When the clock struck midnight into 2020, the last thing we thought we would have to deal with was a world wide pandemic. At the least, we thought we were going to have to deal with a presidential election that was going to rock the nation. Instead, we got COVID.
We were waiting on another leg of the DNA World Tour in the U.S. and South America was almost done with their leg before the world practically shut down.
For many of us, this is the longest we’ve gone without seeing the Backstreet Boys in person in YEARS. That’s just us in the United States and North America. For those overseas, it’s been even longer.
But we can say the Backstreet Boys have done their part in trying to stay connected to fans during the pandemic. We’ve seen them sing “I Want It That Way” from five different locations for Elton John’s COVID special. We’ve seen them do promo for the now defunct Christmas residency. We also saw them come together for a very football-ish version of “We Are The World.”
And let’s not forget those episodes of their Apple Radio show shortly after the pandemic hit.
But individually, some have done more than others.
First off, none of the Backstreet Boys had to do ANYTHING during the pandemic to stay in touch with fans. They owe us nothing. And if they haven’t done anything, it doesn’t make us love them any less.
But let’s look at what they have and haven’t done.
Kevin
Kevin owes us nothing, but he does check in from time to time to post photos from his trips, to tweet about his favorite teams and once in a week go on a tweet spree, tweeting with fans or leaving the random comment and like on a fan’s Instagram. He has been the most quiet of the group and that’s okay.
He has done a few sports interviews on TV, like one with Brian.
Oh and ended up in an episode of a Hulu show called “The Maxxx” about a former boy bander!
Brian
All Brian has really done besides BSB stuff is hold concerts for Baylee, at least during the first part of the pandemic. He will do a random interview with Baylee, whether it’s the local news here in Atlanta or a podcast.
Howie
Howie has done a little bit. He periodically checks in on Instagram or Twitter to post his adventures with the kids. At the beginning of the pandemic, he held a cooking event where he cooked some chicken and then had Loop calls with fans. He’s also signed up for Camo, doing videos for fans while raising money for charity.
He recently went to Canada to take part in a celebration for Sonia Benezra who has interviewed the boys in Montreal since they first began to make it big in Canada. And, to follow in the footsteps of two other Backstreet Boys, he will be taking part in a Dirty Dancing-esque dancing competition on Fox this winter.
AJ
Where do we begin with AJ? On top of releasing solo music, such as “Love Song Love,” he has also released two other business ventures:
- Ava Dean – A beauty product line that right now is focusing on nail polish.
- GOAT – Golf Over All Things – A golf apparel line
On top of all of that, he lost a good bit of weight and started getting in shape because he finally had time to do “Dancing with the Stars.” There he got to know Cheryl Burke better and the two of them, along with René Elizondo Jr., started the “Pretty Messed Up” podcast.
Along the way, AJ has taken part in some other shows, talking about all things pop culture, has been on more than a handful of podcast and have done Looped calls with fans.
And let’s not forget all the NSYNC love during the pandemic! AJ, along with Nick, Joey Fatone, and Lance, did a “BackSync” event in Los Angeles for Pride and then “The After Party” small residency in Las Vegas with Nick, Joey, and Wanya Morris from Boyz II Men. He’s also done a few “ATCK” shows throughout the pandemic and also showed up at a fan’s wedding in Atlantic City!
He’s also scheduled a Trivia night with his family for fans and Looped calls, but those had to be rescheduled and we have no idea when they are happening.
Nick
Alright, let’s be real. Nick has been the Backstreet Boy who has kept the Backstreet pride alive the most during the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no two ways about it.
Where do we begin?
We just mentioned the “BackSync” and “The After Party” shows. Nick, along with Joey, Wanya, Shawn Stockman, and Chris Kirkpatrick are doing a show in Arizona for “The After Party.”
When the pandemic started, Nick started trying to come online more with fans, doing Instalives from his kitchen while making the kid’s breakfast – Hello Pancake Daddy! He’s just so caring that he tries to include us in everything – whether it’s cooking breakfast, getting ready to go to the gym and, don’t forget, playing video games!
Nick set up a Twitch last year to communicate with fans, hold chats, and play video games! He even held a contest for fans to design a logo that he ended up putting on some merch. And let’s not forget about Nick at Night – the best gaming sessions.
He also started working on a new solo album and has taken us into the studio with him to see him work and record new music.
And the Looped! calls. He’s done them twice (last July and in December!), trying to stay in touch with fans.
But the biggie of them all – The Masked Singer! Nick made it to the final three and even got on Twitch while the show was airing and not mentioning anything even when people would continuously post little crocodiles in the chat.
Then he went to a convention (and had another scheduled but had to cancel).
There’s probably more that Nick has done during this pandemic that I’m forgetting, but he has done the most out of all the guys to stay in touch with fans and you know what, the’s the one that has more to do than the other guys.
He has three young kids at home (the most of any BSB), the one with the youngest (Saoirse and Pearl), and he is a very hands-on father because he wants to give his kids the best childhood as possible.
He doesn’t have to do any of it, none of them do, but that just goes to show how much they care about fans.
Personally, I’ll be honest. Nick has saved the pandemic for me. While I haven’t gotten to see him because I can’t go off to a concert just yet and risk my Mom getting sick even though we are both vaccinated, it’s just the little things that he does like wish me a happy birthday, wearing the hoodie I sent him, or randomly calling me out on Twitch.
Nick Carter has saved 2020 and 2021.
Let’s hope in 2022 we get to see all of our boys in person again!
