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Alexander James McLean of the Backstreet Boys indicated an end to the Las Vegas leg of the residency with an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip that went viral among his innumerable fans. McLean captioned a post for his social media with a shot of him walking confidently toward the stage with a smirk on his face: “Last time walking in for this run. Back in December!”
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Though the video is quite short, glimpses were shot of behind-the-scenes corridors with McLean dressed for the occasion, throwing looks one commenter perfectly translated to: “He knows he’s yummy.” That smirk?? It said so much more!! The man was feeling himself a bit too much before stepping onto the stage for what could probably be his last appearance up until immediately on this leg of Vegas shows-and the fans just loved it.
Reactions started flowing in from across the world, a testament to the group’s massive appeal on the international scale. Apart from Portuguese, Spanish, and French were the comments that littered the replies, all translating to expressions like “Lifelong passion 😍” and “My dream Christmas gift!!” A voice coming from Brazil declared, “I LOVE YOU!! BRAZIL ❤️,” while another mentioned, “We are waiting for you here.” The demand for an international tour is sky-high; pleading, one user said, “Guys, Europe needs you!” And another goes for a world tour worthy of witnessing all five.
Yet, not all the comments were an ovation. The post spawned more and more anger and frustration from the fan community, presently tackling were ticket availabilities and pricing. “Wish I could see you, but I was 90,000 in the queue and only had access to tickets that cost $1k+ when I got through. Scalpers bought so many and are immediately reselling at wild prices. Please fix this for your fans, I am so sad. ‼️” Again, this comment strikes the chord being telltale of the story across-the-board. Fans are increasingly locked out of getting to see their favorite artists by overpriced resale markets and tech-savvy scalpers, and that, of course, leads to genuine disappointment. A stark contrast, really, to the excitement of this very post itself, as a reminder of a wall between artists and their intended audience who want to support them.
Others were already talking about the future and talked about additional Sphere dates for March, April, and May. The comment “See you in December! 👏” implies that these fans have already bought tickets for the next announced leg and have thus sidestepped the ticket queue nightmare.
The interplay of cuddly adoration and seething rage paints a pretty complete picture of modern fandom. Love and passion, certainly-but also a candid dialogue about access and pricing. Being a member of the industry since his teen years, McLean must surely know about these issues. The band has, after all, lived some of the biggest transformations of the beat business over decades, from sales of CDs to streaming, and immediately onto ticketing for live events that has increasingly become rampant and often shady.
“Back in December!” echoes McLean’s caption, while in itself, it is a promise for a return sometime soon; with most of the fans commenting, one can say their hope is that such return will come with grounds for all to enter, not simply those willing to be gouged by resale prices. The topic of those comments is the future of touring as much as they share the moment of backstage confidence of a pop icon.
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Indeed, another notable moment recently was when Nick Carter dropped his third single in a exclusive series, keeping the fans engaged and excited as they anticipate more from the group. Meanwhile, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert relived teenage nostalgia at a Backstreet Boys concert, showing the lasting impact and magic of the band’s performances on both new and old fans alike.
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