Photos by Kathryn Randall

It was a match made in Y2K heaven when Joey Fatone of NSYNC and AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys brought “A Legendary Night” to The Salt Shed, proving it was as great of a spot to see some of the biggest names in pop as it is for alternative and indie rock.

That’s because there’s a completely open sightline on the ground floor and seating or VIP options upstairs, though for 100 or so minutes, there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t losing their minds dancing along to the likes of NSYNC’s “Pop” and “I Want You Back” or BSB’s “Larger Than Life,” any of which would’ve easily worked for finales had the guys not just gotten started.

Along with a massive band and a living room-styled set, the co-headliners frequently collaborated, as they did throughout those openers, and also turned in some solos, such as AJ’s “Burning Up” leading into a karaoke segment of several retro television theme songs, culminating in Fatone’s “Ready To Fall” from the movie “On The Line.”

Ballads were bountiful as well thanks to trade offs on a few verses and choruses of “I’ll Never Break Your Heart,” “Thinking Of You (I Drive Myself Crazy),” “This I Promise You” and “All I Have To Give,” before offering the audience a chance to roll the dice and choose off a wildcard list.

The results included Green Day’s “Basket Case,” NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me” and Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” followed by AJ’s mental health-related message surrounding “Good Enough” and his eventual leap onto the ground floor to start “The Electric Slide.”

Fatone reemerged as he introduced his soulful sister Janine to cover Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” which grooved straight into an exclusive NSYNC medley, the entire “Space Cowboy” and all of BSB’s “Everybody.”

As the mostly female crowd screamed for more, the fellas offered a double decker encore, which could’ve been considered a battle of the best had they not been so friendly and obviously having fun, as opposed to their quasi-competition over who would occupy the top slot during the days of MTV’s “Total Request Live.”

“I Want It That Way” naturally sparked a near-deafening scream-a-long while seeming quite hard to beat, but come “Bye Bye Bye,” complete with the iconic choreography, it was clearly matched as Fatone and McLean marched to the beats that defined a generation and continue to be the benchmark for every other boy band in the land.

Kathryn Randall contributed to this review.

For additional information on Joey Fatone & AJ McLean, visit Facebook.com/RealJoeyFatone and AJMcLean.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at The Salt Shed include Marcus King (Jun. 2); Khruangbin (Jun. 7-9); Jon Batiste (Jun. 13); Wilco (Jun. 14-15); Brothers Osborne (Jun. 22); Hawthorne Heights (Jun. 28); Rose On The River: My Morning Jacket and more (Jul. 4); Rose On The River: Tash Sultana and more (Jul. 5); Rose On The River: Thundercat and more (Jul. 6); Rose On The River: Vulfpeck and more (Jul. 7); Iron & Wine (Jul. 8); Hiatus Kaiyote (Jul. 9); Sad Summer Festival (Jul. 20); 311 (Jul. 21); All Time Low (Jul. 26); Still Woozy (Jul. 27); Stick Figure (Jul. 30); Labrinth (Jul. 31); Bladee (Aug. 1); Jungle (Aug. 2); The Revivalists (Aug. 9); Iration and Pepper (Aug. 11); The Marias (Aug. 13); Partynextdoor (Aug. 15-16); Charley Crockett (Aug. 17); Umphrey’s McGee (Aug. 23); The Dillinger Escape Plan (Aug. 24); Glen Hansard (Aug. 28); The Gaslight Anthem (Aug. 29) and Bikini Kill (Aug. 30). For additional details, visit SaltShedChicago.com.

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