Teen Beat: How has this summer tour been different from your tours in the past?
Howie: This is going to be similar to our European tour. It's almost two hours long and we sing hits from the first album plus some stuff off of the European and international albums. We have a set moment where each of us take a spot to do a solo. We do a littlemore pyro (technics) in this show and some special effects. We still have our six piece band out on the road. It will be a fun, big show.
Teen Beat: On this tour, do you do any special rituals to psych yourselves up for the show?
Kevin: Normally we do a vocal warm up to get the chords ready, stretch out a bit. Then we all join hands with our productios, managementsand band, and we say a little prayer and give thanks for the opportunity to perform and just ask that the show goes well and that everything goes straight. And then we hit the stage. That's how we do it.
AJ: And then we sacrifice a chicken!
Howie: No, we don't.
Teen Beat: Does it ever bother you that the screams from your fans threaten to drown out your voicies?
Nick: When we forst started touring, it was quite a shock to us how loud the crowd was. Now that our tour has grown, and our production has grown, we have speakers that are big enough that everyone can hear. There are parts of the sh where it gets so loud you can hardly hear at all. And then there are points in the show where everyone is quiet and they listen to your vocals. So it's all good.
Teen Beat: Have you had any real extreme experiences with fans??
AJ: We haven't really had any clothes ripped off or anything of that extreme. But we've gotten our hair pulled, and my earrings yanked out of my ear. it's not done intentionally. They just want to get aas close to you as thay possibly can and sometimes, you try to get too close to them to give them what they want. But nobody's gotten really badly hurt, thank God. and hopefully none ever will. we try to make it a real safe show so that everyone can stay from the begining to the end and be fully entertained with the entire show.
Tean Beat: Do you still read about yourselves in magazines? Do you check out the reviews?
Howie: We're always picking up magazines in stores and constantly reading what's been written about us just to make sure that everything is up to date and what is said is really the truth coming from us. We know that not everybody is going to like the Backstreet Boys. There are going to be some that really accept us for who we really are and then some that are going to want us to be something we're not. But like i say, we always take it for what it's worth we try to use it as...
Kevin: Motivation.
Howie: Yes, Motivation. Positive criticism we can use to help ourselves become better. especially from people in the industry - - music critics have good ears. As long as we feel like the music we're making good music and we feel like we come across as credible people, then you just have to get to the point of pleasing the audience that's out there.
Teen Beat: What do you miss the most when you're in the road?
Howie: Our families. That's what I'd say I miss the most. Or home-cooked meals and our own beds. I bring my book bag along with me all the time, which is my house. I have my boom box. sometimes i bring my lap top (computer). And i bring a nice AT&T calling card.
Teen Beat: Are you guys making a conscious effort to change your eating or sleeping habits on this tour?
AJ: i definitely want to change my eating habits, I'll tell you that. If you eat the wrong things you get run down quicker. I want to be on a stricker diet, try to build up a little bit, eat a lot healthier and drink a lot of water - - to keep my stamina up, basically.
Teen Beat: Nick, how do you feel about your little brother Aaron tagging along on the tour?
Nick: I think it's great because we're goingto be spending a lot more time together than we usually have been. I've been traveling everywhere and so has he. So we haven't been able to catch up with each other. But, now that were on tour together, I think it's really cool.
Teen Beat: What can you tell us about the new album?
Howie: We're definitely gearing towards writting a lot more material for the next album.
Kevin: I just got my studio installed and Nick got his too. So, whenever we come home now we can put all our ideas we have on to tape and send them to the record company. That's a lot of fun, and i'm excited, i mean, i can't believe i got a studio in my house now. It's incredible!
Nick: I agree.
Teen Beat: How has success changed your life?
AJ: I think it has changed our time. It's really limited out time with our friends and family. But it's allowed us to grow together more as family and more as a group. You fd that you can do things that you never thought you could do- -and not even big things, simple little things that you always wanted to do now. You can get better christmas presents for your family and stuff like that.
Teen Beat: What's the most important lesson all of you have learned over your life?
AJ: To have patience with everyone---your friends, your family and with yourself. Godd thing come to those who wait. And also, you get what you want if you work hard enough for it. if you have the patience to go through the hard days and the hard process and the hard work. I think we've all achieved many of the goals that we wanted to achieve and still have many more to achieve.
Nick: I think another big lesson we've learned is that it's not as easy as it looks. We thought ythat you sign a contract, you go into a studio and you're handed a big check. It's really not like that, you know. It's a lot of hard work and in the end, hopefully thing will pay off.
