We saw Backstreet Boys at the Sphere in Las Vegas and it was filled with movie and pop culture references.
When the hamburger-shaped spaceship with the word “Millennium” on the back lowered down above me, I figured I was in for something special. What I didn’t expect was that, for the next two hours, the “Millennium…” let’s call it “Falcon,” would fly through an asteroid field before docking on a planet with light cycles and noir landscapes, as lines of code dropped down like rain and huge cylindrical gates of stars swirled around. But that’s what happened, and, I must say, it was phenomenal.
Last weekend, the iconic boy band Backstreet Boys started a short run of shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s that huge dome you’ve certainly seen on social media that houses its own unique Darren Aronofsky film, will soon reimagine The Wizard of Oz, and has played host to mega bands like U2, Dead & Company, Phish, and the Eagles. Backstreet Boys are the first pop group to play the venue, though, and when the dates were announced earlier this year, my wife, her best friend, and I knew we had to be there.
Fast forward through months of waiting, miles traveled, and dollars spent, and we finally arrived at the Sphere for the show. We were there for night two of the multi-week run, so we implemented a strict 24-hour social media blackout to avoid being spoiled by videos and clips from the first night. That was mostly successful, so, as we entered the venue, we had no idea what to expect.
Okay, we had a little bit of an idea. Backstreet’s Sphere performances celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album Millennium, which, even if you aren’t a fan of the band, you almost certainly know. It was one of the biggest albums in history, with singles such as “Larger Than Life” and “I Want It That Way.” That, coupled with the fact we’ve seen Backstreet at venues all across Los Angeles and Las Vegas over the past decade, gave us a bit of an idea what to expect. But once the countdown clock clicked to zero, things were taken to a whole other level.
As you sit waiting for the show to start, you’re in this huge pseudo-laboratory.
