NASHVILLE |DATE: AUGUST 4, 1999
FROM: MSO (818 380 0400) MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN/TODD BRODGINSKI
JIVE (212 824 1370) SONIA MUCKLE
BACKSTREET BOYS
MANIA TO REACH NEW LEVEL AS
TICKETS FOR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
GO ON SALE SIMULTANEOUSLY
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
On Saturday, August 14, all across North America, BACKSTREET BOYS mania is about to reach a new level.
In a unique move that stands apart from the industry standard, tickets for the `Sears Presents Backstreet Boys Into The Millennium Tour' will go on sale simultaneously in all cities across the continent. Coming on the heels of their triumphant 42-city European tour (ending August 7), this spectacular arena trek kicks off September 15 in Fort Lauderdale, FL and will take BACKSTREET BOYS–presently recognized as the biggest pop music group in the world–into 39 cities in 11 weeks before wrapping December 2 in Tampa. Due to high demand, the BACKSTREET BOYS–NICK CARTER, HOWIE DOROUGH, BRIAN LITTRELL, AJ McLEAN and KEVIN RICHARDSON–will perform multiple shows in various major North American markets.
The action-packed two-hour concert–which features elaborate, state of the art staging, lighting, pyrotechnics and costume changes–is being presented in the round with unobstructed views for all fans. The set list will feature nearly 20 songs (including their current Top Ten smash "I Want It That Way"). This leg of the tour will surpass that of the already elaborate European productions, including four additional lighting trusses each positioned in a corner of the arena.
Out of respect for the BACKSTREET BOYS' fans, tickets are being offered at a comparatively low price for a show and production of this kind. Tickets for most shows along the 11-week tour will be $38.50 and $28.50, including all fees (except for any TicketMaster surcharges).
How do the BACKSTREET BOYS describe their live performance? As KEVIN recently told Gary Graff of Wall of Sound: "Being that the album is titled Millennium, we're going to make the show a futuristic trip. We're calling it `Into the Millennium,' and I think people are going to be really shocked when they see it. It's going to be like a journey; when you walk into the arena, there's going to be an atmosphere. I feel like we're going to take people somewhere." AJ adds: "We'll perform in the round. That way everyone can see us. We have 10 dancers–five guys and five girls–and a six-piece band." NICK continues: "We wanted to step up to another level because our last tour was pretty successful. But we also wanted to set trends and just be on that next level, so hopefully that's what this tour will do for us."
With MILLENNIUM (Jive), BACKSTREET BOYS have already sold more than 10 million albums worldwide since the May 18th release of the album and have dominated the charts both in the U.S. and around the world. MILLENNIUM entered the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #1 the week of June 5, having sold 1,134,000 copies in its first week of release and shattering the previous SoundScan record held by Garth Brooks for single-week record sales (his was a double album released during the Christmas buying season). The album went on to break second and third week sales records, selling 621,622 albums in the second week of release and 371,035 in its third week. The album triumphantly returned to #1 the weeks of July 26 and August 2, selling more than 244,883 copies and 271,749 respectively. Outside the U.S., MILLENNIUM also dominated the worldwide charts, landing at the #1 spot in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.
According to the June 19 issue of Billboard, MILLENNIUM also set a record for largest web sales (7,000) since the magazine began printing a chart to measure web sales. Billboard says: "In no other issue, including this one, has the chart's top title exceeded 2,500 units."
Springboarding off the BACKSTREET BOYS phenomenal success, Sears sponsorship of the group's fall North American tour provides a solid platform to reach youth during the key back-to-school time frame. Activated with an aggressive integrated marketing campaign, the Sears sponsorship will connect younger customers with Sears through Backstreet Boys-themed advertising, promotions, merchandise and cause-related activities on both national and local levels, providing unique opportunities for the fans to meet the group. The BACKSTREET BOYS sponsorship continues Sears' ongoing support of major music acts, including the successful North American concert tour of international superstars Phil Collins and Gloria Estefan in 1994 and 1996, respectively.
