Backstreet Boys" Are all grown up now

Before there was Bieber, there was Backstreet.

The boy bands hits such as "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" and "I Want It That Way" is bringing its "This Is Us" tour.

Backstreet Boys' return will show to Pittsburgh for the first time in five years and the first time without eldest member Kevin Richardson, who left the group in 2006 to start a family. He is married and has a 3 year of old son.

Mr.Dorough said, "This record here, we reached back into what made us who we are -- that's good pop melodies, great harmonies -- and made it recent and relevant".

The album's attempt to be recent and relevant is reflected in the Euro dance beats of "Straight Through My Heart," the record's first single, and collaborations with producers behind some of Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson's hits.

Mr.Dorough said, "We actually wanted to push the envelope with this record". "We wanted to reach out to some writers that people wouldn't have expected us to reach out to."

"We made a conscious effort to go back to being ourselves," Mr. Littrell said in a release. "It's important for the fans to remember what was, but it's also important for them to know where we're headed."

The tour is a similar blend of old and new. "All I Have to Give" from the debut album or "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," which could arguably be called the group's anthem. Newer material, brief talks from the boys and film clips starring the band will be sprinkled throughout the show.

Backstreet Boys at Liverpool's Echo Arena

WHEN the opportunity arose to look cheesey 90s chart toppers the Backstreet Boys return on their tour I couldn’t resist.
Who cares that they’re the latest bleached popstrels to cash in on the recent fondness for nostalgia? I used to worship their dance moves.
Trouble is, I could only remember one song - despite owning the album Backstreet’s Back on cassette - so when they opened with that oh-so-catchy title track Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) - complete with ‘that’ dance move - I was worried.
“What will they do for the rest of the show?” I muttered to my friend, who shares my boy band pedigree.
“No fear,” she replied. “It will all come flooding back.”
And so it did. Worringly easily.
Hearthrob Nick Carter (minus the blond curtains - likely for the best) A.J, Howie and Brian whizzed through hits including As Long As You Love Me, All I Have To Give, We’ve Got It Going On and that hands-in-the-air favourite, I’ll Never Break Your Heart.
Oh no. Just mentioning those songs gives me an urge to sing.
And that’s why the Backstreet Boys - touring without original fifth member Kevin - were unashamedly superb at the ECHO Arena last night, playing to a near sell out crowd with just enough youngsters to give them serious hope for the future.

Backstreet Boys Are Return Again

The Backstreet Boys are return again, with a new album and tour after their 2007 record Unbreakable was released with more of a whimper rather than a bang.
Howie Dorough, 36, says the band has high hopes for its new album This Is Us, which was released last week, but for God’s sake, don’t call it a comeback!
“That’s right, we say don’t call it a comeback,” Howie tells Reuters. “But I think this is going to be a record that people hear.
“Our last two were best but came after we took a break and there was a bit of a backlash. People wanted a bit of a break from the Backstreet Boys. The last two records were a good rebuilding process and taken us to this point.”
In their 17 year history, the BBs have had their fair share of turmoil: AJ McLean went to rehab for alcohol and drug addiction in 2001 and Nick Carter was the star of the E! reality show House of Carters.
Meanwhile, Brian Littrell’s 7 year old son Baylee has been diagnosed with the heart condition Kawasaki Syndrome, and Howie lost his sister Caroline Dorough Cochran to Lupus in 1998 when she was 37.
The fifth member of the band, Kevin Richardson, left in 2006.
How have their life experiences affected the pair? “Time has not changed us but it has made us grow,” Howie says.
“We have grown into the adults we are now the fathers, the friends, the entertainers that we are now and the career minded people that we are.”
And the music? “We have a lot more to write about now with the personal experiences that have happened along the way,” says Howie.
“We have also become more seasoned as entertainers. It has opened our eyes and our minds. We’re no longer just entertainers but also businessmen and we are finding a healthy balance of career and families.”
And despite being well into their thirties, these men have no need to different their name.
“Boys to us has never been an age thing,” insists Howie. “If the Beastie Boys and the Beach Boys and Pet Shop Boys can stay boys, so can we.”