AJ McLean is reflecting on the chaos that ensued during his wild days touring with the Backstreet Boys.
At 90s Con on March 30, AJ, 47, joined other 90s legends, including Wilson Phillips, for the “Music of the 90s” panel. The event, held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, was a blast from the past.
During the panel, AJ took a trip down memory lane, sharing stories from his Backstreet Boys days. One fan question had him revealing an epic showdown between him and Nick Carter.
“We’re the only two who ever had a fist fight,” AJ confessed.
Nick, a major comic book fan, and AJ didn’t always see eye to eye. “I went through a bad acne phase as a teen, and Nick called me ‘pizza face,'” AJ recalled, adding a little fuel to the fire.
“I warned him, ‘Call me pizza face one more time,'” AJ said, laughing. “So, I held his brand-new comic book, Alien vs. Predator #1, over the sink and lit it with a lighter.”
Things quickly spiraled. “The flame was too high and the comic burst into flames. I panicked, turned on the water, and now the comic was burned and soggy,” AJ recalled.
Nick didn’t take kindly to his precious comic being ruined. “Nick came out, put me in a headlock, and started punching the back of my head,” AJ said.
The chaos didn’t stop there. The fight went down in the shared apartment of Nick, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough.
As AJ was getting hit, Kevin, fresh out of the shower and only in a towel, appeared. “The towel fell off, and Howie, in true Howie fashion, sat down eating popcorn like it was the best show on TV,” AJ laughed.
“I’m like, ‘Kevin, put it away! Nick, stop punching me!’ There was just so much happening all at once,” he continued.
Though AJ and Nick’s fight was over something as trivial as a comic book, the whole situation became a memorable moment in the band’s history.
Speaking of band life, AJ also touched on the upcoming Backstreet Boys Las Vegas residency. He promised that Kevin will likely shed some tears each night. “Kevin’s super emotional, especially when singing ‘Back to Your Heart,’” AJ revealed.
The residency, titled “Into the Millennium,” will bring the boys’ iconic 1999 album back to life in a special show at the Sphere this summer.
“We have the most loyal fans, and this residency is our love letter to them,” AJ said.
With 32 years of Backstreet Boys magic coming up next month, AJ couldn’t help but express gratitude. “No one’s redone their biggest album or tour. We’re setting the bar high.”
And if you’re wondering about 90s Con, the event wrapped up on March 30 at the Connecticut Convention Center, leaving fans with tons of memories.
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