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Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean on bringing ‘Millennium' to the Las Vegas Sphere
AJ McLean is on Zoom on Monday afternoon from the dimly lighted living room of a house he's renting in Las Vegas. Known in the late 1990s as the resident bad boy of his pop group, Backstreet Boys, McLean, now 47, says he's getting accustomed to the area in the hopes of buying a place in town next year. 'Dude, everybody's leaving L.A. and coming out to Vegas,' he says. 'Taxes, mainly. But actually my mom lives out here, so that's an added little bonus.' At the moment, McLean's got more than family and finances drawing him east: On Friday night, Backstreet Boys will launch a six-week residency at Sphere, the state-of-the-art orb-shaped venue that opened in late 2023 and has hosted eye-popping gigs by acts including U2, Phish, Dead & Company, the Eagles and Kenny Chesney. Indeed, as we talk, McLean is due at the $2-billion building for a production rehearsal planned to start at 11 p.m. — after that evening's late screening of director Darren Aronofsky's made-for-Sphere 'Postcard from Earth' film — and set to wrap at 4:30 in the morning. 'The schedule is a little s—y,' McLean says. 'I foresee us doing a run-through and a half tonight before people start nodding off.' This isn't the Backstreets' first time in Vegas: In 2017 the group — whose other members are Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson — began a residency at Planet Hollywood that ended up running for two years. But this one is tied to the 25th anniversary of 'Millennium,' the band's 1999 blockbuster that sold more than 13 million copies in the U.S. alone, spawned hit singles like the immortal 'I Want It That Way' and earned five Grammy nominations including album, record and song of the year. On Friday, the group will drop a deluxe reissue of the LP featuring outtakes, live recordings and a new song called 'Hey.' The Sphere show also comes as Carter has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, which Carter has denied. Asked to comment, McLean said, 'Allegations — that's all it is. We will stand by our boy.' These are excerpts from our conversation. Very important: Sphere or the Sphere?I've been told it's Sphere Las Vegas, but I catch myself because that's not proper English. Let's just call it what it is. Which of the venue's shows have you seen?Myself, Kevin, Howie and Brian went to the see the Eagles. Kevin then went back and saw Anyma — I'm not a big fan of that kind of music so I'm not really bummed that I missed that. Just recently, Kevin and Howie went to see Kenny Chesney. I'd love to take my kids when 'The Wizard of Oz' starts, because I've seen some testings and it looks insane. It's like half the normal film, and then they've integrated pyro and stuff happening live on a stage. It's pretty freaking cool. Sphere started out as a place for classic rock acts to come rejuvenate themselves. Backstreet Boys have been billed as the first pop act to the play the building, but I think it's probably fair to call you guys a legacy act as well. Does your residency feel different than the Eagles or U2?It does because those are legendary rock bands — they stand, they sing incredible songs, they play instruments and allow the backdrop to kind of narrate this whole music experience. Don Henley literally says, 'We're just the house band playing for what you're watching on the screen.' Backstreet Boys, we're still doing what we normally do and that's what's never been in this venue. We're still putting on a proper concert like we would normally do in a stadium or an arena — 85% of the show is dancing, running around, doing our thing. We have a couple tricks up our sleeve, and we'll find out Friday if we can pull it off. If we do, it's gonna be insane — I mean, honestly, it's gonna be insane. You're doing 'Millennium' from beginning to end. Are there songs on the album that you hadn't thought about in 10 or 20 years?There's a couple deep cuts: 'Back to Your Heart,' 'No One Else Comes Close.' These are songs that we literally have not done since the 'Millennium' tour. I tried to verbatim name all 12 songs on the album, and I was off by like four. The idea of doing something around the 25th anniversary, I brought it up to the boys seven years ago and it's been in talks since then. Finally, everybody was on the same page and we sat with our team: 'What can we do