On June 26, Control Room and MSN will broadcast online the concert that the Boys did last week in London. More details on how to log in to watch coming soon.

Posted: May 20th, 2008 under Backstreet, News.
Comments: 4

Just a little ’shout out’ to everyone who’s been contributing to the Gallery: Stéphanie from WeStill.fr (InRock scans), Margosha and Aly (Riga show). Thanks!

Posted: May 19th, 2008 under Photos.
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Check out our Gallery for some great shots of the Boys at a press call, at Gaucho and outside their hotel. Thanks to BSBSquad and Emma for these.

Posted: May 17th, 2008 under Photos.
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AJ McLean is most famous for being the ‘bad boy’ of hit 90s boyband The Backstreet Boys but, with his upcoming solo album, he is attempting to forge a successful solo career.

The 30-year-old singer - who is partly responsible for the band’s hit tracks including ‘(Everybody) Backstreet’s Back’ and ‘As Long as You Love Me’ - insists he isn’t worried about stepping away from the sound which led to his fame.

“We’re calling it a rock, funk and soul vibe. The vocals are pop and R ‘n’B-ish and there’s even a kind of country twang going on,” he said. “It’s eclectic. I think people will be a little shocked by some songs, which is absolutely fine by me. They’ll be thinking, ‘That is what I hoped he was going to do’.”

However, A.J. is arguably more famous for his personal life as for his professional career.

He went to rehab in 2001 to seek help for his alcohol and cocaine addiction after his bandmates Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough intervened when they became concerned about his erratic behaviour.

Now tee-total, A.J. insists the experience sobered him in more ways than one, and also led to him writing a book with his mother Denise entitled ‘Backstreet Mom’.

He also said he has some advice for other troubled celebrities including Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.

“I’m coming up on six years sober,” he said. “I just want to sit down with Britney and pick her brain.

“I want to be just someone who can tell her straight. I’ll say, ‘Hey, do you want to die? Is that what you want?’ If that is what she really wanted, she would have done it already. I know that is not what she wants.”

Instead of turning his back on The Backstreet Boys, A.J. insists he will never leave his bandmates behind, and is currently undergoing his solo tour in conjunction with the boys’ ‘Unbreakable’ World Tour 2008.

A.J. also revealed the boys have been incredibly supportive of his solo venture.

“We’re all really supportive of each other’s projects outside of the group, whether it be singing, acting, producing or whatever,” he said. “The one thing we’ve always told each other is that we’ll never hold each other back. If anyone’s got any dreams or aspirations to go do something on their own, that’s cool as long as they can co-exist with the group.”

While the boys’ comeback tour has not been as successful as their previous ones, it is clear they still have some devoted fans. Lacking former member Kevin Richardson, the boys’ most recent album ‘Unbreakable’ was well received by critics and fans alike.

However, it seems that A.J.’s solo career could take him beyond the realms of boybandom to forge a career as a thoroughly successful solo artist.

With pop tracks and heart-wrenching soulful tracks on the as-yet-untitled album, A.J. is set to prove he has what it takes to succeed in an industry which enjoys victimising boyband ‘has-beens’.

BANG Showbiz spoke to the musician on the day after The Backstreet Boys’ performance at London’s O2 arena, on the night of his solo performance at the IndigO2 - a more intimate concert venue inside the arena.

Q: How was the show with The Backstreet Boys at London’s O2 arena last night?
A: The show was amazing - it went off without a hitch. We added a lot of new s**t yesterday - pyro and stuff so it was like because we were doing it for this big webcast for MSN and we are probably going to make it into a DVD as well - we wanted to add a little flair to the show that wasn’t normally there. It went off without a hitch - nobody blew up, nobody caught fire! It was really good. There’s been moments when that’s happened.

Q: Why did you decide to go solo now?
A: I’m ready. A lot of people ask me, ‘Why didn’t you do it at the height of the Backstreet Boys fame?’ But I wasn’t ready then. I’m really glad I didn’t do it then because I was just getting into my drinking and drugging and I would have probably destroyed my solo career. I mean, I probably would have been in the press an awful lot but it wouldn’t have been positive and I want it to be positive and I want it to be right. I also like to think I would have learned as much as I did to write about. I wanted to be so honest with this record. I’m so psyched - I’m ready for this. I’m scared - I won’t lie. It’s kind of surreal and a little nerve-wracking because you are going to be up there on your own and you turn around a look behind you and there is nobody there - it’s all you!

Q: Have you taken it in a specifically different direction that the material you wrote with the Backstreet Boys?
A: Yes, it is definitely a different direction. There are some songs that could be a Backstreet Boys record but then when you hear the lyrical content you go, ‘OK, maybe not!’ But the melodies and the harmonies - they have that feel to them. For the most part the sound is completely different. It’s more rock, funk and soul with a pop feel. But it’s me tapping into the start of where I really want to go. I couldn’t go where I wanted to go on my first record because I think it would have taken people much too much by surprise. But for my second record, if this one does really well, I’ll do the kind of record I want to do which is straight up funk - anything from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Jimi Hendrix - straight up rock funk.

