BACKSTREET BOYS: Tired of Touring? - BOP June 98

The Orlando, Florida-based babes who are riding the radio airwaves with the singles "As Long As You Love Me" and "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" tell BOP why they're not totally thrilled to be heading out on another concert tour later this year--and why they can't wait to see you!

Sure, cruising the globe with four of your best buds sounds like a total blast, especially if you're kicking back in posh hotel suites, posing for glam photos and meeting thousands of fans along the way. That's what the days are like for each of the Backstreet Boys when they hit the road on one of their concert tours. The quintet of QTs who hit it big last year with their self-titled debut R&B album don't deny that touring can be tons of fun. But as Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, and Kevin Richardson recently confessed to BOP, it can be also majorly frustrating and exhausting!

You might think touring is only singing, partying, and going sightseeing, but as the Backstreet Boys can tell you, it's actually a whole lot of work. "When we go on tour, we work from the time we get up to the time we go to bed," laments Kevin, 26. "Every minute of every hour of the day is scheduled for us."

For example, 23-year-old Brian explains: "An average day, we get up, get dressed, get ready. We travel to the next city on our tour and, depending on how long the drive or the flight is, we go straight to the venue or the hotel to check in. We'll deal with the press and promotions all afternoon, and the next thing you know, we're at the venue to do a sound check. Then, we'll probably have some photo shoots and some meet-and-greets with fans. Then we'll warm up and get dressed for the show, do the show, go back to the hotel and do it all again the next day. That's a good 12-or 13-hour day."

Whew! Just reading the Backstreet Boys' jam-packed schedule is enough to make you tired! So, you can understand why the Backstreet Boys say that one of the biggest drawbacks of touring is the fact that they have very few free hours to themselves. "You don't have a lot of personal time, so it's hard to get things done," admits Kevin. "There's hardly any time to do your laundry, balance your checkbook, keep in touch with friends, find time to write letters, buy and send postcards and stuff like that."

"Touring gives you an incredible feeling"

Their super-busy schedules also mean that there's not a lot of time to get out of the hotel and party. "It's hard to find the time to meet new people and make new friends," sighs Nick, 18. "Basically, you have no social life." However, don't worry that Nick is sitting alone in his hotel room and feeling lonely during his free time on tours. Luckily, he and his bandmates are best buds who dig hanging with one another 24/7.

But even if Nick, Howie, Brian, A.J. and Kevin did time to party every night while they're on tour, the chances are that they would rather spend those hours asleep in their hotel beds. Zigzagging across time zones often leaves the Backstreet Boys feeling totally zonked out. "Jet lag depresses me," declares Brian. "You land somewhere and you have the afternoon off, but you can't really do anything because you're so exhausted. That's just depressing."

"Jet lag is horrible," A.J., 20, agrees. "You're so tired because your body has to adjust to new times. I just get so disoriented. I wake up at 3 in the morning and I'm wide awake. I feel like it's 2 in the afternoon. I'm like, 'Now what do I do?'"

One reason the Backstreet Boys are especially concerned about keeping their body clocks on track is because they know that when you're really tired and you're working hard, and your body is confused about when it's supposed to sleep and when it's supposed to be awake, it's incredibly easy to get sick. "We're so susceptible to gettting sick on the road," A.J. says. "Your resistance is low because you're tired, and it's hard to eat right when you're stopping at McDonald's, so you're not necessarily eating healthly or working out. Then there are all those fans who, if you give them a kiss on the cheek and they've got a cold--boom!--you get sick, too." And, as any of the Backstreet Boys can tell you, it's tough to perform in front of thousands of fans when you feel so sick, you just want to curl up in bed with a big bowl of chicken noodle soup!

Touring may be tough at times, but the Backstreet Boys insist that the positives of life on the road will always add up to more than the negatives. "Touring gives you an incredible feeling," A.J. raves. Howie, 24, agress: "The most gratifying thing is seeing people sing your songs in the audience along with you. It's a blessing to be able to get out on stage and see the reaction of people and to know that you're touching their hearts."

That's why, Kevin explains, "In the end, when you enjoy that as much as we do, it's worth it."

Win an official tour jacket from a Backstreet Boys tour!

C'mon, you can admit it to us. Like all Backstreet Boys fans, you've daydreamed about packing your suitcase and hitting the road with Nick, Howie, Brian, A.J., and Kevin on one of their concert tours. Unfortunately, we can't help you stow away on their tour bus to bring this fantasy to life, but we can do something just as good. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we're giving away an official Backstreet Boys tour jacket to one lucky Bopper (and don't think we weren't tempted to snag it for ourselves!). This light, roomy, black jacket is definitely a rare collector's item for any fans of the Backstreet Boys.