From Launch.com: NEWS - *NSYNC In New Jersey: Less Flash, More Music 04/16/2002

(4/16/02, 7 a.m. ET) -- *NSYNC wrapped up a two-night stand at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday (April 14), performing in front of a almost sold-out house. Rapper-producer Sean "P. Diddy" Combs opened for *NSYNC at the show.

Opening the show, Combs performed many hits, including "Diddy" and " I Need A Girl (Part One)." He also wowed the packed arena with "It's All About The Benjamins" and "Mo Money Mo Problems." In addition, Combs incorporated a unique video duet into his show with fellow rapper Busta Rhymes on "Pass The Courvoisier Part II."

Combs, who readily admits to being a fan of Canadian rockers Nickelback, even had his DJ spin the band's hit, "How You Remind Me," for the audience to sing along with. Combs dedicated "I'll Be Missing You" to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a video montage of the events that transpired that day played in the background as Combs performed the track.

Other opening acts on Sunday included NSB2 (Not So Boy Band), which features *NSYNC member Joey Fatone's father Joe Fatone Sr. Also, singer-songwriter Tony Lucca, who got his start on the Mickey Mouse Club with Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez, delivered an admirable acoustic performance.

In the main event, *NSYNC was successful in keeping the focus on its music, performing songs not only from Celebrity but also from its 1998 self-titled debut, and from 2000's No Strings Attached. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick told LAUNCH that *NSYNC didn't want the special effects and pyrotechnics to overshadow the music on this tour.

"The show we're doing right now is very musical," he said. "We do a couple of little things in it, but it won't take away from the show at all. And I think with everything that we put together and with everything we do, the music is the most important thing because that's what the kids are there to hear."

*NSYNC also took a trip back in time and performed a medley of Beatles hits that included "Twist & Shout," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and "Hey Jude," among others. The quintet also paid homage to the Temptations with the classics "My Girl" and "The Way You Do The Things You Do."

Chasez agreed with Kirkpatrick that remaining focused on the music is the group's first priority. "This show itself, like Chris said before, is a totally different show. It has nothing to do with special effects, and nothing to do with anything like that. This show is strictly a musical show, and we like to throw different things at people, you know, and different sounds. The main part of us touring, we just love to be on the road. We love to give our music to the people face-to-face. I mean, it's one thing when they buy it off the shelves--it's another thing when you can look somebody in the face and they can sing with you and you can give them a lyric that they love."

*NSYNC will perform at Boston's FleetCenter Tuesday night (April 16). Meanwhile, the group's current album Celebrity has sold almost 4.7 million copies in the U.S. to date, according to current sales figures.

*NSYNC's remaining Celebrity tour dates:

April 16 - Boston, MA - FleetCenter
April 18 - Philadelphia, PA - First Union Center
April 19 - Hartford, CT - Hartford Civic Center
April 21 - Washington, DC - MCI Center
April 22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
April 23 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
April 25 - Memphis, TN - The Pyramid
April 27 - Sunrise, FL - National Car Rental Center
April 28 - Orlando, FL - TD Waterhouse Centre
-- Jason Gelman, New York