The DNA World Tour has come to an end, finally, after beginning in 2019, pausing during COVID-19, and picking back up last year. The guys ended the tour in South Africa and are now at home, enjoying time with family and friends.
That leaves Backstreet Boys fans in a pickle – there’s no tour/shows this summer. For the first time since before 2017 (minus COVID), we haven’t had any shows to look forward to.
While I know not everyone is like this, I usually just attend Backstreet Boys concerts. I can count on one hand who I’ve seen in concert in the last five years that wasn’t backstreet Boys (Mandy Moore, BBMak … I think that’s it). I know there are a ton of other people like me. I usually spend my extra money on Backstreet Boys shows.
But there’s nothing going on, tour wise, right?
Back at the beginning of the year when I pretty much figured out nothing BSB-related was happening this summer, I decided to make this my year of Non-BSB shows and two shows in, it’s been fun as hell.
Besides going to ’90s Con in March, which wasn’t Backstreet Boys-related either thanks to shows being added in Hong Kong, my first show was Taylor Swift in Atlanta. Mara and I lucked out and got floor seats during the presale last November.
To say that it was a religious experience is an understatement. Not just seeing her perform songs like “Enchanted,” but just being around everybody else, thousands of people in the same building, yelling the same lyrics back to her in songs like “Cruel Summer” or “All Too Well.”
While I would have attended this concert whether Backstreet Boys were touring this summer or not, it’s what inspired me to book more shows. Between Taylor and 90s Con, it felt refreshing to go to events where I didn’t have to worry about running into people who didn’t like me. Where people were just NICE.
Fans at Taylor’s shows have been trading and giving out friendship bracelets and being in that kind of environment was refreshing as hell.
Friday evening, I spent the night with Ed Sheeran in a small, intimate show with Julia and Kelly. While I’ve been a fan of Ed’s since before he hit it big in America because Lisa would always talk about him, this was the first time I’d ever seen him.
If Backstreet Boys had been touring, I wouldn’t have went.
But much like Taylor, it was an amazing experience.
Ed performed his whole new album, from Track 1 to the end the first hour of the show. He called it “depressing” and said the second hour would be more like “happy hour.”
And it was.
He performed songs like “Shape of You,” “Shiver,” and “Perfect,” before jumping into the audience to sing a few songs all on his own – no mics, nothing else. The entire theatre was quiet as he performed “The A Team” and an Irish closing song.
Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee were also at the show. Somehow a Backstreet Boy is always close by.
So far for the rest of the year, I have Duran Duran, Bryan Adams & Joan Jett, The Cure, Joey McIntyre, Bret Michaels, Mark McGrath, and Jonas Brothers. I’m sure others will come up, too.
The point of this post isn’t to brag that I saw Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran or a review of it. The point of this post is that there is more to life than Backstreet Boys. There’s more concerts and events than ones that the Backstreet Boys are at. While they are relaxing and spending time with family and friends, use that time to venture out of your comfort zone.
Go see Joey McIntyre. Go see The Cure. I’d say go see Taylor Swift, but we know those tickets have not been easy to get. Go see Blink 182. Go see Pink. Go see whoever it is that you’ve been wanting to see, but there’s always a Backstreet Boys event/concert that you want to spend your money on.
Life is short. I realized that when my Mom passed away in October. She always told me to stop spending all of my money on Backstreet Boys and go see other people, too. I’m taking her advice.
Just buy the God damn concert ticket.
(Eventually posting all of my videos on my YouTube)
