I never thought they’d actually find a way to turn back time.
But here we are. Impossible as it may seem.
This is being a few days later than I intended but I’ve been fighting the remnants of a fun flu bug. That aside, I’ve had a lot to think about. I think we all have. This week has felt incredibly surreal.
I became a fan of the Backstreet Boys when I was around eleven years old. I came in the debut era. That said, if I’m being completely honest I hit hard core fandom during the time of their Millennium album. I was a fan, don’t get me wrong. But the level of my fandom? It completely shifted in the year of 1999. They were everywhere back in that time. You couldn’t escape them. My favorite music video – Larger Than Life, came during that time. I was racing home to watch them on TRL to see if they came in at number one. They had a tour that sold out in literal minutes of releasing. This was the era that came with their best known single of their entire career – I Want It That Way.
Now, I’ve talked about how I grew up kind of poor. I never got to go to the Into The Millennium tour. But I still experienced this era to it’s fullest. There was such a magic and mania to being a fan during this time. This whole time just was a snapshot of the nineties in it’s prime. This was the Boys when they were on top and there was no question of their legendary status that would live to stand for the next 26 years to come. The album still stands today in the top fifty selling albums of all time.
I guess that’s why I got emotional at the videos of the Backstreet Boys doing a photoshoot for the recreation of that album booklet. And I know if I tried to explain it to someone who wasn’t a fan, they’d never understand. But I know you guys will understand. Seeing them doing those iconic photoshoots? It tugs at something inside and you remember that magic all over again. Between the Boys taking a break last year, and us not having new music since 2022, I guess that helped tug at the emotions a little. I admit it. At the same time these memories are as special to the Backstreet Boys as they are to us. This whole thing is essentially a love note to the album that cemented their status as legends.
I’m beyond excited for the Millennium 2.0 era. I’m ready for what’s to come. I love seeing the Boys being celebrated by massive celebrities on the SNL Concert Special. I love seeing everyone get excited and them already begin to break records with just the Ticketmaster Presale Signups alone. The ticket haven’t even been sold yet and demand has already had them add three new shows!
During the first residency, I had the pleasure of watching my city fall in love with my favorite group of all time. We all got to see the world remember them, their skill and their passion. It lit a fire that still hasn’t gone out as they rose back to the top again. Now, knowing they’re about to come back here again? It’s like they found a magic time machine. A way of turning back the clock to that same mania that captured us all back in 1999, when everything was simpler. All I’m missing is a record store to line up outside of until midnight really. Or you know, Carson Daly on TRL. Then again we did get him on the Today Show with them. Man, who found them a time machine? It’s pretty freaking effective. I’m so thrilled that I get to find redemption for an iconic tour I never got to go to, but will definitely see in July. I’m excited at the idea of buying this album filled with live tracks, remasters, and their new song Hey that I’ll be rambling about in the very near future.
I’m just excited beyond belief. I feel thirteen again!
If I could just tell the Rose in 1999, where we’d be in 2025? She’d call me a liar.
Everything about this, is just, magic. Magic from another time brought forward into the now when we just might need it the most. It’s such a beautiful thing. That’s what makes everything about this so special. It may be hard to explain but I know that this fandom knows what I mean. I love that about us. This shared experience that only the Backstreet Army truly understands.
I want to thank you Boys. I want to thank you for having the same passion you had back in 1999. I want to thank you, on behalf of all of us, for never forgetting your journey. Thank you for loving the music just as much as us, for loving the memories just as much as we do. That love shows in the care you’ve taken in the past week alone, honoring your journey then, with everything you’re doing now. We see you. We love you. Though Nick? If Don’t Want You Back has a shot of being a single or a music video…do us all a favor at let it happen this time! (Kidding…sort of.)
And thank you to the incredible team of women behind you Boys, helping make this happen. We see you too. There’s not enough words to say how much we appreciate you women for all the hard work you’ve done behind the scenes. I promise, the fandom sees you.
I can’t believe we get to do this all again.
Here’s to going back in time…back to the Millennium.
The Dark Side 