Backstreet Boys [ tickets ]' legion of young fans on Saturday (8/14) snapped up all 765,000 tickets for the upcoming North American leg of the band's Millennium tour in a matter of hours, prompting added shows in several markets and shattering a number of box office records along the way.

The chart-topping vocal group broke from the concert industry norm by putting tickets for the tour's entire run on sale simultaneously on a single morning. Ticket sales typically are rolled out market-by-market, often with the intention of sizing up the demand for tickets or to take advantage of regional radio promotions.

However, few acts enter the touring marketplace with the staggering retail momentum the Backstreet Boys have established. According to Billboard, 4.7 million copies of the group's latest release, ''Millennium,'' have sold in the United States during the album's initial three months of release. To date, the album has sold over 12 million copies worldwide, according to the band's publicist.

Combined with intensive coverage on MTV, the group's unorthodox strategy worked as planned, quickly generating an estimated $30 million in sales. Even with the last-minute addition of fourteen shows to accommodate demand, the vast majority of the tickets to all 54 performances were gone within an hour.

Tickets for two shows at the 20,000-capacity FleetCenter in Boston sold out in 20 minutes, a venue record. Box office officials at BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Ala., said the supply of tickets evaporated within 18 minutes, besting a record established by Garth Brooks. Three shows at the Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit sold out in 40 minutes.

The Millennium tour, which kicks off with shows Sept. 14 and 15 at National Car Rental Arena in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., will hit 39 arenas in North America over 11 weeks. The show will be presented in the round, enabling unobstructed views from all seats. The band promises an elaborate production featuring pyrotechnics, costume changes, and state of the art staging and lighting.