WASHINGTON – The performers at Tuesday’s inaugural youth concert were Republican-approved and purportedly PG-rated.

But one band strayed from the GOP script.

“Welcome to the greatest (expletive) country in the world,” Fuel singer Brett Scallions, one of the earlier acts, told the crowd.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected course.

“I wasn’t supposed to use that word. I apologize,” he said.

Before the lineup was announced for “America’s Future Rocks Today,” Republican groups had pressured concert planners to keep it clean. Reports that Kid Rock would perform at the concert had Christian conservatives crying foul – language, that is. Organizers insisted that the raunchy rocker was never officially booked.

In the end, the teen audience was more Disney devotee than hard rocker. Squeaky-clean Hilary Duff, whose biography noted that she doesn’t have a driver’s license yet, and Ryan Cabrera were fan favorites, while the harder-edged Fuel drew a lukewarm response.

“American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard, JoJo and 3 Doors Down also performed.

“The concert will overshadow anything that happened in the planning stages,” inaugural spokesman Ben Porritt said before the event. “We’re thrilled with the performers we’ve put together.”

The crowd generally was too, but empty seats and floor space were plentiful.

Young fans waved glow sticks and sang along to their favorite songs. And they went wild when President Bush and first lady Laura Bush made a quasi-surprise appearance.

“How about Hilary Duff? She was fantastic,” the president said. “How about 3 Doors Down? Pretty cool guys, right? Seem cool to me.”

The Bushes’ twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, did not attend.

The president emphasized that the event was about more than music, encouraging the crowd to get involved in their communities.

“Take time out of your life to make somebody else’s life better,” he said.

Teens and 20-somethings offered testimonials about volunteer work during the two-hour concert.

While the message was positive, the concert’s cool quotient was in question.

“I guess it would be a cool concert if you’re a 17-year-old girl,” said Roy Trakin, senior editor of Hits magazine.

Not really, said Millicent Bolin, 17-year-old from New Orleans. Many in the audience were on school trips, and some weren’t thrilled that the concert was on their itinerary.

“We had to come,” Millicent said. “I don’t like these people … they’re too fake and mainstream.”

If the concert fell short on the hip scale, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Stephen Baldwin took the stage on a skateboard. “Are you guys rockin’ or what?” he enthused.

While the star power was only so-so, according to Trakin, he gave the Republicans credit for persuading a half-dozen acts to perform.

“It’s not all country and polka,” he noted.

Still, the GOP line-up didn’t compare to the Democrats’ star-studded concerts last fall that featured Bruce Springsteen, the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M. and other heavy hitters, Trakin said.

“All the action is still on the Democrats’ side,” he said. “Bill Clinton had Fleetwood Mac … George Bush has Hilary Duff.”

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