Backstreet Boys pray they 'don't break an ankle' before Sphere shows

Backstreet Boys' 'Into The Millennium' at Sphere Las Vegas (Live Nation)

Backstreet Boys' pre-show rituals have always included praying, but their prayers ahead of performances at Sphere Las Vegas are a bit different than in the past.

“We pray that we don't fall, we pray we don't break an ankle, we get the lyrics, pray we don't pop [an] Achilles [tendon],” Nick Carter tells People.

To avoid that, the group also indulges in another pre-show ritual they haven't done before.

“For a long stretch there, I would look at all of us in the dressing room, and maybe one of us might be stretching, but for the most part, we weren't," AJ McLean tells People. "Now I'm pretty sure we're all stretching before a show, before vocal warmups. About 90% of the show is full-out dancing. So we gotta be as limber as we can be."

There is one thing that hasn't changed. "We've always had a circle up," AJ adds. "No matter what, us five circle up, that's something we do unified."

Backstreet recently announced that they'll be returning to Sphere in July for more performances of their Into The Millennium residency.

Monday, February 23, 2026 at 12:30PM by Andrea Dresdale Permalink