Q: Normally, the album precedes a tour, but you’ve done it the other way around. Why?
A: I think just because we have talked about when we are going to make another record. We have talked about the sound that we are trying to go for on this next Backstreet Boys record. I think it’s just the timing - it just happens to be what is best for me. We are going to wrap up this whole tour in September and then I am going to continue doing shows like this right up until the single release and then do a proper solo tour next year. But it just seems to be the right time.

Q: Have you found your solo music has had a different reception with American and European audiences?
A: I don’t know. I’ve done two US shows, at the House of Blues and at the Roxy, and they seemed to love it. There was a lot of European fans there but there was a lot of American fans there too, and everyone seems to really love it. They get it - they see that it’s me and that’s what I want them to see. And also they take something from it because it’s more real music as far as directly what I’m talking about. It’s more relatable and it’s just people - guys and girls. There were guys at my show, there were guys rocking out - I think it’s OK to like Backstreet Boys if you are a guy now and even more so, it is OK to like just good music! It doesn’t matter who is doing it - a guy or a girl.

I spent probably about four years making this record. It started in one direction, and then I went in another direction, and then in another direction again. Everything just kind of fell into place.

Q: What do the other boys think of it - are they supportive of you?
A: They love it - they are in full support. They love the record and they think it’s going to do really, really well. After I cut a couple of songs I bounced it off a couple of the guys and said, ‘Hey, check this new one out, what do you think?’ They all have two particular songs across the board which are their favourites which are ‘London’ and ‘I Hate It When You’re Gone’. They are going to be there tonight to watch the show. They haven’t seen the show yet so they don’t really know what they are in for. It’s a little different than a Backstreet Boys show.

Q: You started as an actor in the very beginning - have you got any plans to go back to that?
A: I would love to. I mean, obviously I want to put the cart before the horse, but I definitely want to get back into doing my musical theatre, and I actually want to get a flat here in London next year. I love London and I want to move here. I want to move down to the West End, to really be near the theatre district, and I definitely want to get back into acting again - I do. It’s something that I would really love to do. I don’t know how many parts I can get with all my tattoos though! I don’t want to be stereotyped as the prison guy or the bad guy.

Q: What do you think about Britney Spears starring on ‘How I Met Your Mother’?
A: I think her performance on the show will do well. I think as long as she can just keep her feet on the ground and just find herself again. She is a little lost but I know she can do it, I believe in her. I believe in anybody who wants to do something for themselves.

Q: Nick found a lot of fame in the US because of his reality show, ‘House of Carters’ - would you ever consider doing a reality show?
A: I’m not a big fan of reality television. I can openly admit and accept that TV is becoming a great bit outlet with people nowadays, but the layout of a group like us - we have been doing what we’ve done for the past 15 years without it - we don’t need it. We don’t need to conform to doing a reality TV show. There is really not much to us to watch the four of us do a reality show - it would be kind of boring. There’s not drama, there’s not fighting and bickering - there’s nothing to watch. It would have to be made up. I do like stuff like ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ that are more like a true documentary, or something like that that shows who you are there - real - it shows everything. That to me is more credible and more respectful. But I don’t know - reality television is the big thing right now. I think Nick learnt a lot about himself through his. He was kind of 50/50 doing it - part of it he hated, and part of it, he learned about himself. I don’t think he would ever do it again, but who knows?!

Q: You said the Backstreet Boys’ show last night was broadcast on MSN and you have found a lot of success with your solo material through YouTube. How much of an impact do you think the internet is having on the music industry?
A: It’s huge. I mean, you ask anybody who is an artist and more than likely in the next five years there’s not going to be any more record companies - period. There will be one big huge one that has every artist and iTunes and YouTube and the internet is going to run through that. Or you get artists who become their own record companies. There are people now who are just doing distribution deals with people - they are their record company. And that is what every artist has ever wanted when you really think about it - to have complete and utter creative control and all you really need is a great publicist, a great distribution company and a great marketing plan. The rest is you just doing what you love to do. You don’t need a record company nowadays anymore. And record companies are becoming obsolete - there’s nothing for them to do. But the internet - especially sites like YouTube and MySpace - is huge. MySpace now is going back to what it was originally meant for, which was for new artists in the music industry to promote themselves. You look at people like Ryan Tedder from One Republic - they were one of the biggest MySpace bands in the world and now look at them! They are doing quite well for themselves! But YouTube has been really great for me with my solo stuff because now I think a lot of fans will know a lot more of the words.

