Backstreet Boys are going larger (than life) in Sphere schedule

Vegas entertainment observers (including this one) wondered if the Backstreet Boys were not testing their ticket demand when they kicked off their “Larger Than Life” residency at the Axis Theater in March 2017.

But the performances’ ticket sales were strong enough to open the balcony in what would become Zappos Theater, and today’s PH Live. That’s 2,000 additional seats, up to 6,500, for many of BSB’s shows. That’s territory occupied by Miss America in 2010-11, and Britney Spears at her peak.

The ’90s hit-makers were not finished. They added dates, extending into April 2019, 80 shows in all. The original quintet of Kevin Richardson, Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough had recaptured their original fan base.

Propelled by their momentum on the Strip, BSB went on to headline 150 shows on the group’s “DNA Tour.”

Throughout their international adventures, the guys teased to a return to a Strip residency, leaving fans to anticipate another theater run.

Not even close. The Backstreet Boys are the first boy band to headline the Sphere, with “Into the Millennium” scheduled to run from July 11 to Aug. 24. The residency has grown to 21 dates, having been extended four times since the Feb. 12 announcement, most recently last week with the Aug. 11-24 shows.

We’re told the video featuring the band has been finished. Full rehearsals begin next weekend.

Carter drives by the Sphere frequently — and sees a big, round opportunity.

“We want to elevate our show, like what we had done before with Zappos Theater,” he said during a group Zoom interview. “We thought, ‘OK, if we are going to go back to Vegas, we’re going to have to live up to all the other incredible shows. We had to look at what we had already done, and we’re ready to take it to the next level.”

BSB’s new dates were made public just after their April 27 performance at Stagecoach, closing the festival with mega-hits “As Long as You Love Me” and “Larger Than Life.” On May 8 they played the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards, forming a supergroup with Rascal Flatts on the reimagined version of “What Hurts the Most.” They also tore through “I Dare You” and yet another spin through “Larger Than Life.”

Throughout, BSB has reinvigorated its stage show and kept the masses happy. “Into the Millennium” revives the 1999 album “Millennium,” conceived as a look into what was then the next century. An expanded and remastered version, adding alternative tracks, “Millennium 2.0” is due in July as the residency kicks off.

The band has seen the Eagles, Anyma‘s electronic music spectacle “The End of Genesys” and Darren Aronofsky‘s “Postcard From Earth” at the Sphere. They’ve absorbed the scene and envisioned how they can be different. Expect big visuals, extensive drones, a set list stacked with dance-alongs and a production promising to be larger than life.

Outside the box

Incoming MGM Resorts International President of Entertainment Ryan Abboushi is a former exec at Creative Arts Agency, where he specialized in film and TV work. That pedigree indicates entertainment beyond traditional artist-driven productions or stage shows.

MGM Resorts has scored with “experiential” opportunities such as Swingers at Mandalay Bay and Play at Luxor. Look for more widening of entertainment strategies in the company. Probably things you can do, not just watch.

So this happened …

I pulled into the Park MGM valet a couple of weeks ago, got out of the car, turned to the vehicle in front of me and recognized the individual as … Zak Bagans, the “Ghost Adventures” creator himself, who once featured my father’s Lava Hot Springs Inn in his paranormal show, capping Season 10 in November 2015.

Bagans has been name-checked in TMZ recently (lucky fella) after he and Holly Madison split up.

Social media is a blood sport, folks, nearly as haunting as Bagans’ Haunted Museum in downtown Las Vegas.

Speaking of haunted …

We are eager to see what Circus Circus has in mind for Fear Dome, which the company says is “Nonstop, heart-pounding thrills,” inside its Adventuredome theme park. This is supposed to be open by Halloween.

If this concept sounds familiar, it should. It’s the same space, and almost the same name, as Fright Dome, operated by horror-staging genius Jason Egan for 15 years until closing in 2018.

Egan’s company runs the Saw, It and Blair Witch escape rooms in Las Vegas and is a partner in the John Wick Experience at Area15. The latter is doing bangin’ business, especially at the bar.

Those Pistols

It is 2025 and the Sex Pistols are headlining in Las Vegas. Well, three Pistols — Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock — and featured singer Frank Carter are playing The Pearl at the Palms on Oct. 17. This is the band’s 50th anniversary. Original frontman Johnny Rotten is not on the current tour. These are the Pistols’ first U.S. dates since 2008, when the band — with Rotten — blasted into The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

A keep-your-eye-out notice on the opening act, The Molotovs, teen siblings Mathew and Issey Cartlidge. They are said to be mature beyond their years, having played “guerilla” gigs on the streets of London. They carry a distinguished mod style, but their expressions say they want to bite your face off.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.