Pop songs and sing-a-longs: Jesse McCartney rocks it

This may be hard to believe, but Jesse McCartney is a true performer. All biases aside, the man can sing . . . and dance . . . and write (‘Bleeding Love’ anyone?) . . . and put on a show.

Friday night, McCartney rocked the House of Blues, where he showcased his multitude of talents, including acting: acting like he was interested in the 13-year-old girls he was pulling on stage . . . or was he?

Either way, walking into the venue while the gobs of screaming teenage girls piled on stage, it was clear this was a sold out show. After a failed attempt to get a better view up top, I sunk in toward the back with the other college-aged girls who were trying to play it cool near the bar.

McCartney’s show featured mostly songs from his newest album ‘Departure.’ His back-ups never missed a beat as they seemed to enjoy playing his soulful pop tunes. Two back-up dancers doubled as emcees and kept the crowd’s energy up as’ McCartney would take breaks backstage. McCartney also slipped in ‘Beautiful Soul,’ his first hit from 2005, and the crowd went wild. Even though he’s had just two top 40 hits, the crowd was dancing and singing along to every song he performed.

As the concert was nearing its end, McCartney took a quick break and whipped back onto stage, flashing a smile to the crowd and announcing he had just one song left. As soon as the beat dropped for his latest single, ‘Leavin’,’ an intense sing-a-long ensued and every girl seemed to be pretending that Jesse was telling her to leave her boyfriend for him.

Although McCartney is known as a boy-band sensation from his Dream Street days, he’s consistently wowed crowds beyond their expectations of his being a one-hit-wonder. His experience and expertise shine onstage as he works the crowd while dancing and singing perfectly on key. Even those who weren’t fans left impressed.