By Baby A. Gil

Donnie Wahlberg held my hand. (Scream.) Well, not really. He passed near my seat. I reached out to him, just like all the girls around me were doing. And too bad for the others, he reached out and got mine. (Double scream.)

I know I am passed the age of screaming over hand-holding with pop idols unless the guy singing happens to be Paul McCartney. (Sigh.) But it was just impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of those present.

I wonder how many people were there at the Mall of Asia Arena — 10, 12 or 15 thousand? They all came because the NKOTBSB was performing and the mood last Sunday evening, June 3, was boy band electric. (More screams.)

That is what the audience is supposed to do at boy band concerts. Swoon and scream. And the NKOTBSB is the ultimate boy band of all. The group combines two of the greatest boy bands of all time, the New Kids On The Block from the ’80s and the Backstreet Boys of the ’90s. Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood are the NKOTB. The BSB are Howie Dorough, AJ MacLean, Nick Carter and Brian Littrell.

The Kids and the Boys have all had their days. Then two years ago, somebody came up with a clever idea. Combine forces, record some songs and go on tour. And the result of the union will now go down in pop music history as phenomenal. As Brian himself mentioned during the concert, they have now done a hundred shows together and Manila was their last stop.

Read full review on PhilStar.com.