Backstreet Boys, Auckland NZ, 2023

Backstreet Boys

11th March 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Maria Foy (Happy Mum Happy Child). Photography by Chris Morgan.

The Backstreet Boys have had, and always will have, a special place in my heart.

As a 16 year old, I was Backstreet Boy crazy, and would dream of seeing them in concert. My girlfriend and I would eagerly await the new TV Hits to come out each week to see if they were in it and would religiously listen to their music over and over. Our walls were plastered in posters from top to bottom, and I believe at one point we had decided we were going to marry one of them.

One of the things about living in New Zealand back then, was that groups like that rarely made their way past Australia. So it’s really only been in the last 13 years that they’ve been here.

I last saw them in 2010, when Kevin was taking a break from the group; so there were only four of them. The concert was good; but not amazing. It felt lackluster and although I had a good time, it felt like something was missing.

Now I can truly say, after seeing them in concert last night, they’ve got their groove back.

From the moment they stepped onto the stage, the show was jam packed full of incredible music, lights, dance moves and of course vocals.

The boys put on a high quality, fun-filled show that had every person out of their seat dancing and singing.

The show was almost 2 hours long, with the majority of the songs being from their DNA album. We were also treated to many classics such as Get Down (You’re The One For Me), The One, and I Want It That Way.

Like myself, the Backstreet Boys have aged, but there’s something about them that still has that spark. They can still pull off the classic Everybody (Backstreets Back) moves, and the All I Have To Give hat routine. Lord knows we, the audience, absolutely lapped it up.

I was close to the stage, so got a few nice interactions with them, however each of the Backstreet Boys made an effort to engage with the audience far outside of the front rows. It felt like they were genuinely happy to be there with us.

I have been to many concerts over the years and this one actually trumped them all. Nostalgia wrapped up in a great high-quality performance.

I was blown away by the whole show, from top to bottom; and the final song, Larger Than Life, was the perfect song to finish up a great night.

As I left Spark Arena, you could feel the buzz from everyone. It felt like the general consensus was that it was the best concert they’d been to.

I totally agree.

Thank you Backstreet Boys for fulfilling this once 16 year olds dreams. Even though I’m not 16 anymore, you still exceeded my expectations, and solidified further that I will always be a fan of yours.

Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent flashback gig? Or have you seen Backstreet Boys perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Everyone
2. I Wanna Be With You
3. The Call
4. Don’t Want You Back
5. Nobody Else
6. New Love
7. Get Down (You’re the One for Me)
8. Chateau
9. Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely
10. Incomplete
11. Undone
12. More Than That
13. The Way It Was
14. Chances
15. Shape of My Heart
16. Drowning
17. Passionate
18. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)
19. As Long as You Love Me
20. No Place
21. Breathe
22. Don’t Wanna Lose You Now
23. I’ll Never Break Your Heart
24. All I Have to Give
25. Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
26. We’ve Got It Goin’ On
27. It’s Gotta Be You
28. That’s the Way I Like It
29. Get Another Boyfriend
30. The One
31. I Want It That Way
32. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart [encore]
33. Larger Than Life [encore]

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided a pass to photograph this concert. Our reviewer paid full price for their ticket to the show. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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