to celebrate this amazing record?' At the same time there were talks about Vegas wanting us to come back and do a potential residency — we heard rumblings from different hotels. Then the Sphere came up, and it was like, 'OK, well, it doesn't get any bigger than that.' Does it matter that you're a year off the actual 25th anniversary?We actually joke about that during the show. Because it took almost eight months to put this thing together visually, we obviously missed the window. But technically the 'Millennium' tour did go into 2000. So we got a little wiggle room there. The consensus seems to be that 'Millennium' is the Backstreet Boys' best album. Is that your opinion?I would have to say yes just based on record sales and the phenomenon that happened around that record. But is it my favorite album? No. 'Never Gone' and probably 'DNA' are my top two now. There's something about 'Never Gone' that was just very raw — a departure from our previous records, which had a lot of synth drums and synth sounds and whatnot. This was more organic — a little more rock, a little more live instrumentation — and some great, great songs. What I'm excited about with this whole experience is that we're making another memory together. We've told everyone coming to wear white, and it sounds like everyone's gonna do it. It's gonna be incredible to look out at a sea of white and sparkles and all the things from 1999. I think it's gonna be emotional for some of us. Kevin lost his mom not that long ago, so doing 'The Perfect Fan' — he starts the song, and he asked us, 'Would you guys mind singing the opening line with me, just in case it doesn't come out?' We've never sung the opening line of any song together, so this is a really sweet moment we get to have with our brother. A little Backstreet Boys trivia: At the 41st Grammys in 1999, you all were nominated for best new artist. You didn't win. Do you remember who did?I want to say it was Lauryn Hill. Nailed whole time, we were up against Sting and we were up against Rob Thomas and Santana [in 2000] — you can't really get mad going up against legends. It would be insane if this album, when it gets rereleased, it gets nominated again. I told the boys — I said, 'I've done my research, and no artist that I know of has remastered and rereleased their biggest album and had it go to No. 1 again.' Taylor Swift's Taylor's Versions?Again, on a technicality, that's a rerecord. This is the same album, just remastered. I talked to Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach a few months my boy. He told me you guys traded numbers and said you should write together sometime.I was actually gonna reach out to him this week and see if he wants to come see the show because he said he wanted to. He's such a good guy, and we're both on the straight and narrow. It's a beautiful thing. Speaking of rap-rock: In the summer of 1999, 'Millennium' and Limp Bizkit's 'Significant Other' kept trading places at No. 1 on Billboard's album it was the 'TRL' generation. MTV was dominating, and honestly I'd say five videos per week were pretty much the same five artists — it just kept switching and switching and switching. You had Blink-182, you had us, you had NSYNC, you had Britney and Christina. Then you had Limp, and then Korn came in for a while. That was where everything was for like a solid year. What does it mean that these two very different styles — teen pop and nü-metal — captured the soul of America's youth at the same time?Whether you were a fan of one or the other or both, it was good music — it was fun. And even though Limp was rap-rock, the melodies were great, the production was great, the vibe was great. The videos were fun and hilarious, and it got people excited. Same thing with us. You've always struck me as a guy with a bit of rock energy. Was there ever a part of you that wished you were in Limp Bizkit or Korn instead of Backstreet Boys?So many people over the years were like, 'Dude, you look like you should be in Good Charlotte.' It's the tattoos. I grew up on CCR and Stevie Wonder and Three Dog Night and Bowie and Michael. My debut solo record that's gonna come out end of this year — sure, it's pop, but it's a lot of R&B and funk and '80s and just stuff that I love. But I might dabble down the rock road at some point. I talked to Jacoby about it, actually — about maybe forming a little mini-supergroup. Just put together an album and have fun with it. Who gives a s—?
