The Backstreet Boys, who will be performing in HCM City and Ha Noi, held a press conference yesterday in HCM City. The Viet Nam News interviewed three of the four band members – A J McLean, Nick Carter and Howie Doroogh. Will you be performing anywhere else after Viet Nam?
We are almost at the end of our 18-month tour. Viet Nam is our final destination. This is our first time in Viet Nam. Everybody is friendly and hospitable. We are surprised to see so many motorbikes on the streets.
Every time we perform we try to do our very best. Our shows do not belong to us but to our audience. We promise to perform with all of our hearts during the show, and bring to bear all our 18 years of performing experience. The two performance nights in Viet Nam mark the end of our "This is Us" world tour.
After finishing the tour in Viet Nam, you plan to tour with New Kids on the Block. How do you expect that to go?
We hope the combination will bring out the best in the two bands. We have received positive feedback from the public about the move. Tickets are already sold out. We are trying our best to be creative and to offer our fans and music lovers the best we can give. The joint tour will kick off on June 2 in Uncasville, Connecticut and run through to July 9 in Vancouver.
You have just visited the HCM City War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi tunnels. What were your impressions?
After visiting HCM City War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi tunnels, we can imagine how much the Vietnamese suffered during the war. We crawled in the tunnels and experienced first hand just how difficult life must have been during the war.
We of course have heard about the US and Viet Nam War, but our outlook has changed. It is great to see how friendly the two countries have become.
Our happiest time here has so far been during a fishing trip, even though we didn't catch anything.
Backstreet Boys used to have five members. Now it only has four. Has that caused any conflict?
We used to have five members. Although Kevin has left us we still keep in contact. His departure was not acrimonious.
The other four members sometimes have differences of opinion, but that is because we all have an equal say. We try hard to remain together and to have a common voice. We also try to set ourselves new challenges to keep things fresh. — VNS