Weeping teens, dry your eyes.

Despite Hurricane Floyd's best efforts, the Backstreet Boys are back--finally.

The five-member boy band will launch its sold-out North American tour tonight at 8 p.m. (ET) at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Earlier, Floyd's brutal rain and wind prompted cancellations of the group's original road openers--Tuesday and Wednesday dates in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Those shows have been rescheduled for December 4 and 5.

Tonight, the Boys catch a break. Floyd's gone, and the forecast in Charlotte calls for clear and otherwise nonhurricanelike conditions. MTV News' Chris Connelly reported the group is planning a 19-song, one-hour-and-45-minute set. (And for those who relish in such trivia, the expected opening number will be--surprise!--their new single, "Larger Than Life." Available at a store near you.)

Fans needed to be larger than life to snag seats for the Boys' tour. In August, all tickets for the group's 11-week, 39-city tour were snatched up in one day, with most of the 765,000 available tickets gone within a mere hour. Ticket sales generated around $30 million.

Hurricane Floyd, meanwhile, has pretty much run its course, allowing the numerous East Coast-based film and TV productions that were shut down to resume action. The Wilmington, North Carolina-based cast and crew of the WB hit, Dawson's Creek, will return to the set Monday, as will the Florida-based company of the network's new family drama, Safe Harbor.

source: eonline.com