TORONTO - This year's teen pop queen -- Hilary Duff -- pulled into the Air Canada Centre last night for the first of two sold-out shows.

A sea of twirling green neon lights and high-pitched screams from the 15,000-plus, mostly young, female fans greeted the 17-year-old Houston native, who returns to the ACC next week on Thursday.

To get an idea of just how popular the singer-actress-fashion designer currently is, the first ACC show sold out in seven minutes and the second took only five.

Opening with Girl Can Rock, Duff first appeared on a riser above her five-piece band (including Toronto guitarist Jason Hook who had his big solo during Rock This World) and three female backup singers, who are also triplets.

But it took Duff no time to make her way down one of three staircases to three mini-catwalks -- one on either side of the stage and one out in front -- to get closer to her excited fans.

"What's up Toronto? How's everybody doing?" said a breathless Duff after performing her second song, Little Voice from her first album, 2003's Metamorphosis.

With few bells and whistles on stage other than a large video screen -- expect more in the summer when Duff may team up with Cirque du Soleil for a revamped show -- the singer made the most of her youthful energy, running around the catwalks and either standing or sitting on the drum riser.

Seldom did she stop moving except for when she perched on a stool at the front catwalk during the ballad, Where Did I Go Right?, and even then she didn't stay put for very long.

In terms of a look, she was decked out in a black T-shirt, jeans and runners, with pink streaks in her long blond hair.

And her pop-rock sound, over the course of an hour-and-ten minutes and 17 songs, recalled others like her -- Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson, etc.

It was hardly revolutionary but pleasant nonetheless, especially her hits Come Clean, Anywhere But Here, So Yesterday, Why Not, Fly, and new songs Haters (which she insists is so not about her rival Lindsay Lohan) and Do YouWant Me? from her second self-titled record that came out in September.

About the coolest thing on stage was Duff's female drummer Shauney Baby.

The encore saw Duff return barefoot for a cover of The Who's My Generation, but if any of her young fans had been alive when the original was performed they would have seen the ridiculousness of it all.

Better suited to this crowd was when confetti fell on them during the final song, The Math.

Duff, who will visit Ottawa tonight and Hamilton on Friday, is currently headlining her first Canadian tour.

She even appeared briefly as part of Thursday night's Canada For Asia televised benefit, asking for donations, and is herself giving 25c from each ticket towards the tsunami victims.

On Tuesday Duff also performs at the presidential youth inaugural ball.