Hannah Britt answered the millennial call to see 90s heartthrobs the Backstreet Boys at their 10-night residency in Dusseldorf, and found it to be the very best tonic ☆☆☆☆☆
Backstreet Boys are playing to over 450,000 fans in Dusseldorf over the course of their 10-night residency(Image: Justin Segura)
The new trend among some of the world’s biggest artists is turning concert-going into a musical pilgrimage. Indeed, from Celine Dion’s 26 nights in Paris, to Harry Styles‘ 12 at London’s Wembley Stadium, for many fans a gig ticket now comes with a city break.
Music residencies, which used to be the preserve of Las Vegas mega hotels, have hit the mainstream, with more and more acts opting to stay put and, instead of touring around from place to place, have their fans come directly to them. Talking about his run of Together, Together shows, Harry Styles explained that playing in one place instead of embarking on a traditional world tour would improve the quality of the performance and better support his personal wellbeing.
And the idea is catching. After a run of sold out shows at The Sphere in Las Vegas, everyone’s favourite 90s heartthrobs the Backstreet Boys announced 10 nights at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, a location chosen as it was the first place the I Want It That Way band cracked outside of America.
A homecoming, they told fans. Wear white. The millennial in me couldn’t resist. I used to kiss a picture of Nick Carter before retiring to my bunk bed each night aged eight. This was my chance to see him in the flesh. What’s more, compared to Vegas, Dusseldorf was practically next door. I simply had to go. And I’m so pleased I did.
A residency turns a pop concert into a cultural phenomenon. I’ll admit, other than knowing Dusseldorf was in Germany, I didn’t know anything about it. But I diligently booked my flight, enlisting my best friend Emily to join the fun.
I saw my first Backstreet Boys T-shirt on the plane. And a quick glance around showed me it was not the only one. Millennial white and baby blue adorned many of the passengers before they’d even left Manchester airport, and their number would only grow as we landed.
Once in the passport control queue in Dusseldorf, the singing began. And by the time Emily and I reached the city centre, we had found full blown boyband mania. Checking into our hotel, the chic and homely 25hours Hotel Das Tour which I’d found on Tripadvisor, and which was situated to the north of the city centre, life size cardboard cutouts of Nick, Kevin, Brian, AJ and Howie greeted us, along with a cocktail list inspired by the band, and a playlist to match.
In the foyer, an excited throng of diamanté-bedazzled women in their 30s buzzed excitedly. With partners and kids at home, a deliciously childlike giddiness replaced the adulthood we’d left behind. I found myself wishing I’d brought blue eyeshadow and butterfly clips.
Venturing out in search of sustenance, Düsseldorf’s bustling centre delivered mania still. A huge hopeful crowd was gathered outside of the band’s hotel, Breidenbacher. In the old town, the city’s bars blasted out the band’s biggest hits, from Larger Than Life to Incomplete.
White and blue balloons decorated the banks of the Rhine, and in the Marktplatz square a Backstreet Boys experience and merch shop drew huge queues. If you’d come to Dusseldorf for a quiet city break you’d have been most confused. But for those of us there for the show, it all added to the fun.
I found the mania endearing. It was exciting, intoxicating. It reminded me of Manchester before Oasis’ comeback shows in the city last year, only with less guitars and more earnest key changes. Even Emily, who arrived knowing one Backstreet Boys song in total, soon declared her desire for a tour T-shirt.
With some time to kill before the main event, we explored the Dusseldorf. Lunch was mussels and chips at the chic Robert restaurant on the riverbank, and views came courtesy of a boat trip down the Rhine, booked with ease on Get Your Guide.
We then partook in what appeared to be the city’s main occupation – drinking beer. Dusseldorf’s Altstadt (Old Town) is famously known as the “longest bar in the world” (längste Theke der Welt) because it packs around 260 to 300 bars, pubs, clubs, and traditional breweries into a compact area of just half a square km. It was brilliant fun, set of course to an ever-present soundtrack of our favourite five piece.
Producing bobbles, we put our hair in 90s bunches. Back home we’d have drawn stares. In Dusseldorf when the population was at a rough estimate 96% Backstreet Boys fans, we looked like we belonged. As we walked back to 25hr we smiled as we heard screaming coming from the Breidenbacher. The Boys had emerged from the hotel to say hello.
That evening, before heading to the arena we went to The Paris Bar on the 17th floor of 25hr. I had a Brian, Emily a Nick. Then we made our way to the show. A sea of denim, white combat trousers and glitter guided us there.
As the Backstreet Boys took the stage, the mania came to a head, but so did the joy. So began a setlist stuffed with nostalgia, dance routines, and all their biggest hits. It was like an injection of pure serotonin. The ticket may have come with a city break attached, but it turned out to be the very best therapy. And as everyone’s favourite key change came in the closing bars of Drowning, you could feel 60,000 millennials healing their inner child all at once.
*For tickets, see here; for more information about 25hr Hotel Das Tour, see here; for more information about Get Your Guide, see here; and for all things Tripadvisor, see here