My Backstreet Boys Sphere Review Shows the Healing Power of Nostalgia
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The obsession with Y2K is everywhere you look, from the resurgence of butterfly clips and low-rise jeans to the eraâs most beloved starsâ having massive comebacks. We canât escape it. For most millennials, itâs a bittersweet reminder of what we hadâTechnicolor joy, human connection before the dawn of social media, music that existed not for authenticity but for pure fun.
So when I heard the Backstreet Boys were kicking off a new Las Vegas residency at The Sphere to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their landmark 1999 album Millennium, I knew I had to be there (it was quite the event to plan, so Iâve dropped some FAQs at the end of this review).
Itâs hard to overstate the cultural change that Y2K ushered in. Typically defined as the years between 1997 and 2004, the era marked a period of all-encompassing changeâmost notably in the realms of fashion and beauty, technology, music, and mediaâthat left nearly everything about the â90s behind while creeping toward the uncertainty of a new millennium.
The Backstreet Boys perform âLarger Than Lifeâ at The Sphere on July 11, 2025.
Chantal Waldholz
It was the era that spawned pop icons like Britney Spears and Destinyâs Child. MTVâs live music video countdown show Total Request Liveâa.k.a. TRLâreigned supreme (yours truly sat in the audience more than once). Rom-com movies starring Mandy Moore, Kate Hudson, and Julia Stiles topped the box office. And the biggest decision in a preteenâs or teenâs life? Picking the right song lyric for an away message on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), hoping your crush would see it and message you.
But perhaps nothing defined Y2K more than the rise of the boy band. Copycats abounded, but Backstreet Boys and âNSync were the undisputed heavyweights, and discourse around which camp you were loyal to became part of the national conversation.
Itâs a time weâre deeply nostalgic forâit obviously wasnât perfect, but to a young person at that time, the world felt more connected (in more ways than AIM). So I reached out to my best friend, Dianne, and together we planned an epic Y2K weekend that included grabbing BSB tickets for their opening night and even a set by DJ Pauly D (yes, the Pauly D from the late â00s MTV hit reality show Jersey Shore) at Marquee Dayclub. Our significant others joined us and had the time of their lives (if only their early â00s Eminem-loving selves knew that one day theyâd be at a BSB show).
We came prepared. The bandâNick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, and Kevin Richardsonârequested via social media that everyone attending the show come dressed in their best white âfits, a nod to the iconic all-white ensembles they wore on the cover of the album as well as in their equally iconic âI Want It That Wayâ music video.
Chantal Waldholz and her friend Dianne on their way to the Backstreet Boys show at The Sphere.
Chantal Waldholz
And thatâs what we did. We bought new outfits and booked appointments with Glamsquad, the on-demand service that sends makeup artists and hairstylists to you for a night out on the Strip. I wonât lieâŠthis was a pricey trip, but one that was worth it. The weekend was a love letter to our past and exactly what we needed in the present.
Seeing our childhood obsessions was, of course, exciting, but it was taking this time for ourselves that felt vital. My friend Dianne, a working mother of two, rarely finds time to get away, while Iâve been navigating grief since my father passed away last winter, often feeling stuck in cycles of stress and sorrow. This trip felt like a lifelineâa break from the heaviness and a return to joy.
Walking into The Sphere in Vegas was magical. I knew it was going to be cool, but I was not at all prepared for what I was about to experience. The visuals were out of this world. The show opened with a spaceship rideâan ode to the music video for âLarger Than Life.â If youâre a true BSB fan, you know what that means. Suddenly the spaceship landed centerstage, the entrance lights blazed, and voilĂ âall five guys appeared and McLean belted out his famous yell. From there, the sold-out crowd was up in their seats, singing and dancing along to every number. It was incredible to see so many millennials like myself with their friends, letting loose and returning to an era of unbridled happiness. At that moment, I felt connected to 20,000 strangers. It brought me back to 1997, when I was 11 years old and my mom took me to see the band for the first time. During every show, weâd make friends with other moms and their daughters. These are memories I cling to, doing that very same thing 25 years later with strangers.
The Backstreet Boys perform âEverybody.â
Chantal Waldholz
And then: Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Lance Bass, a member of âNSync, euphorically singing and dancing along as well. Soon most of the crowd spots him, too, and erupts in cheers. I was in the same venue as my favorite âNSync member who was watching my favorite boy band, which more than two decades earlier has been considered his biggest nemesis. Forget metaâthis, to quote Hilary Duff, is what dreams are made of.
For the next 90 or so minutes, the guys did it allâperforming everything from âQuit Playing Games (With My Heart)â to deep cuts like âDonât Want You Backâ and âItâs Gotta Be You.â Some highlights included a photo collage of their moms and families during their rendition of âPerfect Fanâ and a 2025 recreation of their 1996 music video for âGet Down (Youâre the One for Me).â I remembered all of the choreography, and yes, I did it in my seat.
Throughout the show one person stayed on my mind: my dad.
My preteen and teen obsession with the BSBâand my other faves, the Spice Girls (if they go to The Sphere, take all my money)âhad a lot to do with him. My father was a disc jockey, and I grew up surrounded by music of every kind: â50s rock, disco, hip-hop, R&B. I was a pop girl from the jump, but before I ever saw what these bands looked like, it was the music, and my dad, that pulled me in.
As a DJ, heâd get music releases early, and heâd often play a track Iâd never heard before. Iâd fall in love with it instantly. My love for pop music (and music in general) runs deep because of him.
Chantal and her dad, Elliot.
Chantal Waldholz
So revisiting one of the happiest times in my life by seeing BSB all these years later hit me harder than I expected. Happy memories soared through my mind. I could picture my dad, wherever he may be, watching me experience this and smiling. It felt like he was with me.
The group closed out the show with âEverybody (Backstreetâs Back),â which some argued should have been the opener, but I thought it fitâtheyâre reminding everyone that theyâre back and better than ever (though, tbh, they never werenât backâtheyâve been doing this together for more than 30 years).
As we walked out of The Sphere that night, I felt immense joy. A sense that while life is often filled with tragedy and trauma, itâs also rich with beauty, and the moments that shape who we are becoming. The thing is, weâre always evolving. Weâre never in the same place forever. Chances are, at some point in life youâll return to a time you think of fondlyâin some way, shape, or form. For me, it was spending time with my best friend of 26 years, seeing these five guys perform, and remembering how my dad shaped who I am. It was more than nostalgia. It was healing.
How long are the Backstreet Boys in Vegas at The Sphere?All summer long! Their seven-week-long residency kicked off Friday, July 11, and ends Sunday, August 24.
How to get tickets to the Backstreet Boys at The SphereTickets are available on Ticketmaster.com. You can also check out legitimate third-party sites like Stubhub.
Backstreet Boys residency datesThe guys perform every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting Friday, July 11, through Sunday, August 24.
Backstreet Boys Sphere set listItâs epic. Hereâs a complete rundown of the concert I was at, with the understanding that it might change show to show:
âLarger Than LifeââItâs Gotta Be YouââAs Long as You Love MeââMore Than ThatââI Need You TonightââSiberiaââDonât Want You BackââGet Another BoyfriendââShow Me the Meaning of Being LonelyââDonât Wanna Lose You NowââHey, Mr. DJ (Keep Playinâ This Song)ââThe OneââBack to Your HeartââSpanish EyesââNo One Else Comes CloseââThe Perfect FanââAll I Have to GiveââDrowningââQuit Playing Games (With My Heart)ââShape of My HeartââI Want It That WayââGet Down (Youâre the One for Me)ââWeâve Got It Goin’ OnââThe CallââEverybody (Backstreetâs Back)â
