BOYS TO MEN TO STADIUMS?

Boy bands, once thought to have a limited shelf life, are flexing ever-greater muscle in the marketplace.

The photo above depicts Backstreet Boys during their record-shattering performance at Altice Arena in Lisbon; that show, with 18,325 tickets sold, broke the previous record, held by Metallica, for the venue.

The Ron Laffitte-managed troupe, which first exploded just before the millennium, is clearly a tremendous live attraction. Their DNA album, meanwhile, has gone 325k+ in total activity. The grown-up Boys are also free agents on the label front, having inked a one-album deal with RCA that is now up. Who will jump in?

These established lad bands retain a strong hold on their audience, which has grown up with them (with moms frequently bringing their daughters to shows). Look at the Philymack-managed Jonas Brothers, who've had a #1 Pop and streaming smash with "Sucker" (Republic) and who just added 23 dates to their already sizable tour, as noted in the story linked below.

Could these adult boys follow the major heritage-rock bands to stadium glory? Watch this space.