It never fails, when any type of Backstreet Boys news comes out, people’s opinions start splattering about – loving the news, hating it, completely ripping it apart, ripping other fans apart, and anything else you can think about.
You can never make everybody happy and I’m not one to be overly throwing out rainbows, unicorns, and happiness, but can we tone down the complaining a little?
There are fans complaining that the boys aren’t coming to a city near them. I used to be one of those fans that had to go to Orlando/Tampa or Atlanta, so I get it. I finally got them booked in my hometown in 2010, but they can’t bring a huge show like the DNA World Tour to a town with three red lights or stop signs. Trust me, I’m from one of those towns originally.
Then there are people complaining about the price of tickets. Yes, they are INSANELY expensive. Twenty years ago, $60 for a great “Black & Blue” World Tour ticket was insane to me, but the industry has changed. Touring, merch, and other small things are how the musicians make their money now. They make next to nothing off music unless you’re moving actual CDs like Taylor Swift. And splitting it 5 ways? Doesn’t seem so crazy anymore.
And even with that, the boys aren’t the ones who set the ticket prices. They sign a contract with Live Nation/Ticketmaster to get paid, and its Live Nation and Ticketmaster who set the prices for the show. That’s why sometimes when you see a show that is not at a LN/TM venue, the prices may be a little different. Plus, Ticketmaster and Live Nation change prices depending on the demand. If a show doesn’t sell as well as some of the others, they lower ticket prices.
And with that, you hear the complaining about VIP. People think VIP should be free. No, it should not be free. They are using their free and downtime before a show to meet with fans who are willing to pay to meet them. The price of VIP for the DNA World Tour has been the same price as it has been since the boys started the Las Vegas residency. They are the same price as the platinum VIP that they had before Vegas. The price of VIP should not be a shock to anybody at this point.
But have you seen VIP for artists such as Christina Aguilera? Kelly Clarkson? Justin Bieber? Hell, Taylor Swift doesn’t even sell VIP. Let’s just say that Backstreet Boys’ VIP cost is like shopping at Dollar Tree compared to other artists. The only other artists who had VIP that is comparable to Backstreet Boys’ is the Jonas Brothers, which, I believe if I remember correctly were like $365. And with how well they are doing now, I can see that going up on their next tour.
My thing is that while everybody is complaining about every little thing, can you stop to actually be grateful that our favorite group is still going almost 27 years later? You rarely see that anymore. Even NKOTB broke up for over 15 years. Boyz II Men is the only group that I can think of that has been around that long without any huge breaks.
All of the boys are married with children now and they could easily just give up and go about their lives, but they still love us. Yes, they like to work. They love their jobs and just like us, they deserve to be paid for their jobs. Do you want to work for free? Nobody does.
While a lot of people think it is, being a Backstreet Boys fan is not a contest. Just because you are not able to do VIP or get front row seats at a concert does not make you any less of a fan. And just because you can afford those things, it does not make you more of a fan than someone who can’t. Just because I own this website, it doesn’t mean I’m better than anybody else.
A fan that does 50 shows a tour is no more of a fan than the girl who is stuck in her hometown and can’t afford a ticket or have a way to the nearest big city.
I’ve been in both situations before. I went to shows where I wasn’t able to afford a VIP. My first VIP, my friends all got together to get one for me for my birthday during the NKOTBSB tour and I will always love them for that and hate them because now it feels weird to do a show without VIP.
Thankfully I have bettered my situation, live in a big city now, and can afford some of the nicer things. But I was also that girl in 1999 that couldn’t afford to go to Atlanta or Orlando/Tampa to see the “Into the Millennium” tour.
See, I’ve been there.
Complaining gets us nowhere and trust me, I’ve done my fair share of complaining. Now I just think that things could be worse. The boys could just walk away and leave us. They could be like One Direction or how NKOTB did in the early ‘90s. They could disappear out of our lives. What would the world be like without the Backstreet Boys?
Better yet, what would our lives be like then?
