The Backstreet Boys bring back memories at American Airlines Arena. (Mike Storms / Storms Media Group) (Click photo for more concert pictures)

Photos: Backstreet Boys, plus more Florida concerts | Page2Live.com: Backstreet Boys turn back time in South Florida

I remember the first time I saw the Backstreet Boys in concert. My best friend Sara and I were 13, and beyond excited to have gotten tickets to the Boys’ show at the South Florida Fair.

It poured that night, but we didn’t care. As far as we were concerned, we were in heaven.

And so it started. We became part of those girls who “looooooooved” the Backstreet Boys.

And you know what? We still do.

So Sara and I set out for an evening of being teenagers.

They may be older, but they’re still as fantastic as ever, and they proved it Saturday night to a huge crowd of people at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

The BSB led the way in the five-guys-from-Orlando vein of pop music and released their first album in 1996. Not too long after, they shot to fame like a pop-fueled supernova.

The boy band scene had been vacant since the early 90s when the New Kids on the Block went their separate ways and the video rotation on MTV (yes, youngsters… MTV actually used to play music videos) turned to the likes of Nirvana and No Doubt.

With songs like “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “I Want It That Way,” BSB took control of the Top 40 airwaves and earned themselves gold status on MTVs Total Request Live.

They’ve released six other albums since their first, not counting solo projects, but the last two as a quartet after member Kevin Richardson left the band in 2006.

Not surprisingly, the BSB opened Saturday’s concert with their song “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).” I may or may not have mimicked some of the dance moves I may or have not memorized from that music video ages ago.

They took their fans through the best songs from all of their albums, old and new.

One of the greatest things about the Backstreet Boys is the relationship they have with their fans. They realize that everything they have as artists, is thanks to the thousands of girls — and guys — all over the world who continue to support them, who continue to buy their albums and come out to their shows.

“It is only because of beautiful people like you, that we’re still here,” said Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell.

Every time the BSB have performed in South Florida, I’ve been there. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen them, but it was like no time had passed. And for a brief moment, the five guys were reunited, thanks to a fan with an awesome sense of humor and a Kevin Richardson inspired blowup doll.

The four guys, four backup dancers, and a fantastic DJ took the stage for about an hour and half of music, dancing and laughter.

Each guy recorded a couple-minute spoof of a major movie and inserted themselves into the main character roles — The Fast and the Furious, Fight Club, Enchanted and The Matrix. They were hilarious!

For me, I really think that it’s that kind of stuff that’s made me want to keep these guys on my radar. They’re not like every other band. They know how to evolve and remain relevant without losing the things that drew their fans to them in the first place.

Does it make me a dork? Some of my friends seem to think so, but I – and what seemed like a sizable percentage of the female population of South Florida — don’t really care.

My friend Sara really summed up the evening best, “Good tunes, sexy men and amazing company. Who could ask for more?”

Indeed.