Backstreet Boys’ Pre-Show Rituals at Vegas Sphere: Stretching, Pep Talks and a Quiet Prayer
Hi, I’m Avery Sinclair. Can’t wait to see how this turns out. The Backstreet Boys have traded malls for the Sphere and, shockingly, they still have routines.
After three decades of boy-band business, the Backstreet Boys have a surprisingly ordinary set of pre-show habits that keep them stage-ready for their Into The Millennium residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. This is not a makeover story or a reinvention myth. It is, however, a peek behind the velvet rope that proves veteran performers are part athlete, part ritualist, and entirely human.
The group that rose to pop dominance in the mid 1990s with hits like “Weve Got It Goin On” and “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” now plays to roughly 20,000 fans per show at the Sphere, and they do it with five distinct warm-up scripts. Rich and Tone Talauega, known industry-wide as Rich + Tone, have worked closely with the guys since 1998 and offered a clear-eyed breakdown of each member’s backstage behavior.
First up, Nick Carter, 45, who still treats pre-show prep like a sports warm-up. According to Rich + Tone, Nick stretches extensively and likes to sweat a bit before getting into costume. Think less diva and more athlete warming up for a game. If you picture him pacing in sneakers and doing exaggerated lunges, you would not be far off.
Kevin Richardson, 53, is the resident calm presence. He is described as more relaxed than his bandmates, preferring to conserve energy and avoid frenzied rituals. The creative team checks on him with short pep talks rather than loud invigoration, which seems to suit his measured approach.
AJ McLean, 47, apparently refuses to obsess over the show before it happens. Rich + Tone joke that AJ talks a lot and prefers distracting conversation over mental rehearsal. So if you were expecting a last-minute vibing session or a meltdown of anxiety, AJ’s strategy is instead to chat his nerves away.
Howie Dorough, 51, is the perfectionist of the group. He begins with vocal warm-ups before he stretches and thrives on notes. The creative directors offer him detailed feedback about staging and stage marks, and Howie eats that input like mental nourishment. He wants direction on everything from where to look to how to hit a cue, because being sharp is apparently his favorite seasoning.
Brian Littrell, 50, mirrors Nick’s athlete mentality. He too warms up thoroughly, both vocally and physically, and benefits from the same disciplined pre-show routine that keeps the group moving as a polished unit.
Despite their individual quirks, the Backstreet Boys have one unified backstage tradition: a group prayer before they walk onstage. Rich + Tone describe this moment as the single ritual they love to see, a quiet collective pause that centers the five of them before performing in an arena-sized spectacle.
This mixture of physical prep, pep talks, and a private moment of reflection makes sense. These men are not only performers, they are professional musicians with decades of live show experience. The Sphere residency, with its technological bravado and capacity crowds, demands routine and discipline. These backstage rituals are practical, not performative, and they keep the show running smoothly.
So there you have it: stretching, strategic calm, conversational distraction, relentless note-taking, and a team prayer. Not exactly rock star chaos, but it works. And in Vegas, consistency is worth more than flash anyway.
And that is my cheerful report from the wings. That is today’s dose of reality. You are welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Rich + Tone (interview referenced)
Attribution: Glenn Francis (Creative Commons)
