The Backstreet Boys will launch the second leg of their Black and Blue tour on June 8th in their hometown of Orlando, Florida. The BSBs have tapped dancehall reggae chart-topper Shaggy as the opening act for the tour, which is projected to run fifty dates, though only twenty-nine have been set so far.

According to the Boys, fan demand has resulted in stage runways that stretch into the first ten rows of seats in an effort to get closer to their fans. "[The fans] want to get as close as possible to us and when we put this tour together, we worked with the set designer to find ways for us to be near our fans during the show," said Howie Dorough of the band's stage setup.

Though most dates are set, venues haven't yet been established for the tour. Backstreet Boys/Shaggy tour dates:

6/8: Orlando
6/9: Tampa
6/13: Raleigh
6/15: Washington
6/17: Greensboro, NC
6/20: Lexington
6/21: Pittsburgh
6/24: Columbus
6/26: Indianapolis
6/29: Hartford
6/30: Albany
7/3: Camden, NJ
7/5: Hershey
7/9: Boston
7/13: Buffalo
7/16: East Rutherford
7/21: Chicago
7/24: Detroit
8/10: Portland, OR
8/11: Seattle
8/13: San Jose
8/18: Los Angeles
8/23: Denver
8/25: St. Louis
8/27: Kansas City
8/29: Houston
8/30: San Antonio
8/31: Dallas
9/1: Little Rock

ANDREW DANSBY
(March 14, 2001)