The term ‘world tour’ is bandied around liberally nowadays, with the odd date in Asia or a Middle East stopover often considered enough to warrant its use, but in the case of Backstreet Boys’ latest tour, the worldwide credentials are well earned to say the least. Starting way back in May 2019, DNA World Tour saw the legendary boyband perform 218 shows split over 11 legs, taking in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, and Africa along the way.
With the end to an epic journey in sight, TPiMEA caught up with the Backstreet Boys crew at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. Production Manager Dan Mercer took some time out of his busy schedule to chat about the tour so far. “We’ve been to a lot of different places and done this show in many different formats,” he reflected. “Our team is the best there is. Everyone is completely on the same page, which is especially important when you’re travelling far and wide. I know everyone says it, but we’re like a family.”
The final leg of the tour comprised shows in Iceland, Egypt, India, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, with tight turnarounds between each date. “This is our local production version of the show,” Mercer explained while describing the setup. “The only difference is the automated elements, which add a little bit of sparkle that you need to compete in those markets. When we’re going from Cairo to Mumbai to Delhi to Abu Dhabi in the space of a few days, it’s not possible to do the 17-truck version of the show that we tour in the US and Europe. This is still fantastic – fans are certainly not missing out on anything.”
Photos: Live Nation
