THIS IS US TOUR: Backstreet Boy Littrell Grows Up

The rest of Backstreet Boys may want it that way -- but Brian Littrell prefers it this way.

The 35-year-old Kentuckian says life in BSB is far more satisfying now than it was a decade ago during the teen-pop boy band's outrageously gigantic heyday.

"Outrageously gigantic -- I like those two words," laughs Littrell from a tour stop in California. "But yes, it's much more enjoyable now, because it's much more manageable now.

"Years ago, when we were on the Millennium tour or the Black and Blue tour, it was difficult because things were so large. Our success was at an insane level. You couldn't do anything, you couldn't go anywhere. It was hard to have a life outside of being a Backstreet Boy. But yeah, now it's definitely much more manageable from a fan standpoint, from a show standpoint, and from an organizational standpoint. We know what to expect. And I think we value it more. It's just more fun."

And just as much work. Littrell and the other Boys -- Nick Carter, A.J. McLean and Howie Dorough -- have been on the road since last October, taking their This is Us tour to Europe, Asia and Australia, before hitting North America this summer. With the "neverending" trek finally crossing Canada this month, Littrell called up to chat about keeping it real, moving forward and what he would say to some kid named Justin:

It's been a tough year for a lot of touring bands. How are you guys making out?

We're getting more people than anticipated, to be honest. When we first started talking to promoters, they were not that interested. Then we played some shows and they saw the turnout. So now our managers are getting calls from promoters who want to book more shows. So it's been good. But I know there are a lot of artists out there who put a tour together and their eyes get too big. They say, 'I won't take less than this amount and we won't play in a venue that has less than this many seats.' But when you're looking to fill 10,000 seats and only 2,500 show up, that's a bad sign.

It sounds like you have a more realistic viewpoint.

Very much so. In the highest of highs during our career, we played multiple nights in stadiums all around the world. But times are different. And there's no ego with us -- we'll play a place that holds 1,800 people if that's what it takes to nurture the fan base. And if we do that, it will turn into 2,800 the next time. But you have to be realistic and rational in terms of what you can pull in. And there has to be growth in the future. That's what we're aiming for.

Talking about the future, are you thinking about a new album yet?

We're already talking about going back into the studio after the Canadian run with some producers we're reaching out to right now. I've already called Max Martin, who's worked with us on many of our hits. He's like the fifth Backstreet Boy. He gets us. He understands our sound and how we work. And he has a great projection of where we're headed. All of us know where we want to go. We'd like to reintroduce the band sound versus the dance-pop that's all sequenced on a drum machine. We'd like to bring back big songs like I Want it That Way and Shape of My Heart -- you know, real songs. Dance songs only live for so long, but the timeless songs we've had in the past, they're still playing in elevators (laughs).

When you see Justin Bieber and where he's headed, do you just want to call him up and say, 'I know what people are telling you, but here's the truth.'

Yeah, I think that every day.

What would you tell him?

Well, I've never met him. But I would tell him about something we witnessed with Lady Gaga. We were on tour in New Zealand and she was coming into the country. And she had her entire production staff staying at our hotel for about a week; they were just waiting for her. What that told me is that she's just wasting money. She doesn't have people around her to say, 'Let's cut down on these costs and put more money in your pocket.' We didn't have that either. We had managers who saw dollar signs and then at the end of the tour, we would make X amount of dollars though we were promised 10 times that. That's frustrating. And what Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber probably don't know is they're the last ones to get paid. They're paying the production staff, the security, the dancers, the stage, the lights, the buses, the trucks, the catering -- the list goes on and on. And at the end, there might not be anything left for you. That's the thing. This is show business. And while you're doing the show, your business is walking out the back door. So I would urge every young artist out there to have the right people around -- people who are thinking about them and not thinking about getting paid. You have to get control. You have to remember you are the boss. And you have to be meticulous about it. It comes down to details. And a lot of times you get big and you want to forget the details. And that's when all hell breaks loose. People are spending your money. And they don't care that it's your money. We learned that the hard way. We haven't done everything right. We aren't perfect. But we're still here.

http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2010/08/05/14931831.html