Meanwhile, BACKSTREET BOYS fans can keep up with the latest news and information via the group's official website which is in the process of a complete overhaul. By logging on to www.backstreetboys.com, fans can get all the latest news about everything that's happening in the BACKSTREET BOYS' world: including information about future single and video releases, tour dates, photos, video clips. The site also includes messages for fans written by the guys themselves and a chat room where fans can talk to each other about the group.
The preliminary tour dates are as follows:
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | |
| Wed | 9/15 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | NTL. RENTAL CAR ARENA |
| Fri | 9/17 | Charlotte, NC | CHARLOTTE COLISEUM |
| Sun | 9/19 | Washington, DC | MCI CENTER |
| Tue | 9/21 | Boston, MA | FLEET CENTER |
| Fri | 9/24 | E. Rutherford, NJ | CONTINENTAL AIR. ARENA |
| Sun | 9/26 | Uniondale, NY | NASSAU COLISEUM |
| Wed | 9/29 | Philadelphia, PA | FIRST UNION CENTER |
| Mon | 10/4 | Columbus, OH | SCHOTTANSTEIN CENTER |
| Tue | 10/5 | Chicago, IL | ROSEMONT HORIZON |
| Wed | 10/6 | Chicago, IL | ROSEMONT HORIZON |
| Sat | 10/9 | Minneapolis, MN | TARGET CENTER |
| Tue | 10/12 | Phoenix, AZ | AMERICA WEST ARENA |
| Thur | 10/14 | Anaheim, CA | THE POND |
| Sat | 10/16 | Las Vegas, NV | MGM GRAND |
| Tue | 10/19 | Los Angeles, CA | THE FORUM |
| Thur | 10/21 | San Jose, CA | SAN JOSE ARENA |
| Mon | 10/25 | Portland, OR | ROSE GARDEN |
| Tue | 10/26 | Tacoma, WA | TACOMA DOME |
| Fri | 10/29 | Salt Lake City, UT | DELTA CENTER |
| Sun | 10/31 | Denver, CO | PEPSI CENTER |
| Tue | 11/2 | Iowa City, IA | CARVER HAKEYE ARENA |
| Wed | 11/3 | Madison, WI | KOHL CENTER |
| Thur | 11/4 | Milwaukee, WI | BRADLEY CENTER |
| Sat | 11/6 | Detroit, MI | PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS |
| Wed | 11/10 | Montreal, QUEBEC | MOLSEN CENTER |
| Thur | 11/11 | Toronto, ONTARIO | SKYDOME |
| Fri | 11/12 | Ottawa, ONTARIO | COREL CENTRE |
| Sun | 11/14 | Buffalo, NY | MAINE MIDLAND ARENA |
| Mon | 11/15 | Cincinnati, OH | FIRSTER ARENA |
| Wed | 11/17 | St. Louis, MO | KIEL CENTER |
| Thur | 11/18 | Kansas City, MO | KEMPER ARENA |
| Sat | 11/20 | New Orleans, LA | SPORTS ARENA |
| Sun | 11/21 | Memphis, TN | THE PYRAMID |
| Tue | 11/23 | Birmingham, AL | BJCC |
| Wed | 11/24 | Atlanta, GA | PHILIPS ARENA |
| Fri | 11/26 | Lexington, KY | RUPP |
| Sun | 11/28 | Knoxville, TN | THOMPSON BOLING ARENA |
| Mon | 11/29 | Nashville, TN | NASHVILLE ARENA |
| Wed | 12/1 | Orlando, FL | ORLANDO ARENA |
| Thur | 12/2 | Tampa, FL | ICE PALACE |
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BACKSTREET BOYS MANIA TO REACH NEW LEVEL AS TICKETS FOR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR GO ON SALE SIMULTANEOUSLY ACROSS THE CONTINENT
