For the first time in five years, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean brought Backstreet back to the ‘Burgh with the “This Is Us” tour.

The Wednesday evening concert at the Trib Amphitheatre at Station Square marked the first time the band performed here without eldest member Kevin Richardson, who left the group in 2006 to start a family.

The concert’s turnout and venue also were much different from those in the early 2000s. Gone are the hordes of screaming teenage girls filling 20,000-plus capacity arenas, such as when the band’s singles dominated airwaves and topped the countdown of MTV’s now-defunct “Total Request Live.” Wednesday’s show brought out children, younger adults and senior citizens — male and female — to the modest-sized, more simplistic outdoor space, with its folding chairs, asphalt surface and carnival-like food vendors.

Pop singer and Pittsburgh-native Tino Coury opened the show at 7 p.m. with a six-song set. Highlights included the upbeat “Boys Lie” and “Diary,” which brought audience members to their feet. He showed off his guitar skills during the slower “Memory.”

A lengthy lull followed but fans forgot about the wait and the weather after Mr. Littrell’s 7-year-old son, Baylee, took the stage to introduce his father and his band mates, who kicked off the roughly two-hour performance with the classic “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

More old-school Backstreet tunes followed including “We’ve Got It Goin’ On,” “Quit Playing Games With My Heart” and “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” from the debut album; “I Want It That Way” from the “Millennium” album; and “The Call” and “Shape of My Heart” from 2000′s “Black and Blue.” Fans danced and sang along to the older songs, but many sat in silence during the newer ones, from the group’s latest album, “This Is Us,” which dropped last fall.

Time has treated BSB well. The vocals were strong, and the choreography just as energetic and precise as in past tours. Many songs were colored with hip-hop moves, while ballads often featured more Temptations-style routines with the boys remaining stationary except for some hand gestures or tilts of microphone stands. Four women accompanied the group in some dance numbers.

A surprise of the evening came when the group did not perform the traditional choreography for “Everybody” and “All I Have to Give.” These routines grew popular from each song’s music video and previous tours. For many longtime Backstreet fans, the dance steps to these songs are as familiar as the moves to the “YMCA” or the “Macarena,” so not seeing them was a bit disappointing.

BSB made up for the omission with its rendition of “Larger Than Life” — arguably a pinnacle of the performance. The group brought the song’s futuristic music video to the stage when it performed its original choreography and wore black-and-silver sequined space-like jumpsuits and vests, reminiscent of those in the video.

The group sported a variety of looks throughout the show ranging from upscale casual vests, dress shirts and fedoras to hipper sequined zip-up jackets, graphic tees and jeans. Short films featuring band members making cameos in movies such as “Fast and Furious” and “Enchanted” passed the time during costume changes.

The boys also did not address the audience as much as in previous tours. The only real talk came from Mr. Littrell early on in the show when he welcomed everybody. But the group was not short on thanks for its fans. “We couldn’t have been the Backstreet Boys for 171/2 years without beautiful people like you,” Mr. Littrell told the crowd.

Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette