THE BACKSTREET BOYS WILL be on stage at Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, Gilford, Saturday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. — their only New England show this season.

They once scaled music's highest peaks.

And now the Backstreet Boys are back for another ascent.

A quick review:

n The "Boys," Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean, have sold more than 75 million records worldwide. (Member Kevin Richardson amicably decided to exit the group in 2006.)

n Their 1997 "Backstreet Boys" and 1999 "Millennium" CD received the Diamond Award from the recording industry for sales of more than 10 million each.

n The "Millennium" CD dominated the worldwide charts, reaching number one in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.

n Their single, "I Want It That Way," was number one in almost 20 countries.

n The vocal group made industry history when all 765,000 tickets for their 1999-2000 North American arena tour sold out as soon as they went on sale — the vast majority within an hour.

Now they are back, after an extended sabbatical from 2002 to 2005 for individual pursuits, focusing on what they do best: make music together. Their current sixth studio album, "Unbreakable," follows "Never Gone," their first studio album in nearly half a decade.

To a man — or is that "boy?"- they seem to be excited about the new chapter in their career.

So too is Chris Lockwood, director of marketing at Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, Gilford, where the band headlines 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 16. "They are playing their only New England show here. That is going to be big," Lockwood said.

It's definitely a new day for AJ McLean, who battled personal demons, once forcing the act to put a tour on hold when he checked into rehab.

"For me personally, now living a sober life, a completely sober life, my life has changed 360 degrees for the better," he admits.

McLean said he could speak on behalf of the other members that their relationship as a whole has certainly changed.

They all have had some time to grow up and experience life individually, he added.

"Brian started a family. You know, all of us have had the time to really do some personal growth. And I think each of us now are able to bring something a little different to the table," McLean explained.

Howie Dorough agrees.

"I think when we had the chance to find ourselves again, it made each of us stronger when we came back to the table to work as a group," he said.

"It gave us a chance to recharge, rejuvenate, you know, miss each other, and also, at the same time, learn about life. We bring a lot more to the table now, whether it's experiences that we've dealt with in the last couple years that go into our music, or whether it's just the way we treat each other, respect each other. The break was very beneficial for us to hopefully be around like the Eagles, and Aerosmith and people like that who take breaks every so often to have a long term career."

Returning to the group context was a matter of allowing events and time to take its course suggests Nick Carter. The time off was needed, he concurs.

"You know, we've been working our butts off in touring. I mean, we've been on eight years of touring nonstop all around the world; four albums, you know, it was just time to take a break," he said.

He certainly seems refreshed.

"I find the fun is back and the adventure is back in it again," Carter assured. "The music industry has changed and I find it very exciting to know that it's an adventure again."

The Backstreet Boys have always stressed quality versus quantity when it comes to its career, the group said. "We've been doing this for 15 years now and we're still here, we're still having fun, which is a huge key for us. There is just kind of a staying power and the respect among our peers in the industry, as well as the media and from our fans," McLean explains. "As long as we put together a great body of work and really, really good albums and we're really proud of it, our fans are happy with it, that's all that matters to us," he added.

They've always considered themselves a vocal harmony group, concentrating around the vocals and making good melodies, Dorough said. "And at the end of the day we're just out there playing music for our fans and for ourselves," he added.

They hope to gain new fans along the way, too, McLean said. "It's been really, really good seeing a lot of familiar faces and seeing a lot of our fans that have grown with us over the years that are now married with kids and having their own families," he said. "And to their kids, or to their younger sisters and brothers, we're almost a brand new group. It's really kind of refreshing to still be doing this and to kind of have a whole new outlook on our careers."

The group was quite aware it was a risk to take so much time off because of the fickle nature of the pop world. There's always a risk that when you are out of sight, you are out of mind, they acknowledged.

Judging from the enthusiastic response to the return of the Backstreet Boys, that's one cliché that doesn't apply.

"We don't claim to be the best dancers in the world. We don't even claim to be the best singers in the world," said Brian Littrell. "But I think people that are loyal fans of the Backstreet Boys know that they will be entertained when they come to the show... There's always been some sort of magical sound that is what makes up the Backstreet Boys."