Afterward, he pleaded for "love and support for [Lee's] family and all of those who lost loved ones. But you know you didn’t come here to see that. You came to get away from your problems for two hours."

But fans didn’t let go. They waved American flags throughout the show, pinned red, white and blue ribbons to their concert shirts, and fashioned drawings of the American flag into "BSB" signs. Even Sisqo [ tickets ], who opened the show with a dance-heavy set, recited portions of the national anthem into his gun-shaped microphone after closing his performance with "Thong Song."

A.J. McLean, who recently returned to the fold after a stint in rehab, solicited almost as many screams as the obvious favorite Nick Carter. His soulful solos were met with deafening screams.

"All the love and support you’ve shown for me, it means a lot," said McLean. "Today is 78 days sober and counting. Let me tell you, sobriety kicks ass. If I had time, I would go out and kiss every single one of you. But then we wouldn’t have time for the show."

Despite the somber overtones, Backstreet Boys' performance was more energetic than previous stops. (Though it still didn’t make up for the more than $100 ticket price.) On the first leg of the tour, the group came across as bored and uninspired. At the Palace gig, McLean constantly smiled and needled Carter. Howie Dorough placed on his head a joker's hat, which a fan had thrown on a satellite stage, and danced like a court jester as he walked back to the main stage.

Richardson's vocal parts took a backseat during "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" while he examined a T-shirt that a fan had tossed to him. When he realized it carried a sympathy note about Lee's death, he closed his eyes, kissed his fingers and pressed them in the fan’s direction. McLean was particularly moved by a stuffed animal dog. After reading an attached note, he showed it to each of Backstreet Boys and clinched it close to his chest.

Subtle changes from the last leg improved the show. The focus seemed to be much more on their individual vocal abilities than pyros, dancing and stage banter, and they seemed to rely much less on taped vocal parts than in tours past. The group broke into Temptations-style dance moves during "I'll Never Break Your Heart." A skit that takes place in Backstret Boys’ changing area was shortened.

At times, the performance came across as a farewell gig. Different members repeatedly thanked the fans for support during its "eight and-a-half-year career." Richardson reminisced about songs that the fivesome had written together, such as "The Answer to Our Life." During that song--a segue to Richardson’s discussion of the individual members’ charitable foundations--four of the five Backstreet Boys played instruments while Richardson sang--Carter on drums, Dorough on cow bell, McLean on percussion and Littrell on guitar.

With an impending greatest hits collection, it seems as if this is the last we’ll hear from Backstreet Boys for awhile. This tour, which is heavy on the hits, sums up the group's career nicely. It doesn't act as a diversion from last week's tragedy, but it's hard to imagine anything that could.