What It's Like Seeing BSB Live: Then & Now

There are a handful of things most people would pick up about me after just one meeting: I do improv comedy, I am all things East Coast, I love the city of London and am unabashedly a huge fan of the Backstreet Boys. At 27 years-old my love of their synchronized steps and ooey-gooey melodies still knows no bounds. After all, this is a band I once stood outside of MTV studios for during a taping of Total Request Live in the freezing cold. Now, did it make me feel a little old when Kevin Richardson mentioned that the band was formed 21 years ago during the Philadelphia stop on their In A World Like This summer tour this past Saturday? You betcha. Did it make me question how and why I’m still blasting their tunes and seeing them in concert every chance I can get? Nope, not one bit. No matter how old I get, my love for the fellas of BSB (much like my other two great loves: wine and cheese) only gets better with age.

Part of the reason the Backstreet Boys are the highest-selling boy band of all time and how they continue to keep their fans coming back is based on one simple factor: quality. Brian, Nick, Howie, AJ, and Kevin know how to put on a damn good show. But the real reason BSB fandom has no sign of slowing down anytime soon: these guys really take care of their fans. Whether it’s hanging out on the deck of the Backstreet cruise or taking time to sign autographs and take photos, they always oblige, and seem to have a blast doing it. If you check out their Instagram account, it’s easy to see just how genuinely the Backstreet Boys love what they do, and how they love their fans even more.

(Enjoying the pre-BSB revelry with a classic summer tailgate)

Being a 27-year-old at a Backstreet Boys concert also comes with its own level of pure unadulterated joy. There’s no “side stage” where you have to catch the next upcoming indie electronica death metal wave. It’s just you and roughly 20,000 other people loving pop music because it’s fun. What a concept! Over the years I’ve been to as many hip festivals as I have BSB concerts, and you know what gives you the most bang for your buck? BSB every single time. Sure they’re not flying around on hoverboards or wearing ripped mesh tanks like they used to, but they’ve still got it going on.

Here’s what it’s like seeing BSB when you were a teen vs. seeing BSB now as an adult:

Pre-show rituals then:

Pre-show rituals now:

Homemade tees then:

GIVE ME ALL THE PUFFY PAINT AND GLITTER YOU HAVE. I need to tell BSB how much I "<3 " them!

Homemade tees now:

This was taken at the NKOTBSB tour mine read, “I’m 24, I finally know what THAT way means.” Oh innuendos!

Being surrounded by 20,000 screaming fans then:

Being surrounded by 20,000 screaming fans now:

When someone brings up N’Sync at the concert then:

When someone brings up N’Sync at the concert now:

Nope, that hasn’t changed.

Seating choice then:

As close as humanly possible!

Seating choice now:

Just give me that sweet, spacious lawn.

Conversations at the concert then:

I’m like totally a Brian girl. What about you? OMG you like Nick? WE CAN BE FRICK AND FRACK TOGETHER!

Conversations at the concert now:

I’m like totally a Brian girl. What about you? OMG you like Nick? WE CAN BE FRICK AND FRACK TOGETHER! Also, should I get an IRA?

Your focus at the concert then:

Spending every second wide-eyed, hoping for one of the guys to serenade you, for just ONE second.

Your focus at the concert now:

What my friends and I lovingly call the “Crotch Cam.”

When they perform “I Want it That Way” then:

Your head EXPLODED.

When they perform “I Want it That Way” now:

Yep, you still lose your mind. Or if you’re me, you hold your nearest friend’s hand because it’s a MOMENT. (That's my BFF from college on the left, by the way. Our mutual love of BSB and pop punk brought us together freshman year.)

When they slow it down with an acoustic jam then:

Swoooooooon.

When they slow it down with an acoustic jam now:

Guys, you gotta keep the momentum going, I’m old and tired and on my feet.

The feeling of being outside, listening to your favorite band of all time with your friends on a perfect summer night then:

WHEEEEE!

The feeling of being outside, listening to your favorite band of all time with your friends on a perfect summer night now:

Doesn't get much better, does it?

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