‘N Sync Shows Off More Moves Than Grooves

The boys of ‘N Sync are old-fashioned. They are hungry to entertain, and somehowthey succeed for legions of adolescent girls with hardly an original musical idea between them. But to complain too much would be like criticizing “Scooby-Doo” for not being more realistic.

At Staples Center on Sunday, ‘N Sync was all about show biz for the kids, and as a result most often resembled a Vegas revue. It was largely the same show the Florida quintet brought to the Rose Bowl in June, with the singers lowered from the ceiling like marionettes in bowler hats and baggy suits. Explosions and other special effects easily outnumbered songs.

In a set that ranged from the edgy funk-pop of “Bye Bye Bye” to an a cappella version of “Oh Holy Night,” the vocals were sometimes showy but rarely emotionally revealing. Justin Timberlake did the human beat-box thing, waging an unconvincing “battle” with a drummer who sounded as if he was pulling his punches.

‘N Sync is a group that openly moans about not being taken seriously and then does virtually nothing about it. Most of its songs are still written by outsiders, and a large amount of the group’s time wasn’t spent singing at all, but instead was focused on creating those precise and all-important dance steps.

The second-billed Baha Men were stripped-down minimalists by comparison. Made up of three singers and a six-man band, the Bahamas-based act was loose and friendly, if not quite memorable. The band’s excited tropical dance-soul connected most with the young audience during the thumping, whumping hit “Who Let the Dogs Out,” as the singers traded verses and musicians jumped to the beat.

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* ‘N Sync, with the Baha Men, Dream and Lil’ Bow Wow, play tonight at the Great Western Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, 7:30 p.m. Sold out. (310) 419-3100. Also Friday and Saturday at the San Diego Sports Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego, 7:30 p.m. Sold out. (619) 224-4176.