This Is Us

Barely two week had passed since TJ and I dragged our sick carcasses to Auditorio Telmex to see an even sicker Enrique Iglesias, and yet last night we found ourselves returning there to watch the Backstreet Boys in one of the final performances of their "This Is Us" world tour.

We weren't sick this time. Fortunately, neither were the boys, and they sang and danced their hearts out to a nearly sold out crowd.

But this was not our first experience with the BSB.

On September 17, 2004 the Backstreet Boys and Boyz II Men performed a benefit concert to raise money for the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund at the House of Blues in Orlando. Brooke Hogan was the opening act. She was sporting red hair extensions that looked horrendous and weren't glued in very well. But the two boy bands were amazing...and complete. In June 2006, Kevin Richardson left the BSB to pursue other interests. If not for that ridiculously active hurricane season in Central Florida, we would have never seen the band perform as a complete unit. Thanks, Mother Nature!

Alas, the remaining BSB have gone on to record two respectably successful albums, and Kevin was never heard from again. Kind of like when Wil Wheaton left Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"This Is Us"

Set List

"Everybody"

"We've Got It Goin' On"

"PDA"

"Quit Playin' Games With My Heart"

"As Long As You Love Me"

"This Is Us"

"Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely"

"All I Have To Give"

"She's A Dream"

"Nunca Te Hare Llorar (I'll Never Break Your Heart)"

"The Call"

"The One"

"Bigger"

"Shape of My Heart"

"More Than That"

"Undone"

"Incomplete"

"Larger Than Life"

"All of Your Life (You Need Love)"

"Bye Bye Love"

"If I Knew Then"

"I Want It That Way"

Encore

"Straight Through My Heart"

Joining us for our second BSB encounter were several friends and coworkers, two of whom are pictured here...and all of whom were completely horrified when Brian Littrell made the observation that the "boys" had been together for 18 years. "Eighteen years? Oh my god! I was barely a teenager then!" was the type of thought that ran through our aging heads at that very moment. Notice the look of shock on my face. Yes. We will call it that, instead of just a goofy grin.

But watching the concert, and seeing that they are still willing and able to get out there and shake their moneymakers regardless of their increasing age is more a reminder of how great life is than it is of how horrible those new wrinkles and gray hairs are.

I have to wonder, though, if that's a fair comparison. I mean, yes, my life is far better now than it was 18 years ago. Hell, 18 months ago. But unlike the BSB, I'm not now, nor have I ever been, nor am I likely ever to be, a multi-millionaire or a teen idol.

...and don't get me wrong. Those wrinkles and gray hairs suck.

BSB...still Larger than Life

Guadalajara is the fifth-to-last stop on a tour that has spanned over 120 performances, 5 continents, and 1.5 years.

The boys must be tired, but they can't rest yet. They are about to embark on a multi-city tour with the New Kids on the Block, aptly called NKOTBSB.

Will it come to Mexico? Time will tell!

In the meantime, enjoy a small sample of last night's festivities.