*NSync descended from a coliseum ceiling in Biloxi, Miss., as the boy-band superstars launched their spring U.S. tour on Tuesday.

Though they're portrayed as marionettes on their smash album No Strings Attached, the group proved it was fully in control of the crowd, according to fans who attended the concert. Life imitated art at the show's opening, which played on the album's cover.

"They descended from the ceiling, like puppets on long lines," said Skipper Kalil, event coordinator for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, where the show took place.

As the band landed on stage, the squeals of young female fans took off, according to Kalil and local news accounts.

"The screams of the young kids were very, very intense — nonstop screaming," Kalil said, estimating the average age in the venue was 12 to 14.

The tour kicked off in the same week that No Strings Attached (RealAudio excerpt of title track) notched its seventh consecutive week at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The "Bye Bye Bye" (RealAudio excerpt) and "I Want You Back" hitmakers easily sold out the 9,500-seat arena, Kalil said. They move onto Little Rock, Ark., on Wednesday (May 10).

In a performance replete with intricate lighting and pyrotechnics, a video screen that ran the length of the stage replayed every move, Kalil said.

R&B singer Sisqó, who has a major pop hit with "Thong Song" (RealAudio excerpt), opened the show.