[Source]

Posted: May 17th, 2008 under In The Press.
Comments: none

Backstreet Boys not only rocked their bodies, they rocked the Odyssey Arena on Monday night when they played their first ever gig in Belfast.

The Odyssey crowd are a notorious species, with their passion for music and noise at shows by some of the world’s top artists well renowned. This, however, was on another level.

The world’s biggest selling boyband were in town for their first taste of life in Belfast, and it didn’t disappoint.

Fifteen years after forming, Backstreet Boys are still going strong, and they came out fighting, quite literally, as they began their two-hour spectacle.

Opening the show in a giant boxing ring, they belted out ‘Larger Than Life’, and the heavyweight champs of the boyband world, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, AJ McClean and Howie Dorough, proved themselves worthy of the title.

With just a screen behind them and a simple stage setting, there were no flashy displays or time wasting for wardrobe changes. This was simply two hours of huge hits, superior vocals and fantastic tracks from their most recent album ‘Unbreakable’.

The show took fans on a journey from the beginning of their career to the current offering, with tracks such as ‘I’ll Never Break Your Heart’, the song which won them their first ‘Smash Hits Award’, ‘Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)’, ‘As Long As You Love Me’, ‘The Call’, ‘Incomplete’ and the huge number one hit ‘I Want It That Way’.
The guys also took time out to perform a song from each of their solo albums and their next single which is due to be released on Monday, the brilliant ‘Helpless When She Smiles’.

As the hits continued with ‘Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely’, ‘Inconsolable’ and ‘More Than That’, as well as news songs like ‘Trouble Is’ and ‘Treat Me Right’, the crowd were already whipped up into a frenzy, singing back every word as the noise became deafening.
The decible level quickly increased as they performed the monster smash ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), before closing the show with ‘Shape Of My Heart’.

The Backstreet Boys may have waited fifteen years to play in Belfast, but judging by this show, it won’t be as long until they return.

[Source]

Posted: May 13th, 2008 under In The Press.
Comments: 1

Check out our latest Gallery update: over 100 gorgeous pictures of the Boys’ concert in Birmingham have been added. Thanks to Hidi99.

Posted: May 10th, 2008 under Photos.
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The Boys arrived in the UK on Monday and spent a few days in Manchester. Pics of them at their hotel are now in the Gallery. Thanks to BSBSquad.

Posted: May 7th, 2008 under Photos.
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I’ve added my concert pics from Frankfurt, Oberhausen and Brussels to the Gallery. Check them out! And thanks to BSBSquad for the pics from Rome.

Posted: May 5th, 2008 under Photos.
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A full audio of the Boys’ concert in Oberhausen is now available in our Audio: Songs section. Please credit Track-Back.com when using elsehwere.

Posted: May 3rd, 2008 under Audio.
Comments: 4

It could arguably be the comeback of the decade, and not for the first time either. After an initial split in 2001 and subsequent comeback album in 2006, followed by the departure of one of the five members that same year, the Backstreet Boys have made yet another comeback, the four remaining members proving they are made of the stuff that lasts the distance.

Last Friday the biggest boy band of all times played for a third time in Portugal, at Lisbon’s Pavilhão Atlântico.

Whilst the pavilion only filled with an estimated six thousand fans who had made their way to the venue, the enthusiasm was as vibrant as ever, the anticipation contagious.

Not as extravagant as previous performances, it seems a conscious effort was made to present a more mature and individual four-member band, though the dance moves and vocal efforts were on a par with those of a band at their peak.

Thousands of fans had been queuing since the early hours of the afternoon, littering the surrounding area of the pavilion to ensure the best possible place.

Different generations made up the excited crowd, some fans from the boys’ grand entrance to pop nearly 15 years ago, and other younger fans though still as dedicated.

Some had even travelled from as far away as the UK and Italy, proving that despite a six-year break, debatably successful solo careers, and a one-member-less comeback, those who were faithful, remain faithful.

One young female told The Portugal News how she had followed the band’s career since the very beginning, having followed them on their previous world tours, travelling to countries including Japan, Australia and Russia, before more recently following them to Spain and Portugal.

On the night the quartet performed songs from all their albums, past and present.

Opening with ‘Larger than Life’ from their 1999 album ‘Millennium’, they progressed through a medley of musical renditions, which included their first ever smash hit, ‘Quit Playing Games (with my heart)’ from their introductory album Backstreet Boys, proceeding with favourites from albums ‘Backstreet’s Back’, ‘Black & Blue’, ‘Never Gone’, and their latest chart-topper, ‘Unbreakable’.

With album sales in their millions, a place in The Guinness Book as the ‘biggest boy band of all time’, and no signs of slowing down, the Backstreet Boys certainly do seem to be ‘Unbreakable’, if not unstoppable.

[Source]

Posted: May 3rd, 2008 under In The Press.
Comments: 1