Say what you will about their style or substance, but there is no denying that the Backstreet Boys are the biggest-selling music act of any kind to ever perform in Prince George, and it showed.
In their 15-year history, BSB’s record sales are pegged at somewhere around the 200 million mark worldwide, ranking them about 30th all-time behind only the most prestigious names like Madonna, The Beatles and Elvis. Two of their albums (Millennium and Backstreet Boys) are ranked in the Top 40 most popular discs ever made.

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Who knew so many Saskatoon women spoke scream fluently? At Thursday’s Backstreet Boys concert tongues were wagging and shrieking as the group’s four members sang, danced and entertained the hell out of a predominantly female audience.

The last time the pop group came to Saskatoon they had yet to make it huge in the U.S., Nick Carter still hadn’t dated Paris Hilton and their fans were predominantly ages nine through 17. But 10 years later, if their concert at Credit Union Centre proved anything, the appetite for their catchy hits and synchronized dance moves hasn’t waned.

The fans are older but still overwhelmingly enthusiastic, wearing concerts T-shirts and holding up signs. One read: “I’m old enough now.”

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Must… resist… the urge.

Can’t resist. Too weak. Here we go. Backstreet’s ba…

All right.

Now that that’s over — hey! Guess what? Multiplatinum (and famously manufactured) pop outfit The Backstreet Boys came back to the MTS Centre last night for, like, the first time since 2005.

This time, they’re down a Boy (”quiet one” Kevin Richardson bowed out in 2006) and confronting the harsh truth that nobody cares about their new music. Their latest, 2007’s Unbreakable, slid off the charts after two weeks.

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Backstreet Boys - Backstreet’s Back
Released Aug. 12, 1997

The Jonas Brothers may have revived the pop boy band, but the Backstreet Boys will forever be remembered in their heyday.

Notorious mainstream music magnate Lou Pearlman may be a fraud, but at least he did something right when he gave the world a glorious fivesome of Chippendale-like (but unofficially Christian) crooners called the Backstreet Boys.

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There’s an oft-repeated bit of Scripture — usually reserved for commencement addresses and weddings — that speaks of putting away childish things once you become a man.

And while we certainly don’t want to tell the Backstreet Boys how to do their jobs, the Florida foursome — who brought their Unbreakable tour to MTS Centre last night — might want to consider giving the passage a look-see.

Obviously, it’s been some time since any of the Boys were really boys: Youngest member Nick Carter turns 29 in January, while eldest Howie Dorough just turned 35.

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If I try hard, I can picture the Backstreet Boys in a lot of places, like on TV reality shows or in court suing their ex-manager, or in some swank L.A. night club throwing a lip lock on Paris Hilton.

But I’ve never really envisioned them all hot and sweaty in a boxing ring (I’m sure some of you have different fantasies than I). But that’s where the boys were last night for the opening song of their concert at Copps Coliseum.

Yup, a boxing ring. With satiny robes and padded gloves, the “boys” bounced off the ropes, ducked, dodged, bobbed and weaved, faked jabs and upper cuts while singing one of their biggest hits, Larger Than Life.

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First, they played around at being lords of the ring. Later, they delivered the one-two knockout punch.

Former teen-pop sensations the Backstreet Boys had the gloves on at the John Labatt Centre last night, earning the screams of 5,200 fans by hitting the stage in boxing attire, complete with silky robes and leathery mitts.

The knockout arrived at the end of the 100-minute, hardworking show with a thunderous Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) — the band’s one true classic — as the main set finale. A sweet encore with a visit to Shape of My Heart produced quieter, but still pretty deafening screams.

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Backstreet Boys bring comeback tour to Grande Prairie’s Crystal Centre November 15, 2008.

The Backstreet Boys hope to come back from the musical wasteland with the help of the Unbreakable World Tour.

So far, with near sold-out shows in Europe, Asia and North America, the boys are faring pretty well. Concertgoers could almost close their eyes and pretend it was the 1990s again. Well almost.

Still, with gigs such as singing the national anthem at the 2008 World Series, it is not easy to ignore the fact the group has once more stepped into the spotlight.

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Ever get that feeling of nostalgia when you hear a song you were once obsessed with? You know, maybe something you used to rock out to whilst wearing your Barney glow in the dark pajamas or scruncie from Limited Too. For thousands of fans in Wilks-Barre, Pa. the Backstreet Boys brought that nostalgiac feeling.

Brian Litrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McClean and Nick Carter have been touring since February to promote their latest CD, “Unbreakable.”

One of their final tour dates was played on Nov. 2 at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre.

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Warning: This article contains a possibly career-ending confession.

Flashback to my 14-year-old, awkward, braces-wearing self. I am sitting in my room with a stack of fan magazines and a giant ball of sticky tack. In a few hours the beige walls are plastered over with photos of the Backstreet Boys, most notably my favourite member, Brian Littrell.

I, Stephanie Classen, music writer, was a Backstreet Boys super fan.

The memories of my fandom are somewhat faint, but include crying during their Backstreet’s Back concert, performing some of their highly choreographed moves at school dances and forcing my wonderful mother to deliver their Millennium CD to school the morning it came out.

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