Flashback: A few weeks ago I bought the “Backstreet Boys – The Hits“-CD. When I listened to it, I was surprised to find myself knowing all of the songs plus a lot of the lyrics. So without ever owning a CD, it seemed that I had listened to these songs quite a lot through the radio and in discos. They brought back a lot of memories and this 90s feeling, you know, “the good ol’ days”. So when a friend of mine asked me whether I was interested in getting a last-minute ticket to the BSB concert in Munich, I immediately said yes.
Actually I had seen BSB before. That was waaaaay back in 1996 when they performed on the “Hessentag” in Gelnhausen. Radio station FFH used to sponsor a big all-star concert for each Hessentag, which was completely for free and featured many of the most popular artists and bands of that time. It was always a highlight and a must-see! So in Gelnhausen it was not only the Backstreet Boys performing, but also Mr. President, Sweetbox, Stefan Raab, Bürger Lars Dietrich, Caught in the act, Lucilectric and more. Remember all of them? It was a long afternoon and evening with BSB being the last group and everyone went crazy when they finally came on stage. I remember having to leave in the middle of their show because our last train back home was departing. Well, I guess we should have stayed, because in Fulda we missed the connection and my dad had to pick us up by car in the middle of the night anyway – something he teases me about to this day.
Anyway, back to the present: So this Monday I saw my first complete BSB-concert. I wouldn’t have expected the boys to almost sell out the Olympiahalle as their new album “In a world like this” was not really a show-stopper. But I guess most of the audience was there to reminisce about the 90s. BTW: Although there were predominantly females, surprisingly many men attended the show as well.
Supporting act was the vocal group “The Exchange“, which already brought a little boyband-flair on stage. Then the Backstreet Boys opened their show with “The call“. Through the next two hours they ignited a firework of hits: from their very first single release “We’ve got it goin’ on” to their wonderfully cheesy ballads like “I’ll never break your heart” – and everyone in the audience seemed to know the lyrics word by word so the whole venue resounded with a huge mass choir. The boys not only brought back the songs but also the dance routines. So they fulfilled the wishes of their fans of seeing “their” Backstreet Boys on stage, but they also couldn’t resist commenting on their younger selves with a little irony and a wink. When they sat down to perform some old and new songs with their instruments, they explained that they had to come up with a plan of what to do when the time comes and they cannot “shake what their momma gave them” anymore. So now they have learned to play instruments and consequently “will be here forever”.
I kind of felt a little guilty for wanting them to bring on the hits and take me to the 90s. I bet at least 80% of the audience “used” them in that way to reminisce about the past and sing the songs of their youth. I really think their new album is worth listening to, there are some beautiful songs on there like “Try“, “Madeleine” or “Trust me“. But that’s not what I came there for. It’s unfair to forbid artists to grow and expect them to kind of freeze in time to allow you to go back and re-live a time long gone. I just hope they still enjoy doing this!
Because we did enjoy it. Oh, how we did! There were no big surprises in the show, it was good, solid entertainment and for me it could have gone on for at least another two hours. We danced and sang along and really felt like we were back in the 90s. It was like a time-travel, you were in a completely different mindset during the show and when the lights went on you really were like, “Oh, wait a second, what was my life again right now???” Well, I guess that’s a sign of getting old…
music, the world & me 