Backstreet Boys CMT Music Awards Performance Gets Mixed Reception From Viewers

The 2018 CMT Music Awards featured multiple Backstreet Boys performances on Wednesday night, but [...]

By John Connor Coulston

The 2018 CMT Music Awards featured multiple Backstreet Boys performances on Wednesday night, but they received a mixed reception from fans.

The pop group, who won an award for a country collaboration earlier in the night, performed a new song that featured absolutely no country elements. There was a warm reception in the arena, but fans at home thought it seemed out of place.

Some pointed out that placing the routine after a Chris Stapleton performance made the appearance even more jarring.

"I'm so embarrassed for the Backstreet Boys right now," one viewer wrote.

Another viewer wrote, "Chris Stapleton, then the Backstreet Boys right after... [what the f—]."

Some were just not buying the group's dance moves. While most of the night's performances kept it simple, the "I Want It That Way" singers busted out an elaborate dance routine for their moment in the spotlight.

"Man the Backstreet Boys look ridiculous dancing in unison at age 45 [to] teenage pop songs. So look bad," one viewer wrote.

However, many viewers who were Backstreet Boys fans did not mind the pop performance and did not care that it stuck out. Some were simply amazed to see their childhood favorites performing again.

"Fan-girling over here, seeing the Backstreet Boys sing and dance at the CMT Awards," one fan wrote.

Another fan added, "My 10 year old self just sat in awe at the Backstreet Boys performance."

The group also got some confused reactions earlier in the night as they accepted their award.

The boy band won the very first award of the evening, "Performance of the Year," for the CMT Crossroads performance of "Everybody." That rendition was done with Florida Georgia Line, making it a country track. However, many fans were still in awe of the moment.

"So this Backstreet Boys thing... we're just deciding they're country now?" one fan wrote. "Is that what's happening?"

Another fan added, "My 8-year-old mind can't comprehend how the Backstreet Boys just won a country music award."

The CMT Music Awards are currently airing on CMT, with a replay of the ceremony airing immediately after.

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