Tickets go on sale February 9 for the caravan’s May 12 launch at Pro Player Stadium in Miami and a show at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., three days later. Additional concerts in Jacksonville, Fla.; Jackson, Miss.; and Hershey, Pa., will be up for grabs February 10.

The five dates are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, though. The North American mega-tour is expected to expand to more than three dozen additional dates and run into August.

Perhaps the only thing that will be louder than teen-age girls’ screams this summer will be the ka-ching of box office cash registers.

Fans can expect a huge demand for tickets to see the boy band that mounted the second-highest grossing North American tour of 2000, piling up more than $76.4 million in receipts. Only Tina Turner did more business than the group, which charged substantially less for tickets.

That showing was up considerably from their 1999 third-place ranking with $51.5 million, behind only the Rolling Stones, and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

‘N Sync’s tour routing is anticipated to remain east of the Mississippi through June, then heading for western locales into August.