Thirty Two Years.
When I was a kid, thirteen years old going crazy watching Larger Than Life on TRL, I’ll be honest. I didn’t give much thought to how long the Backstreet Boys would be around. I know what people would tell me. My siblings told me it was a phase and I’d grow out of it, the media would say that it was just a silly fad, etc. You know what I mean here. So many wrote off the group that would grow to become the biggest and best selling boyband in history. I wonder, back in 1997, after they finally began to hit in the US, in “no fan land” as they called it, if they thought they’d last this long as a group. I know what they say now, how they want to be the “Rolling Stones” of pop. But what about in their beginning days? Did they ever imagine they’d last this long?
I don’t know if I ever did. All I had were hopes.
And on this anniversary, when we are a mere two and a half months away from celebrating the revival of their biggest era of their career, its a really good time to look back I think. To really think about how far they have come as a group. Now is the time to celebrate their ups, their downs, their strength and their resilience. Because there were so many times it could’ve gone the other way. They could’ve just…decided that was enough and walked away. Other massive boybands of their era did, and left their fans behind to dream of a someday reunion that may never happen. We are so, so lucky in that we’ve never had to have those dreams. Instead, we dream of what milestones they will hit next on their journey.
That’s a blessing, guys. The fact we don’t have to hope for them to be together. We know that they are. We know that they aren’t going anywhere right now. We have so much to look forward to. I’m so proud to be a Backstreet Boys fan. I’m proud of the fact I’m a fan of the group that stands by each other no matter what. That they’re the group that doesn’t let the world take them down. They don’t let anyone else define who or what they are. Only they do. And it’s beautiful.
This is the group that keeps their promises.
The group that looks to the future for what’s to come and they get excited about it. This is the group who can look back fondly on their journey and bask in the nostalgia because it inspires them for what they want to do next. Backstreet Boys are that group guys. They’re the group with a real anniversary because they never once broke up. Not once. There’s no other group like them that can say that. Every other one has broken up. Some reunited, sure. Others never did. But they’re the ones that have stuck it out through it all. Cheesy as it sounds, it’s what made them larger than life for three decades now.
But one day, all this will end.
While their legacy will last forever, that’s still a reality. It’s one none of us want to think about, of course. But it’s the truth. That’s why we need to really enjoy every single show, every bit of content, every bit of new music we get, because one day all we’ll have are the beautiful memories they gave us over the span of multiple decades. They have defined our lives. They gave us friendships and journeys that they may never get to know about. And that’s okay. What’s important is that we know. We know the impact they’ve had on so many, and it’s something to behold.
So happy anniversary Backstreet Boys.
Thank you for the music. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the love you have for each other. Thank you for the love you have for your fans. Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your passion.
It means more to us than you’ll ever know.
The Dark Side 