Review: Backstreet Boys remain the gold standard for boy bands
All of us in attendance had our favorite Backstreet Boy.
Some were rooting first and foremost for Kevin. Others declared their love for AJ or were squarely in Howie’s camp. And there’s was no shortage of Kevin and Nick supporters.
I’ve always been a Brian guy — because, well, he’s the best. (And, when it comes to “boy band” fandom, you really don’t need any supporting evidence to back up that kind of proclamation.)
Yet, we all came together with one thing in common on the closing night of BottleRock Napa Valley:
Yes, tens of thousands of music fans — of the 40,000-plus in the house for this multi-stage festival — were lined up in front of BottleRock’s biggie Prudential Stage on Sunday night (May 24) to see the greatest boy band of the past 40 years.
And, just to be clear, I certainly don’t mean New Kids on the Block.
It was the mighty Backstreet Boys — the legendary Orlando-born vocal quintet consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson and, best of all, Brian Littrell — and the multiplatinum-selling group would use the occasion to deliver a 90-minute headlining set that was rich on hits, personality, great vocal work and fun dance moves.
It was a superb way to close out the 2026 BottleRock Napa Valley, the annual festival that featured so many diversely appealing acts — from such top-tier headliners as Lorde and Foo Fighters to lesser-knowns gems like Rilo Kiley and Larkin Poe — during its three-day run at the Napa Valley Expo in downtown Napa.
Sunday had been a strong Day 3 in terms of entertainment offerings, including soul/R&B/funk royalty Kool & the Gang, rising indie-pop star Sombr (who is already big enough to warrant an arena tour that touches down at the SAP Center in San Jose on Oct. 7), San Diego reggae-rock faves Slightly Stoopid (which delivered a stupendous cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” during its set) and hip-hop icon Ludacris.
After a colorful video montage opening segment, which kind of made the Backstreet Boys look like Marvel superheroes, the five vocalists burst onto the stage dressed in all white with “Larger Than Life.” And they’d live up to that song title as they danced and boogied their way through the first of a generous number of tunes from the 1999 blockbuster “Millennium.”
All five of the singers — who are in the midst of a hugely successful residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas — sounded strong as they traded verses and matched fancy footwork during a steady succession of the fans favorites “It’s Gotta Be You,” “As Long as You Love Me” and “More Than That.”
The band had great success with the slow numbers, such as the gorgeous “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” and “Drowning,” which left many fans swooning and a bit moon-eyed. And the best of that lot was the stunning “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” which is as superb a love ballad as anything that came out of the pop music genre in the ’90s. Littrell, who also has done fine solo work in the Christian music realm, was a shining star on that stand-out track from the band’s self-titled debut (released in Europe in 1996 and the U.S. in 1997).
The Backstreet Boys closed up their main set with a vastly enjoyable homestretch run through “Shape of My Heart,” “I Want It That Way,” “Get Down (You’re the One for Me)” and other winners, before bouncing back into action with an encore of — what else? — “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”
It was also a powerful way to conclude the 2026 chapter of BottleRock Napa Valley — and get fans in the mood to start planning for next year’s festival. So, with their regular knack for superb timing, organizers immediately released the dates for the 2027 BottleRock — May 28-30 — and put presale tickets on the market. Ducats are now available “for their lowest prices ” ($436 for three-day GA passes) at bottlerocknapavalley.com.
Backstreet Boys setlist:
1) “Larger Than Life”
2) “It’s Gotta Be You”
3) “As Long as You Love Me”
4) “More Than That”
5) “Don’t Want You Back”
6) “Get Another Boyfriend”
7) “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely”
8) “The One”
9) “Incomplete”
10) “All I Have to Give”
11) “Drowning”
12) “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”
13) “Shape of My Heart”
14) “I Want It That Way”
15) “Get Down (You’re the One for Me)”
16) “The Call”
17) “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 9:25 AM.