Backstreet Boys In A World Like This Tour: 20 Years Into the Game, BSB Still Know How to Make the Girls Scream in Cleveland, Exclusive Review [VIDEO/FULL SETLIST]

By Carolyn Menyes c.menyes@gmail.com | Aug 11, 2013 06:56 PM EDT

It's been roughly 20 years since Backstreet Boys hit the scene and got young teenage girls screaming at the very sight of their favorite boy band member. Backstreet Boys concerts circa, say 2000, would register ear-splitting decibels from female fans, making unlucky boyfriends, husbands and fathers at the show hang their heads in amazement.

Not much has changed.

Backstreet Boys' In A World Like This Tour made its stop at Cleveland's Jacob's Pavilion at Nautica on Saturday, Aug. 10, and played to a nearly sold-out crowd of roughly 90 percent women. Though there was a bachelor party in attendance, the vast majority of fans at the concert were clearly women who had grown up listening to "Millennium" and staring at a poster of Nick Carter's dreamy blue eyes.

Following opening sets from DJ Pauly D and "Beautiful Soul" singer Jesse McCartney, Backstreet Boys took to the tiered stage at roughly 8:45 p.m., and the screams began. Stomping onto stage wearing matching white suits with black T-shirts and gloves, BSB opened with the intense adultery anthem "The Call" from "Black & Blue."

The following set -- which included mostly BSB's greatest hits, such as "As Long As You Love Me," "We've Got It Going On," "Incomplete" and "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" -- was put together in a seamless manner. Transitioning from one song to another without hesitation and switching outfits in a matter of minutes while video footage played (BSB also donned silver suits and red and black ensembles), it was clear that the boys were old pros at the live tour game.

Though the members range in age from 33 (Carter) to 41 (Kevin Richardson), in true '90s style, Backstreet Boys still have the moves. From the militant stomps of "The Call" to the hat dance of "All I Have to Give" and their sways in slower tempo ballads ("I Want It That Way"), the five members were perfectly in step. There was a fumbled hat from Richardson, but he played off the small moment with a smile.

Vocally, Backstreet Boys showed their maturity in the form of sounding as smooth and on point as possible.

Though Brian Littrell has been struggling to hit some of his higher notes lately (see: their "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" performance), he sounded just as good in Cleveland in 2013 as he did 15 years ago, soaring through "In A World Like This" just like he does on the studio version.

Of course, the In A World Like This Tour included new songs from the band's seventh US album. For the songs fans were more familiar with, no introduction was needed. But for "Permanent Stain," "Show 'Em (What You're Made Of)," "Breathe," "Madeleine," "Love Somebody" and the title track, each member took a turn tuning the audience into each song's personal importance.

The concert zoomed by, with the audience singing along to each familiar tune and screaming during instrumental breaks like it was 1999. Though mostly upbeat, the set did take a breather for a short acoustic break, during which members played guitars, bass and percussion. Beginning with a short snippet of "Safest Place to Hide" and the European album track "10,000 Promises," BSB were notably candid and lighthearted while playing "Madeleine" and "Quit Playing Games," Howie Dorough's stature was joked about and the men smiled like the old friends they are.

Before the audience realized it, Backstreet Boys launched into their mega-hit with "I Want It That Way," officially finishing the regular set. After what was possibly the shortest intermission in concert history, BSB ended on a high-energy high note with "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Larger Than Life." It seemed as though Nautica would collapse because fans were dancing with such fervor the bleachers were shaking.

Though it's been 20 years, the passion of both Backstreet Boys members and fans could still be felt in Cleveland. The boys had fun and so too did band, proving that Backstreet's back.

Alright.

Check out the full In A World Like This Tour setlist below.

"The Call"
"Don't Want You Back"
"Incomplete"
"Permanent Stain"
"All I Have To Give"
"As Long As You Love Me"
"Show 'Em (What You're Made Of)"
"Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely"
"Breathe"
"I'll Never Break Your Heart"
"We've Got It Going On"
"Safest Place to Hide" (snippet)
"10,000 Promises"
"Madeleine"
"Quit Playing Games With My Heart"
"The One"
"Love Somebody"
"More Than That"
"In A World Like This"
"I Want It That Way"

Encore:
"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
"Larger Than Life"

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