NASHVILLE |DATE: SEPTEMBER 24, 1999
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN/TODD BRODGINSKI
BACKSTREET BOYS
TRIUMPHANTLY LAUNCH SOLD-OUT NORTH AMERICAN
`SEARS PRESENTS BACKSTREET BOYS INTO THE MILLENNIUM TOUR BROUGHT TO
YOU BY POLAROID'
AMID WILDLY ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE
IN CHARLOTTE, NC
AFTER GROUP POSTPONE SEPTEMBER 14
TOUR LAUNCH IN FT. LAUDERDALE
BECAUSE OF HURRICANE FLOYD;
ALL SHOWS OF `MILLENNIUM' TOUR SOLD OUT IN ONE DAY
After waiting in line for hours (and in many cases days) to get a hold of this year's hottest ticket, fans in Charlotte, NC finally got what they came for Friday night: the BACKSTREET BOYS, live in concert. The group kicked off their `Sears Presents Backstreet Boys Into The Millennium Tour Brought To You By Polaroid' Friday night in front of 21,000 ecstatic, wildly enthusiastic fans at the Charlotte (NC) Coliseum. The tour was originally set to kick-off September 14 and 15 in Fort Lauderdale at the National Car Rental Arena, but the group postponed the shows due to Hurricane Floyd and concern for the safety of their fans.
The multi-platinum group performed in Washington, DC on Saturday (September 18) and Sunday (September 19) before continuing on their sold-out 11-week, 39-city tour in support of their #1 CD MILLENNIUM, which has sold seven million copies in the U.S. alone since its May 18 release on Jive Records, making it (according to the R.I.A.A.) the best-selling CD of the first half of 1999. It has already been #1 for a total of twelve weeks. Of the album, which has also reached the #1 position in 25 other countries, People's Steven Dougherty noted, "…here, as in their concerts, they are adept at vocal interplay, creating harmonic magic as those voices soar and intertwine."
The BACKSTREET BOYS–NICK CARTER, HOWIE DOROUGH, BRIAN LITTRELL, AJ MCLEAN and KEVIN RICHARDSON–recently made music history when all 765,000 tickets for this tour sold out as soon as they went on sale, the vast majority within an hour, generating an estimated $30 million in ticket sales.
Friday night's performance gave American fans the chance to see what they've been hearing about from around the world: the BACKSTREET BOYS' live show is a visual and sonic extravaganza. 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 features nearly 20 songs, including their new single "Larger Than Life" as well as "I Want It That Way," MILLENNIUM's mega-smash debut single, described by Richard Harrington at the Washington Post as "an infectious mid-tempo ballad that suggests regrets over a breakup with an uplifting chorus hinting at relief and renewal."
The video for "Larger Than Life"–a song that's a tribute to their fans–was recently shot in the group's hometown of Orlando after they returned from this summer's triumphant 42-city European trek. Directed by Joseph Kahn–who also did the same honors for the group's "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" clip from their last album–features elaborate space-age visuals much like their live concert.
The MILLENNIUM tour concludes December 6 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | |
| Fri | 9/17 | Charlotte, NC | Charlotte Coliseum |
| Sat | 9/18 | Washington, DC | MCI Center |
| Sun | 9/19 | Washington, DC | MCI Center |
| Tue | 9/21 | Boston, MA | Fleet Center |
| Wed | 9/22 | Boston, MA | Fleet Center |
| Thur | 9/23 | E. Rutherford, NJ | Continental Air. Arena |
| Fri | 9/24 | E. Rutherford, NJ | Continental Air. Arena |
| Sun | 9/26 | Uniondale, NY | Nassau Coliseum |
| Mon | 9/27 | Uniondale, NY | Nassau Coliseum |
| Wed | 9/29 | Philadelphia, PA | First Union Center |
| Thur | 9/30 | Philadelphia, PA | First Union Center |
| Mon | 10/4 | Columbus, OH | Schottenstein Center |
| Tue | 10/5 | Chicago, IL | Rosemont Horizon |
| Wed | 10/6 | Chicago, IL | Rosemont Horizon |
| Thurs | 10/7 | 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 |
| Fri | 10/15 | Anaheim, CA | The Pond |
| Sat | 10/16 | Las Vegas, NV | MGM Grand |
| Sun | 10/17 | Las Vegas, NV | MGM Grand |
| Tue | 10/19 | Los Angeles, CA | The Forum |
| Wed | 10/20 | Los Angeles, CA | The Forum |
| Thur | 10/21 | San Jose, CA | San Jose Arena |
| Fri | 10/22 | San Jose, CA | San Jose Arena |
| Mon | 10/25 | Portland, OR | Rose Garden |
| Tue | 10/26 | Tacoma, WA | Tacoma Dome |
| Thur | 10/28 | Salt Lake City, UT | Delta Center |
| Fri | 10/29 | Salt Lake City, UT | Delta Center |
| Sun | 10/31 | Denver, CO | Pepsi Center |
| Tue | 11/2 | Iowa City, IA | Carver Hawkeye Arena |
| Wed | 11/3 | Madison, WI | Kohl Center |
| Thur | 11/4 | Milwaukee, WI | Bradley Center |
| Sat | 11/6 | Detroit, MI | Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Sun | 11/7 | Detroit, MI | Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Mon | 11/8 | Detroit, MI | Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Wed | 11/10 | Montreal, QUEBEC | Molson Center |
| Thur | 11/11 | Toronto, ONTARIO | Skydome |
| Fri | 11/12 | Ottawa, ONTARIO | Corel Centre |
| Sun | 11/14 | Buffalo, NY | Marine Midland Arena |
| Mon | 11/15 | Cincinnati, OH | Firstar Center |
| Wed | 11/17 | St. Louis, MO | Keil 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 | Birmingham-Jefferson Arena |
| Wed | 11/24 | Atlanta, GA | Phillips Arena |
| Fri | 11/26 | Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena |
| 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 |
| Fri | 12/3 | Tampa, FL | Ice Palace |
| Sun | 12/5 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Ntl. Car Rental Arena |
| Mon | 12/6 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Ntl. Car Rental Arena |
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BACKSTREET BOYS TRIUMPHANTLY LAUNCH SOLD-OUT NORTH AMERICAN `SEARS PRESENTS BACKSTREET BOYS INTO THE MILLENNIUM TOUR BROUGHT TO YOU BY POLAROID' AMID WILDLY ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE IN CHARLOTTE, NC AFTER GROUP POSTPONE SEPTEMBER 14 TOUR LAUNCH IN FT. LAUDERDALE BECAUSE OF HURRICANE FLOYD; ALL SHOWS OF `MILLENNIUM' TOUR SOLD OUT IN ONE DAY
