On Wednesday night, as images of heartbroken people and destroyed buildings appeared on almost every TV station, the Backstreet Boys took to the stage in Toronto to perform a high-energy, up-beat show.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks that demolished the World Trade towers in New York, burned a section of the Pentagon, and killed thousands of innocent people, the Boys chose to carry on with their planned tour stop instead of cancelling their shows, unlike many other performers who have opted to avoid the spotlight after the attacks. (They'll play two more shows at the same venue, on Thursday and Friday nights.)

That's not to say they were callously ignoring the tragedy. One of their crew members, Daniel Lee, was killed in one of the hijacked planes that hit the World Trade Center. He had been taking time off from the tour to be with his pregnant wife.

The Boys chose to publicly remember their friend before last night's show kicked off. They came onstage with the rest of their crew and dancers and had a 10-second moment of silence. Each of the group members seemed legitimately upset by the tragedy and the death of Lee. But, approximately 30 minutes after their brief memorial, the Boys were onstage, dancing up a storm and harmonizing their hearts out.

It's possible that they felt that their up-beat show would be a positive event, helping people to forget Tuesday's horrible events. But to some, carrying on with a light-hearted pop concert seemed inappropriate.

Usually, Backstreet concert venues are flooded with anxious fans without tickets who squeal from outside and hang out beside radio-station booths to request their favourite BSB song. On Wednesday night, the mood outside of the Air Canada Centre was less than festive. The crowds of excited girls were less than half their usual size. Parents accompanying their children to the show looked sombre.

In the foyer of the media entrance, photographers, security guards, and concert promoters watched CNN's coverage of the terrorist attacks.

Compared to the graphic images on TV, the sight of glow sticks and the sound of infectious pop that filled the venue was jarring and uncomfortable. Seeing the distraught faces of Nick, A.J., Howie, Kevin, and Brian only moments before they popped up onstage in full costume, ready to get the crowd screaming, spectators must have known the group's hearts just weren't in it.

How do you feel? Do you think the Backstreet Boys were right to carry on with their show, or should they have cancelled?

You can talk about it at Allpop.com's Backstreet Boys message board.