Have you ever looked at a fandom and thought they were a cult? If so, a California man’s description of a concert he just attended will make complete sense to you. Posting to the handle rageofdefiance, Nicholas just shared a hilarious breakdown of his experience attending the Backstreet Boys residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The post went on to gain over 330,000 views across TikTok and Instagram. It also caught the fervor, noting in the caption, “Music is religion.” The video started with Nicholas lounging in the car, documenting the six-hour drive from California to Nevada. In a mock-serious tone, he captures the grandeur, nostalgia, and fun of the event. Nicholas jokingly recounted, “My wife dragged me six hours into the desert to try to get me to join a cult called BSB. She took me inside their shiny temple. That thing looked like a spaceship inside. That was pretty cool, not gonna lie.” Nicholas intoned, “She also said it was really important to wear all white, or the five priests wouldn’t come out and bless the crowd with their dance rituals. They displayed their power by starting to levitate over the crowd at one point, and then they flew for, like, 15 minutes straight. When they descended, they put the people into, like, a trance and talked about how they’re gonna take over the world and brought out some, like, fighting robot things. That was a pretty weird. And it got intense.” A meticulously planned experience After showing multiple clips from the concert and the various performances, he captured the close of the show. He noted, “Then when it was time for everybody to leave, they started firing projectiles into the crowd to get them to disperse. But when that didn’t work, they just retreated further into their spaceship. All in all, it was pretty interesting. I’d give BSB a 9 out of 10 as far as cults go. Let me know which one I should try next.” View this post on Instagram The reactions online have been just as entertaining as Nicholas’ post. Most of his viewers even jumped onto his cult metaphor. One user admitted, “I am a member of this cult as well.” Another told Nicholas, “Welcome to the cult, my dude! The Kool-Aid is nostalgia flavored.” Even the Backstreet Boys themselves chimed in on Instagram, commenting, “We welcome you to the family.” Other fans were quick to challenge his rating, with one user noting, “9/10? You need to take your wife back so she can show you why is a 1000000/10.” Outside of BSB, it has been a year of powerful concerts. An Ariana Grande performance was even life-changing for one cancer patient recently, all thanks to her husband. Beyond the jokes, the reason the production could have such an impact is because of the planning involved. According to Billboard, the residency, titled Into the Millennium, marks the first time a pop act has taken over the Sphere. It is a giant spherical building with the largest LED screens capable of projecting gigantic images to create an immersive experience like no other. One that was created by choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega and director Baz Halpin. AJ McLean described the end performance as something complex. “There’s no way you can watch us and everything that’s happening [onscreen] at the same time,” he said. “Like, there are two shows going on at once, and the content that we have for this is insane.” @rageofdefiance Music is religion #BSB #sphere #backstreetboysvegas #everybodybackstreetsboys #levitate ♬ Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) (Extended Version) – Backstreet Boys Per Billboard, the production team aimed for a blend of futuristic vibes and nostalgic callbacks to the group’s history. Halpin described the members as a cohesive unit, with each contributing to the show’s mechanics in their own way. McLean emphasized that the group wanted to keep the focus on their signature dance routines, stating, “We’re going to keep doing what we do until we physically can’t anymore. We are showmen, we’re hams.” The design of the venue allows for a unique level of engagement, with a specially angled stage that brings the performers closer to the audience. Whether you are a long-time fan or a supposedly detached observer like Lord Nicholas, the show is clearly designed to leave an impact. As one Instagram user pointed out, “Watching thousands of people wearing all white walk through the Venetian brought me a shocking amount of joy. And after the show, we are – indeed – all in a BSB trance.” It seems this trip to the desert is one that many fans are happy to make again and again.