MANILA, Philippines — The Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block, two of the most popular boy bands in recent history, returned to Manila for a one-night concert on Sunday.

SM Mall of Asia’s The Arena was packed with between 7,000 to 10,000 fans, who grew up idolizing the New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys in the 1990s. Tickets ranged from P13,000 to P1,000, but several websites offered tickets at 50% off just a few days before the concert.

Fans, who had general admission tickets, lined up as early as 4 p.m. outside The Arena. Gates only opened at around 6:30 p.m., but staffers prevented fans from entering the General Admission section for at least an hour. This created crowds on the fourth-level lobby, with some fans nearly falling off the escalator.

When the doors to the General Admission were finally opened, a mad rush ensued, with some children nearly getting crushed by the crowd.

Aizel, a 34-year-old office worker, complained that the Arena staffers did not do anything to control the crowd.

The crowd grew antsy waiting for the concert to start, even with two front acts doing their best to entertain the crowd.

The lights finally dimmed past 9 p.m., and fans started shouting for Backstreet Boys and NKOTB.

Wearing all-black outfits, members of the two groups came out and performed Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, combined with BSB’s “The One” and NKOTB’s “Single.”

While the colorful laser effects were impressive, the sound system seemed off. The audience in the upper sections couldn’t make out the words to the songs.

New Kids on the Block, which debuted in 1986, managed to keep up with the much younger Backstreet Boys who made their debut in 1995. But both groups showed they may be older but they still know how to turn up the charm.

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