Their latest album, This Is Us, came out in 2009. The Backstreet Boys are back (fine) on a world tour, stopping at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Memorial Day.

Carter, the teen idol who grew up in Apollo Beach and Ruskin, is now 30. He has navigated addiction, screamy reality TV and industry scandal, but says he's in a good place. He called from home in Nashville to talk about the tour and his favorite Tampa memories (RIP, stadium Bennigan's). And if Justin Bieber loyalists don't appreciate his music, he's content to count their moms as fans.