Tickets to the Backstreet Boys [ tickets ]' early 2000 tour sold out at many mid-size arenas around the country on Saturday (12/12), showing a fan response that nearly equaled last summer's record-setting on-sale. Sales at large stadiums were also brisk, but didn't result in sell-outs.

Confirmed sell-outs include shows at the Pepsi Arena in Albany (both shows), the Charlotte Coliseum, the Raleigh Sports and Entertainment Arena, Reunion Arena in Dallas, Gund Arena in Cleveland, Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (both shows), Breslin Events Center in East Lansing and Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.

Many shows at these venues, which generally hold 15,000 to 20,000, sold out in three to four hours, according to box office managers. But at some venues, the pace was even faster. The newly built Raleigh Arena reported its first sell-out, selling 18,773 tickets in less than an hour. In Indianapolis, the Conseco Fieldhouse sold out its first show in six minutes and its second show in under twenty minutes. At the Dallas Reunion Arena, the 19,021 seats at both shows sold out in less than thirty minutes. Cleveland's Gund Arena sold its 20,750 seats in thirty minutes (which didn't beat the box-office record set by the World Wrestling Federation).

The quick sales impressed some industry observers, who noted that local markets had only a few days to announce the concerts in the local media before tickets went on sale. On Wednesday (12/8), many venues reported that they were waiting for contracts to close and hadn't established on-sale dates. By mid-Thursday, most onsale dates were set for Saturday and word-of-mouth began to circulate. Promoters working on the shows which haven't yet gone on sale will take advantage of the extra week, which could lead to fast sell-outs in those cities.

Sales activity was strong at larger venues--venues which hold more than 50,000--but there were no confirmed sell-outs. St. Petersburg's Tropicana Arena, which seats 40,000, didn't sell out, but would not release sales figures. The Georgia Dome in Atlanta reported that it sold everything put on sale. The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans sold 40,000 tickets; the Superdome holds 73,000 and could potentially be the largest show on the upcoming tour, if the venue configures the house to capacity.

Four cities have not yet gone on sale: Houston (two shows on Feb. 28 and 29), San Antonio (March 1), Greenville, SC (Feb. 22) and Oklahoma City (March 4). Tickets for Houston and San Antonio go on sale Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. On-sale dates have not been set for the other two cities.

Backstreet Boys will also auction off up to 500 premium seats per show in selected cities through the Tickets.com website. Auction revenues, minus service charges, will go to five charities selected by the group, according the group's managers.

Late last week, Tickets.com said that all of the venues with February shows would participate, but the Raleigh Sports and Entertainment Arena said that its show will not be part of the auction. Starting dates for the other auctions have not been announced.