By the time fans leave Mershon Auditorium on Friday night, AJ McLean hopes their faces hurt.

Whether it’s from smiling, laughing, singing or screaming, McLean said he hopes fans who come to see him and Joey Fatone perform have two hours where they can forget the world.

“I want their bodies to be just reinvigorated. I want them to leave on a paved cloud,” McLean said.

McLean, 46, and Fatone, 47, members of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, respectively, are touring together, stopping at the Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St., on Friday night for their “A Legendary Night” tour.

Former boy-band stars Joey Fatone (*NSYNC) and AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys) have teamed up for a tour that comes to Mershon Auditorium on June 14.
The show includes songs from both iconic bands’ discographies, as well as several solo songs from McLean’s upcoming debut solo album.

“This is a great launching platform to establish myself as an individual,” McLean said. “I’m doing this under my real name, Alexander James. AJ is a persona and a Backstreet Boy, but I want the world to get to meet Alex.”

McLean has been vocal about his struggles with sobriety and mental health, particularly in the early days of the band’s success. His song “Arizona,” which is featured in the show, addresses those issues head-on in a “pull at the heartstrings.”

Each show on the tour also provides for plenty of comedy, crowd interaction and, of course, the hits.

*NSYNC performed in Columbus in 2001 at the Historic Crew Stadium. Now, member Joey Fatone is to take the stage with Backstreet Boy AJ McLean on Friday night at Mershon Auditorium.
“This is literally for the fans, by the fans and we keep adding more dates because the fans want it. We hope we can keep doing this as long as we possibly can until both guys get busy again,” he said.

McLean said it still feels surreal after more than 30 years of the Backstreet Boys to have fans singing the words back at him — and to have fans of both *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys — singing along, making new memories and friends in the process.

“To be able to have music that transcends generations is huge. I have lots of friends who have a 5-year-old or a 25-year-old and they’re both fans. They’re either starting them out young or the Gen Zers are looking at us like we’re vintage. That’s just really cool,” he said.

“I still pinch myself when I hear us on the radio or you look out in the audience and you’re seeing both bands’ fans singing the other bands’ songs and coexisting and making new friendships, that’s really, really cool.”

While *NSYNC recently reunited and released new music earlier this year, the Backstreet Boys are taking a break after wrapping up their “DNA World Tour.” However, McLean teased a “massive” announcement from the band toward the end of 2024 that has been “seven years in the making” for who else but the fans.

“We truly do love to do what we do. We’re five hams, we’re in our element and even we forget about what we’re dealing with in our lives five minutes before the show. And we really, really do love each other. We’re the closest now we’ve ever been,” McLean said.

But for now, McLean and Fatone are enjoying each other’s company (McLean said the rivalry cooked up by the music industry as both bands hit stardom was largely a façade) as fellow girl dads and with shared life experiences.

“You never know what you’re going to get at the show,” he said. “We’ll take you down memory lane. It’s for the ladies, you can have a nice ladies night and leave your man at home or you can bring your man and he’ll have a damn good night too.”

At a glance

Fans are advised to come early to the show, with doors opening at 6:30 for a 7:30 p.m. start. Tickets are still available, starting at $55, through Ticketmaster.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Travel back to the 2000s with a Backstreet Boy and an *NSYNC member this weekend.