Last year it was men in grass skirts dancing cheek to cheek as Jimmy Buffet opened the Molson Amphitheatre for business.

This year it was men in black latex cowboy outfits and cactus costumes when flamboyantly fun dance duo Erasure entertained the troops during the outdoor venue's first concert of the summer -- if you can call it that.

Different crowds to be sure. Same sense of artist loyalty.

Erasure's theatrical and operatic singer Andy Bell and his solemn-looking sidekick, "synth guru" Vince Clarke, kicked off last night's chilly proceedings with Reach Out from their latest album, Cowboy.

And it didn't take the small but dance-crazy crowd of 5,000 very long to warm up as they left their seats and rushed to the floor by the time the second song had rolled around.

As it turned out, new material would dominate the two-hour show, with nine songs in all from Cowboy, mixed in with hits Chains Of Love, A Little Respect and Always.

Then there was the truly spectacular stage, decorated like a western ghost town complete with a saloon and swinging doors, a hotel, a fake campfire and four backup singers (from the London Community Gospel Choir) performing on a wagon train.

But it was Bell, in head-to-toe black latex -- including boots with large silver spurs for heels and a cowboy hat -- who was the focal point throughout.

"Hello, Toronto cowboys and cowgirls, thank you for braving the cold tonight," he said. "This is my laser cowboy hat for late night cruising. You can cook in it as well."

Bell constantly moved around the stage, riding his microphone stand like a horse one minute or moving his body twice as fast as the beat the next.

"This next song is for Igor," he proclaimed. "He gave us a massage backstage. He's from Russia. I just fell in love."

Clarke, meanwhile, had programmed most of the music for the night so his role consisted of climbing the scaffolding holding his equipment.

To his credit, he did take out an acoustic guitar every now and then and almost stole the show from Bell when he appeared on stage dressed as a giant cactus.

JAM! Rating: 4 out of 5