Backstreet’s back, alright!

Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough have made a huge impact in pop culture. With a career spanning more than 20 years, they are one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, with more than 130 million albums sold worldwide (record-breaking albums include Backstreet Boys, Backstreet’s Back and Millennium), scored a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, received numerous awards, topped the Billboard charts overseas and in the U.S., among other accolades. And they’re not done yet. This year, BSB embarks on their first-ever Vegas residency: Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life, which kicks off March 1 at The Axis Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort.

“We’re able to create a show that’s going to be different, and probably, I would say bigger and larger than some of the other shows,” Dorough says. “This show is going to be Vegas-style; it’s definitely big. We’ve taken on a big production, dancers, us; it’s going to be huge. It’s going to be like the Into the Millennium Tour.”

Dorough says the idea was brought to them by the Live Nation entertainment company, who worked with the group on the In a World Like This Tour, and was supposed to be a three-week run. “Live Nation came back to us shortly after we agreed to it and said, “We think this is now bigger than three weeks.” Achieving record-breaking ticket sales within the first week, Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life has become the fastest-selling residency in Las Vegas history.

“We realize that when people come to Vegas they want to hear the hits,” he says. “It’s not going to be a complete nostalgia tour, but we are going to take our fans on a trip down memory lane and re-create the memories they had when they first heard our songs. We’re going to sprinkle on a few fans’ favorites and a couple of Backstreet favorites.” Some of those include platinum hits “Quit Playing Games (with My Heart),” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” and “All I Have to Give,” in addition to other notable singles like “I’ll Never Break Your Heart,” “As Long as You Love Me,” “I Want It That Way” and, of course, “Larger Than Life.” With hits dating back to the mid-’90s, the road to fame has been challenging.

“In the documentary Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of, it really shows where we came from, where we started, the trials and tribulations we went through and the moments where we had a bond,” he says “… With being in a group, you have to learn to be selfless. It’s not about ‘I,’ it’s about the team.”

Despite branching off and doing their own projects over the years, one thing that you can say about BSB is that they always had that brotherhood bond; and that’s what makes them “larger than life.”

Planet Hollywood Resort, 9 p.m. March 1, 3-4, 8, 10-11, 15 & 17-18, $79-$259 VIP plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster