To start things off, the Boys boxed their way onto the stage – complete with boxing ring and shiny robes – and pumped out their hit ‘Larger Than Life.’  Modern twists on this older hit included a remix with the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ – to carry on the Rocky theme – and Nick Carter pulling a Kanye and rapping ‘Stronger.’

    Nick, Brian, AJ and Howie showed that - even one member short - they could fill the stage with as much enthusiasm and showmanship as ever.  The show slowed down after the first few upbeat tunes, but these ballads are what the Boys are known for, so they disappointed no one.  ‘Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely’ (sung while the Boys “played poker”)  and ‘I Want It That Way’ are just a couple of the tunes that had the entire arena bellowing along in unison.  These fist-clenchers  brought out the lighters, or at least the cell phones mascarading as such.

    Each member also took a turn at a solo effort.  Howie D went back to his Latin roots and gyrated on stage; AJ brought out the rock, running around like the crazy man he is, singing ‘Drive By Love’; while Nick and Brian both played songs from solo albums from a few years back.

    A montage of hits brought the crowd back.  ‘Quit Playing Games,’ ‘As Long As You Love Me,’ and ‘All I Have To Give’ (complete with original hat dance) reminded the crowd why we love them.  And boy, did we love them.

Honestly, I was surprised.  The Boys would say, “Put your hands in the air,” and EVERYONE in the arena happily complied.  These guys have been together for 15 years, and – fortunately – they’re still willing to give the crowd what they want (even if it is cliché).  And this is a crowd who has been with them from the beginning:  Montreal fans will never stop bragging about how they were the first to discover this worldwide phenomenon (first in North America, anyway.)

    Interspersed with their old tracks were some newer hits that fit right in.  Near the end of the show, they brought out the big guns with ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).’  Not ones to disappoint, they even pulled out that dance that is now synonymous with boy bands (you know, the one you spent hours learning.  Oh, that was just me?)  And, with another remix up their collective sleeve, the Aerosmith classic ‘Walk This Way’ somehow merged seamlessly with this huge hit.

    The Boys played one encore, ‘Shape of my Heart.’  They could have played 10 more songs and still the crowd would have wanted more. 

    But mainly, the concert brought back fond memories of days gone by.  To wax nostalgic for a sec, these Boys have grown up in front of our eyes, and we’ve grown up with them (as was evidenced by the average age of the girls in the venue: mid-20s, early 30s).  It was nice to feel 15 again, if only for one night.

    And they still did the ‘Everybody’ dance.  Awesome.

Remember this???