Despite troubles, Backstreet Boys' Tacoma date is still on
Source: Seattle Times
By Seattle Times staff and wire reports
Exhale, Backstreet fans: It looks like the Boys are still coming back to town.
Fans of the veteran - by boy-band standards, anyway - pop stars were distressed to learn that the group is suspending its world tour while one of its members is in rehab. Bandmates to 23-year-old heartthrob A.J. McLean made the announcement Monday on MTV's "Total Request Live."
The Backstreet Boys plan to restart the tour, which began its second U.S. leg June 8, on Aug. 7 in Vancouver, B.C. Officials at the Tacoma Dome say they are still expecting the group to perform there Aug. 9. However, band member Howie Dorough said if McLean is not ready, the group would "re-evaluate the situation."
The Backstreet Boys last played in the area in February, performing at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 25 and 26.
McLean, the rebel in the Backstreet Boys' otherwise squeaky-clean lineup, apparently went "over the edge" after the recent death of his grandmother. The singer was being treated for "depression, anxiety and his excessive consumption of alcohol," according to bandmates.
"We didn't want to lie about it and push it under the rug and say that he was sick or broke his leg or something," said Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson. "It wouldn't be honest with our fans."
Richardson and fellow band members Dorough, Brian Littrell and Nick Carter appeared on MTV without McLean.
The news shocked their fans in the audience of the popular afternoon program. Their squeals of delight when the Boys entered the studio quickly turned into sobs.
"They seemed like these all-American, perfect guys," said Kristie Stanwood, 15, of Minnesota. "It's surprising to find out that they're not perfect."
But fans were also glad that the group was telling them the truth and getting their band mate help.
"He had to do what is right for himself and it's nice that his band mates are supporting him," said Beth Ison, 20, of Seattle.
With his ever-present headwraps, elaborate facial hair, jewelry and street-styled clothes, McLean has always played the bad boy in Backstreet. He once told the New York Daily News that he lived "a fast-paced lifestyle."
McLean's problems have been known to the band for at least a month. In June, the group decided that McLean should be accompanied on the tour by both his mother and a professional counselor. But the death of his grandmother, who helped raise him in Orlando, "really sent him over the edge," Richardson said.
"He needed to go to a place where he could get help and take himself away from this environment," Dorough said.
MTV aired a clip of McLean playing a song he was working on. "What do people really want?" he sang. "They want to be happy."
The news was just the latest blow to the Backstreet Boys, who have spent much of the past year fuming because `N Sync has captured their former boy-band crown. Although Backstreet's latest album, "Black and Blue," has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, they've still lagged behind their label mates.
Seattle Times staff reporter Pam Sitt contributed to this report.
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