Backstreet Boys have finally landed in New York to complete their mammoth round-the-world-in-four-days promo trip, as accompanied exclusively by worldpop's Michelle Garnett ... and have just announced another world tour, scheduled this time to last 10 months!
Kevin Richardson, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell touched down at New Yorkıs Newark airport yesterday, completing a promotional trip across six continents in just 100 hours. The gruelling journey is the first time any band, or solo artist, has attempted such an amazing feat but the Backstreet Boys' global album launch in support of their new release Black & Blue was hailed a success following to Stockholm, Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and now New York City.
The band announced details for the Black & Blue World Tour which, according to Kevin Richardson, will be another number one for the award-winning band. 'This is going to be our first world tour, we will go everywhere for the first time, said the 29 year old. The tour will kick off in Florida's Fort Lauderdale on 22 January 2000 and then call at a further 22 cities across North America. The band will then head to South America in April, Europe in June, back to North America for a set of stadium dates throughout the summer before jetting off for the Pacific Rim, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in October and November.
Howie Dorough confirmed that many of the finer details concerning the tour have now been decided. 'We've just finalised the stage,' he said. 'For the last tour it was In The Round but this time its going to be On The End. You'll be able to hear all the new tracks from the album and all the greatest hits from our older albums.'
Speaking earlier that day, onboard the private hired jet which chartered the band and worldpop on the four-day world trip, Dorough admitted that the band are feeling apprehensive about the world tour but are still confident that they are ready to take on the challenge. 'Right now we're a little nervous,' he said before explaining, 'every time we plan a tour it comes down closer and closer to the wire by the time we start rehearsals and it's always a little bit nerveracking to see if everything's going to be ready. But it'll all come together. It always does.'
(22 November, 2000)