EXCLUSIVE: AJ McLean Opens Up About the BEST Part of Stardom During 90s Con!

EntertainmentNOW had the chance to catch up with Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean at the 2025 90s Con in Connecticut, and he revealed how much connecting with fans means to him.

“I mean, I love doing these things mainly because when we do anything with our fans, like meet and greets … it goes by so quickly,” he said.

The singer shared, “Doing these types of events, you really get to spend more quality time with the fans. You get to share stories, which I think is the most beautiful thing in the world to hear how some of them became friends because of your music.”

“Or they may have lost a loved one, and your music helped them get through that,” McLean continued. “Music really does heal. It’s just a beautiful thing.”

The fans aren’t the only ones McLean enjoyed at 90s Con. The “Smoke” singer revealed that he was an avid watcher of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place.”

He also got to meet “Scream” star Matthew Lillard, who he became fast friends with. “Sweetest human being on the planet,” he gushed to EntertainmentNOW. “We’re like besties now. I love it.”

The Backstreet Boys Members Are Prepping For Las Vegas Residency

Other than McLean, the other Backstreet Boys band members weren’t present at 90s Con, but they’re all getting ready for their Las Vegas residency, which will kick off on July 11 and conclude on the 27th, per Billboard.

The shows will feature all five original members, including Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, and McLean.

The Backstreet Boys are slated to perform their “Millenium” hits, such as “Larger Than Life” and “I Want It That Way” but they’ll have a few surprises in store as well.

“Die-hard fans are going to get a great experience, a great nostalgic moment,” McLean told Billboard in February.

Dorough added, “Even just playing the whole ‘Millennium’ album, there’s some deep cuts in there that we were just discussing the other day.”

He teased, “[We were] reminiscing about some of the songs like ‘The Perfect Fan’ and ‘No One Else Comes Close to You’ [and ‘Spanish’] Eyes,’ which are songs that the fans probably haven’t heard since the ‘Millennium’ tour.”

The Backstreet Boys Celebrated a Milestone for ‘Millennium’

It’s been 25 years since Backstreet Boys dropped “Millennium,” and their Las Vegas residency at the “Sphere” is the perfect iconic place to host the band.

“When we did the ‘Millenium Tour’ way back in ’99, 2000, our concept for the artwork, the album artwork, and the tour was the future,” Richardson said in a February interview with Today.

He continued, “But we’re 25 years into the future now and a lot has changed so we’re excited to take that album, that concept of the future to the next level in the most state of the art venue on the planet.”

On why the Backstreet Boys’ music resonates with fans to this day, McLean said, “There’s something about the music that no matter how old you are, no matter where you’re from, it takes you back to a special moment in your life.”