Black & Blue Tour

The Black & Blue World Tour was their fifth worldwide concert tour by the Backstreet Boys in support of their fourth album Black & Blue (2000) and the world tour took place in 2001. The first leg of the tour kicked off January 22, 2001 in the United States. The second leg began June 8 in the group's hometown of Orlando, Florida, and was temporarily put on hold July 9, in order for group member AJ McLean to seek treatment for clinical depression which led to anxiety attacks and the excessive consumption of alcohol. The tour resumed August 24 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and wrapped up October 19 in Paradise, Nevada. The Boys then continued their tour around the world before it came to a close by the end of 2001. It grossed over US $315 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour by an artist in general of the year. The tour was sponsored by Burger King, Kellogg's and Polaroid.

On September 11, 2001, band member Brian Littrell's wife Leighanne and the band's crew member Daniel Lee were scheduled to fly from Boston, where the group played their fifth sold-out show the night before, back to Los Angeles aboard American Airlines Flight 11. Leighanne Littrell canceled her flight the night before as she wanted to spend more time with her husband, but Lee was one of 92 people killed aboard Flight 11 after it was hijacked and crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Near the end of the concert in Toronto on September 12, 2001, Littrell gave a brief speech about crew member Daniel Lee, who was on board American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked and deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11, and led the entire audience in a moment of silence for Lee and all those who died that day.