AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell took the stage to roaring applause and kicked things off with the familiar opening line, "You are my fire, the one desire..." The camera caught Amy Poehler singing along enthusiastically. As Littrell continued, he turned to the audience, inviting them to join in—“Help me out,” he urged. In unison, the crowd belted out “I Want It That Way,” turning the performance into a massive singalong. Nick Carter took over the next verse, and the entire room swayed to the beat. When he hit the iconic “Tell me why... ain't nothing but a heartache,” fans, celebrities, and audience members alike couldn’t help but sing along. Famous faces in the crowd were visibly enjoying the nostalgic moment, proving that some songs truly stand the test of time.
Backstreet Boys belt 'I Want It That Way' at SNL 50th concert like we’re in the '90s again
Many celebrities in the crowd couldn't stop singing along as the band performed their iconic song.
Some songs never lose their magic, and I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys is one of them. No matter where or when it plays, fans can’t resist singing along. That’s exactly what happened when the beloved boy band reunited on stage for Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special. Their performance sent fans into a frenzy, and a clip shared by Peacock's YouTube channel reignited the internet’s love for the iconic group.
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When McLean sang his part, he went down the stage to sing with the audience before coming back on. The next big cheer came when Richardson started singing his part and the tune got mellow. Every time the band asked the audience to sing along with them, the reaction was big and full of excitement each time. Littrell went into the crowd next while singing his part and urged comedian Jerry Seinfeld to finish his lines. Seinfeld put in his best effort and got a big hug from the singer before he turned and went back to the stage to continue the song. As the camera went through the crowd, a majority of people were dancing and singing with the band and cheering as they eventually finished the performance.
The performance was done because "SNL [was] celebrating 50 years of iconic musical moments." There was a live concert at the Radio City Music Hall for the same and several special guests performed during the evening. Many people took to the comment section of the video to appreciate the performance as well as the audience's reaction to the same. @JanelleCleveland wrote, "Wow, literally everyone in that audience was jacked up and wasn’t ashamed to show it! I love it so much! They all had that childlike nostalgic smile and belted all the words out! Music is so powerful!"
@StephenRedmond87 commented, "I came to the comments expecting the worst over Brian's vocals, but instead you gave me hope for the society. Many of us know Brian has struggled with his vocals for a long time, but I don't want to see anyone else but him doing it as long as he is willing to. I'm just thankful they all are still here to be able to attempt it!" @ChadDude96 remarked, "Fun Fact: Backstreet Boys' all-black outfits are a homage to their SNL performances from the late 90s..."
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