TORONTO -- Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias launched his Escape tour last night at the Air Canada Centre's Sears Theatre in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000.

Make that 5,000 screaming, singing, dancing and clapping girls and women although a few men were miraculously spotted in the audience.

In fact, Iglesias' Toronto show sold out in a mere forty minutes.

The popularity of the twentysomething Miami-based heartthrob is undisputed in T.O. with his previous mall appearances in the area drawing excited females in the thousands.

But with his second English language album, the aforementioned Escape, selling well on the heels of his 1999 English language breakthrough Enrique, a concert tour pulling into these parts one day was a given. (He's already sold 23 million albums worldwide as a Spanish-language pop star.)

Among those attending last night was Iglesias' current girlfriend and video co-star (for the title track from Escape), tennis babe Anna Kournikova.

However, all eyes were on Iglesias, especially after he started the concert 40 minutes late and made his entrance in snug-fitting brown leather pants.

Walking out on a spotlight-laden, wood-paneled catwalk that enabled him to get closer to his fans, Iglesias was quickly handed single red roses from some of those concert goers near the front of the stage during the second and third songs, Love To See You Cry and Bailamos.

He's clearly the son of crooner Julio in the-charm-the-pants-off-the-audience department.

And upping the sexual energy ante was a duet between Iglesias and a blonde female backup singer -- scantily-clad in a beaded halter top and black leather pants -- as they kissed, nuzzled, held hands, gyrated and generally touched each other during the duet Could I Have This Kiss Forever.

This scene was later repeated between Iglesias and a 13-year-old female fan plucked from the audience for a personal serenade during his big hit, Hero.

The sound was a definite problem, especially in the higher reaches of the ACC with a crowd to my right screaming in unison: "We can't hear you!" several times.

But, honestly, it didn't seem to matter that much what Iglesias -- a walking Calvin Klein ad --was actually saying or singing.

Case in point: When he raised up his green T-shirt -- emblazoned with the words "Naval Academy --San Diego" to wipe his nose, the sight of his washboard stomach illicited a roar.

Song-wise, it was Iglesias uptempo hits -- Bailamos, Rhythm Divine, Escape , Oyeme and Be With You -- that went over best during the hour-and-twenty-five minute performance.

A well-intentioned acoustic set of softspoken ballads in the middle of the show almost put the crowd to sleep.

Better executed was his set-ending cover of Steve Miller's The Joker, which saw Iglesias seated on the catwalk surrounded by his seven-piece band and three backup singers.

He even grabbed his crotch for extra effect as he sang the line: "I really like your peaches, just want to shake your tree."

Do you even need to be told the audience's reaction to that?

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5 (More on Enrique Iglesias)