Into the Millennium with the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys Into the Millennium Tour held at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada
In May of 1999, I was a freshman in high school and, like a lot of other teeny bopper girls my age, obsessed with the boy band group, the Backstreet Boys. They had announced that they would be in Times Square in New York City to launch their newest album, Millennium. I begged my mom to let me cut school that day to try to meet them at Virgin Megastore which was where they would be in the morning that day before heading to TRL (Total Request Live, an MTV show hosted by Carson Daly that fans could call in and vote for their number one songs and music videos). TRL was also located in Time Square. Thankfully, my mom let me go with my older sister. Being from New Jersey, it was a quick train ride in. We headed straight to Virgin Megastore only to find that the crowd was so large (girls camped out the night before) that they had to shut down the meet and greet. As bummed as I was, there was still a chance to catch a glimpse of them hours later at TRL.
My sister and I walked around the city, grabbed lunch, and headed over to TRL where the crowd was insane. The streets were lined with teenage girls screaming and holding posters, all hoping to see one of the boys. We stayed for the entire show, and at one point Kevin peered from behind a curtain and waved and the crowd went crazy. It was all I got to witness on that day, but I’ll remember it forever. Being 15 years old, seeing one member of the band, walking around New York City with my cool older sister, and cutting school was definitely one of the highlights of my year.
Fast forward to that fall when the boys came to New Jersey for their Into the Millennium tour. Unfortunately, one of the nights was a school night and the other night I had another obligation that I couldn’t miss. Sadly, that was the one and only tour of the Backstreet Boys that I have missed since 1998. I always felt like I missed out because that tour they flew over the audience, and that was arguably their best album with I Want it That Way being one of their biggest songs ever. It was and always will be the “tour that got away” for me.
I have followed the Backstreet Boys throughout their entire career. I started with purchasing their cassettes, then CDs, then iTunes, and now Apple Music. I actively go to as many of their shows as possible; flying across the country to Las Vegas in 2017 and even following Nick’s solo career in the early 2000s (he was always my favorite), and I will continue to follow them until they stop, which I hope they never do.
Something magical happened in February of 2025. The day before my 41st birthday of this year, they announced on social media that they were bringing back their Into the Millennium tour, but better: they were going back to Las Vegas but this time they would have their show in the Sphere. I looked at my husband, and said, “I missed it once, I’m not missing it again, so I’m seeing them with or without you.”
We planned our trip, and I literally counted down the days until I got to see them. We booked the first flight out on the morning of July 20th, which was the date we chose to see them at the Sphere. I wanted to go to the Backstreet Boys pop-up experience first at the Venetian Hotel, which was called BSB Terminal. The I Want it That Way music video had them at the airport in front of their plane singing so this pop-up was dedicated to that atmosphere. I’ll be honest, I got more emotional being at this little pop-up museum than at their show. The pop-up was filled with tons of old photographs from photo shoots and album covers, they had the TRL studio with cardboard cutouts of them and Carson Daly. Looking back on all the years I’ve spent listening to their songs (I Want it That Way is literally my alarm every morning), watching their videos, actively voting for them whenever I could, attending their tours, and plastering my teenage bedroom walls with posters of them, I couldn’t believe that 26 years later I’d be standing in the middle of Las Vegas surrounded by “my people”, aka other obsessed fans, and still feel like I did in May of 1999 when I tried to meet them at Virgin Megastore. I also felt so proud of how far they’ve come, still selling out massive shows.
Me in July of 1999 and me at the BSB Terminal in Las Vegas in 2025 in the same shirt.
The show was indescribable. My husband asked if it was the best concert I had ever seen, and it was hard to say because I couldn’t even consider it a concert. To me it was more than that, it was an immersive experience. The screen, which was wrapped halfway around the arena in 4D, was mesmerizing. We were in the 300s section, which was perfect because we were able to fully witness the entire screen along with seeing them on stage. They had vibrating seats that jolted you during different parts of their songs, perfectly timed and engaging everyone into the music. I felt temperature shifts which added an additional element to the experience. One of the coolest aspects of the show was during I Want it That Way, part of the stage lifted up, rising above the audience. The visual effects made it seem as though they were flying through space, much like their original Into the Millennium tour that I missed all those years ago. It was the best performance I had ever seen. I would see it again in a heartbeat, only this time I would splurge for “General Admission” just to see them up close.
The Backstreet Boys performing their iconic hit I Want It That Way
There are not too many shows left and if you have the chance, you do not want to miss this opportunity. It was worth seeing them at the Sphere, where the visuals, effects, and performances were the best yet. They all still dance and sing remarkably well; their age hasn’t slowed them down yet. It has been and continues to be one of the greatest adventures of my life, following their career, with their music “growing up” alongside me. I am excited to see what they have in store next.
The stage at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada
As their song says, “Time, look where we are and what we’ve been through.” From that day in Times Square in 1999 to now standing in the heart of Las Vegas, it feel like life came full circle. This wasn’t just a concert- it was a celebration of every memory, every poster, every lyric that got me through the years. If this is the last time I see them live, I’ll carry it with me forever. And if not- I’ll be right there, screaming every word like it’s 1999 all over again.
As long as there’ll be their music I’ll be coming back again.