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efore the Pussycat Dolls even came on stage Tuesday night, the line for the women's bathroom at Istora Senayan Jakarta was already snaking around the corner. The men's room, by contrast, was wide open.

This initial gender imbalance set the tone for the night. The audience was overwhelmingly dominated by groups of girls, pressing their faces together for group photos, screaming, hugging and kissing cheeks. There were men in attendance, to be sure, but most of them seemed to be dragged along by their wives or girlfriends. Or in some cases, their daughters.

"I don't really understand about the Pussycat Dolls, but my daughter knows them," said Rachmat, of Jakarta, gesturing to his 9-year-old daughter Farah, who stood shyly behind him.

For a group that oozes feminine sexuality, the Pussycat Dolls has a remarkably loyal female fan base. When the group strutted on stage, took their positions and announced, "For the first time ever in history, the Pussycat Dolls are in Indonesia," the shrieks ringing out were unmistakably feminine.

"I think they look at them as icons," explained Ekta Topandasani, 22, who came to the concert with her brother and two younger sisters. And the Pussycat Dolls can be good role models, she added. "They know how to expose themselves, but they remain classy while they do it."

"Sassy, but always classy" is a Pussycat Dolls catchphrase, but it's hard to determine exactly where the Dolls draw the line between classy and d*class*. Song after song, they emerged in outfits that wouldn't be out of place at a go-go bar - fringed corsets, sequined hot pants and knee-high stiletto boots - and their dance routines relied heavily on the bump and the grind.

At the same time, the Pussycat Dolls promote a version of female solidarity. "This is a song for all the strong independent ladies," shouted lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, before launching into the song "I Don't Need a Man".

Granted, numbers like this were mixed between calls for a lover to "loosen up my buttons" and to shake me "when my bottle pop". And it's hard to know how seriously to take girl-power messages from women whose perfectly toned bodies seem to be among the band's primary selling points.

"That's their style, that's why they're called Pussycat Dolls," said concert promoter Hasani Abdulgani. "Some people like it, some people don't. If they don't like it, don't come. It's a free country."

Overall, the crowd at Istora Senayan seemed to like it. "Aku cinta Jakarta," shouted Scherzinger, and the crowd screamed back at her. Radio hits like "I Hate This Part" were greeted with cheers and singalongs, and when the lights dimmed for slower, solo numbers by Scherzinger, the rapt crowd stood silent, a constellation of LCD screens recording the moment.

At times, though, the performance seemed a bit off key. At their best, the Pussycat Dolls have a certain infectious charm. They jump, kick and shimmy in unison with enough energy to draw a smile from even the most skeptical viewer. But when they lag, drop the beat or get out of synch - as they did several times Tuesday - their charm quickly wears thin.

They performed over canned background vocals, with only Scherzinger doing any serious singing. Group member Jessica Sutta was absent, having hurt her back at a previous show, but the prerecorded video presentation announced her entrance, creating a few awkward moments.

And when the dance routines got out of step, it was painfully clear that individually, none of the Pussycat Dolls was dancing well enough to carry the show.

It's hard to shake the feeling that the Pussycat Dolls are less a pop group than a marketing gimmick. And for a gimmick, Tuesday's presentation distinctly lacked flash. They performed on a bare stage with gray risers, backed only by a video screen. No effects, no pyrotechnics, no special guests.

Even their loyal supporters seemed a bit disappointed after the show. "I'm a really big fan of them," said actress Anita Hara. "They are really hot. But I didn't like the stage."