USA Today
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the bands that are playing and how to get tickets
Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the bands that are playing and how to get tickets Show Caption Hide Caption The Las Vegas Sphere is still turning heads with eye-catching visuals The Las Vegas Sphere has already secured its place as of the best displays off the Strip with its eye-catching visuals. From the moment U2 burst onto their turntable-styled stage in September 2023, the Las Vegas Sphere transformed live entertainment. Since then, the 17,600-capacity venue nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip has enticed sell-out crowds for residencies from Phish, Dead & Company and the Eagles, the latter two of which are still continuing. But the groundbreaking Sphere, with an exosphere broadcasting continuous imagery ranging from eyeballs to ugly Christmas sweaters to signature emoji mascot Orbi, is maximizing its technological abilities with not only live music, but filmed feats as well. 'Postcard from Earth,' directed by Darren Aronofsky, and U2's gripping concert movie 'V-U2," play almost daily (prices start at roughly $100 for each) and the Sphere has two additional film projects on deck: 'The Wizard of Oz' will be transformed into an immersive experience that retains the heart of the original film and opens Aug. 28, while 'From the Edge,' due in 2026, explores extreme sports with athletes including rock climber Alex Honnold, freediver Alenka Artnik and surfer Kai Lenny. Who will play the Sphere in 2025? Here's a look at the current concert lineup rotating through the Sphere. Ticket prices and availability vary; visit for more information. Eagles Dates: Friday-Saturday; April 11-12; Sept. 5-6; Sept. 12-13 Time: 8:30 p.m. What to expect: Anchored by founding member Don Henley, the band also includes long-timers Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit along with Deacon Frey (son of the late Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey), honorary Eagle Vince Gill and Chris Holt (who recently replaced veteran sidesman Steuart Smith after a diagnosis of Parkinsonism). A trip through the California rockers' deep treasure chest of songs begins with a beguiling ride through the 'Hotel California' that is both lovely and eerie. For two hours, the Eagles roll through chestnuts including 'One of These Nights,' Gill showcase 'Take it To the Limit,' a caffeinated 'Life in the Fast Lane' and ingrained hits from Henley ('The Boys of Summer') and Walsh ('Life's Been Good'). Dead & Company Dates: April 17-19; April 24-26; May 9-11; May 15-17 Time: 7:30 p.m. What to expect: Changing setlists are a hallmark of Dead shows and the more than three dozen they've played at the Sphere since May 2024 have followed that 60-year blueprint. With John Mayer (who is co-creative director of the shows) and Bob Weir helming the crew of psychedelic pioneers, Dead & Company bring fans through two sets of stunning, vibrant imagery. The backstage passes that digitally paper the entirety of the Sphere walls and the trip from Haight-Asbury to space are particularly captivating. The band, which also features Mickey Hart, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge and Bill Kreutzmann, have dutifully popped surprise jams into the concerts, especially with their second round of dates that began in late March. But 'Brown-Eyed Women,' 'Franklin's Tower,' 'China Cat Sunflower' and Sugaree' are among the frequent inclusions. Kenny Chesney Dates: May 22, 24-25; May 28; May 30-31; June 4; June 6-7; June 11; June 13-14; June 18; June 20-21 Time: 8 p.m. What to expect: As both the first country artist and first solo musician to play the Sphere, Chesney will have a blank tablet to craft his inaugural appearances. Though well-regarded for his high-octane stadium romps usually focused on his indefatigable performance style, Chesney has stated that the technological possibilities at the venue intrigued him – and also prompted him to sign on for a residency without having seen a live Sphere show. But after seeing the 'V-U2' film at the venue and how the setting 'took what they were doing and multiplied it by another dimension,' Chesney tells USA TODAY he quickly jumped to a point where 'the dreaming begins' for his own production. Backstreet Boys Dates: July 11-13; July 18-20; July 25-27; Aug. 1-3; Aug. 8-10; Aug. 15-17 Time: 8 p.m. What to expect: Another first for the Sphere in 2025 is the debut of its first pop act, the '90s quintet whose popularity has aged well and with a multigenerational fan base. Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough are complementing their Sphere debut with a rerelease of their smash 1999 album, 'Millennium,' which spawned the hits 'Larger Than Life,' 'I Want it That Way' and 'Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.' Aptly, 'Millennium 2.0' – with remasters of the original dozen tracks, demos, live versions and the new song 'Hey!' – lands the same day as their Sphere kickoff. As the group told USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa, the Vegas shows will showcase all of 'Millennium,' along with what McLean called the band's "personal favorites and the greatest hits." UNITY Dates: Aug. 29-31; Sept. 19-20; Sept. 26-27; Oct. 17-18 (general public on sale Monday; presales currently available) Time: 11:15 p.m. What to expect: The elite technology that powers the Sphere makes for an obvious marriage with electronic dance music, as showcased over New Year's with Anyma "The End of Genesys." Coming this summer is the pairing of EDM's biggest festival curators, Tomorrowland and Insomniac, with UNITY, which is billed as an immersive performance. Dance music, orchestral arrangements, cinematic sweeps and mesmerizing beats will utilize the venue's pristine sound system. Each show will include a one-hour finale commandeered by a surprise guest DJ – a popular staple in Las Vegas.
