Backstreet Boys DNA World Tour 2019

If you follow me on social media, you might be a bit sick of me posting about the Backstreet Boys already this week… but I’m not sorry. I know I don’t usually blog about my BSB obsession, but I am drowning in post-concert blues today and I need to talk about it. I apologise in advance for all the photos. They’re all mine, all taken on Tuesday 18th June 2019, from inside the DNA circle.

Backstreet Boys DNA World Tour 2019

I should probably mention here that this is not an objective review. Don’t get me wrong, all opinions are my own, blah blah etc, and I definitely paid for my tickets (worth every penny but, for the record, if the Boys want to give me free tickets next time in exchange for a review… I’d be OK with that). The problem is that, when it comes to BSB, I can’t be objective. I have loved them since I was 10 years old and, while I wouldn’t sing their praises if I didn’t think they deserved it… they usually deserve it (in my opinion). So, this is an honest review… but you should know from the start that it’s also a ridiculously positive one.

If you’re in the mood to read more about the tour, I’d recommend you head over to Honestly Helen for her review. She reviewed the DNA album here, too, if you’re interested (not quite ridiculously positive, I’m afraid).

Backstreet Boys at The O2

The Boys were originally set to play one show at The O2 in London – Monday 17th June. That sold out almost immediately – proving that the BSB army is one dedicated bunch of fans and the Boys have still got it after 26 years. A second show was added for the 18th… and that sold out, too.

So which show did I go to? Both. Obviously. I couldn’t resist and I’m so glad I didn’t try very hard.

Before this week, I hadn’t seen the Boys live since 2005. I know. I can’t believe it, either. But things kept getting in the way of me going when they toured after that. So I’d waited a looooong time for this. Was it worth the wait? Hell, yes!

Monday 17th June 2019

I want to very quickly mention the support act, Mic Lowry. Generally speaking, I’m never really bothered about seeing the support act. I don’t skip it… but they’re not why I’m there, you know? I actually really enjoyed Mic Lowry’s set. Both nights. If you haven’t heard of them (I hadn’t), they’re worth checking out. You can find them on Instagram here.

The Main Event

I wish I could say that I went into the arena with no idea what to expect. But I’m afraid I was all about the spoilers as soon as they’d performed the first show of the tour in May. Still, it didn’t feel “spoiled” and the anticipation and excitement was immense. The opening of the show is amazing. The whole arena was on their feet and screaming long before the Boys were actually on the stage.

And we stayed standing for the whole show. Two hours, 33 songs… non stop dancing.

The set list

From the moment they kicked off with Everyone and I Wanna Be With You (amazing song, by the way, and a great way to start the night) to the moment the lights went down after their Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Larger Than Life encore, I was in my element. I loved the whole set list. The combination of big hit singles, underrated tracks and new material from the DNA album was perfect, in my opinion. They didn’t perform every song in full – with a 33 song set list, they couldn’t do that without making the show twice as long. I would have been OK with that, but I guess they had other places to be… Instead, a few tracks were sung as shortened solos or shortened versions/medleys and it worked really well. It was realy fast paced, with one amazing track after another.

The show

Let’s take a minute to consider how long the Backstreet Boys have been doing this. Twenty six years is a really long time. And this isn’t a comeback. They’ve never split up, never gone anywhere, and they’re still producing amazing new music (I love the DNA album and can’t wait for whatever they come up with next). So while there’s plenty of nostalgia with this tour, it’s not about reliving their glory days – they still have plenty of those ahead of them. But it’s worth remembering they are not in their 20s anymore. This is a high-energy show, with amazing choreography. I am still exhausted after dancing to two shows… imagine actually performing a whole tour worth of shows all over the world. The Boys were amazing. I’d only seen them live twice before (for the Millenium and Never Gone tours) and the DNA shows were the best I’ve ever seen them.

The Circle

On the Monday night, I was seated in row S of block A2. Amazing seats. We had such a great view and it was a brilliant night. But Tuesday… Tuesday was something else. I couldn’t afford to get VIP tickets, as much as I wanted to. But when Ticketmaster sold a batch of DNA Circle tickets without the VIP/Meet & Greet perks, I couldn’t resist. That’s when I decided to do both nights. The Circle ticket ended up being the same price that I paid for my seated ticket, but the experience was a million times better. I was living my best life in that circle. The view was amazing. I was right in the middle of everything. All five Boys touched my hand – that’s how close I was. The interaction we got from the Boys in that circle was just wonderful and I will never forget it. I just wish I’d gone VIP, because meeting them would have been the icing on the cake.

The After Party

Since I couldn’t go VIP for the main event, I jumped at the chance to go VIP when the after party was announced. Who knows when I might next get the chance to meet Nick and Howie? The meet and greet was quick, but possibly the best 30 seconds ever. Nick and Howie were both really sweet. And I managed to say actual words to them. Not many, but I managed to thank them for two awesome shows and ask them to please come back very soon. Nick promised that they would and a promise made during a meet and greet is legally binding, yes? Add that to AJ saying that they’d be back next year when he crashed the after party, and I guess maybe I won’t have to wait too long for my next chance to go VIP and meet them all. I didn’t stay for long after the meet and greet, because it was getting really late and I was a bit worried about the drive home on my own and getting back for the twins. But, from what I hear, it was an amazing party.

All in all, I think it’s fair to say that I loved my DNA tour experience. I like a lot of music from a lot of different genres, but no band or musician has held my interest the way the Backstreet Boys have for over 25 years. I’ve also never been to see the same show two nights in a row before. But if I could follow the Boys on the rest of their tour, I absolutely would.