There seems to be no end in sight for this all-male vocal band craze that is gripping our country. What started out a couple of years ago as a fad that one critic said "would soon fade away and disappear" has now become a full- blown trend that is also sweeping the rest of the music world.

But it was 2 Saturdays ago that one of these boy groups finally decided to hold a major concert at one of the bigger venues in the city. When the Irish group Boyzone first visited the country to promote their second album A Different Beat, the five young lads had already established a following in the UK and Ireland, thanks to the successful singles "Working My Way Back To You" (their remake of an old Spinners song) and "Love Me for A Reason" (a remake of an Osmonds original). Surprised by the reaction of their fans early this year, with a jam-packed party at Limits plus special guest appearances on television and radio, Boyzone promised and announced to their fans that they would return "later this year for a major concert."

Fulfilling that promise, the boys from Ireland returned and performed first at the New Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City on August 29, and at the FAT (Folk Arts Theater) the next day.

At the Cebu show when the boys started singing the first lines of the Cat Steven's original "Father and Son," they were surprised by the reaction of their Cebuano fans, who had memorized the words of the song by heart, singing while the members of Boyzone stayed quiet for a while.

"Right now, it's absolutely great, fantastic. Before, we didn't know what stuff to perform and do, basically. But now, four years later, when we are working, we are very close and quite professional," said member Keith Duffy.

It was no surprise that the Boyzone concert at the FAT was attended by an almost all-female crowd. Some fans even had posters and placards with personal messages written all over them. When the show began, they would flash these messages to their idols, hoping that they would stop and take notice of them. Others would throw flowers on the stage while the well-to-do fans gave them stuffed toys.

Security was tight at the FAT that evening and many fans of Boyzone were disappointed when they had to leave behind their cameras at the gate. During the show, the guards wouldn't even allow the members of Boyzone to climb down the stage and mingle with the fans, afraid that a riot or a stampede would happen.

The show started at around 8:45 p.m. and as soon as the house lights were turned off, the female fans started screaming and shrieking.

Suddenly, the five members of Boyzone appeared on stage, wearing body hugging, black and white costumes that resembled space-age wear suits and they started singing an upbeat song with choreographed dance movements. It was actually a surprise to see a back-up band playing - lead guitarist, bass player, drummer and keyboard player. Being the backbone of the concert, whoever handled the Boyzone show did an excellent choice because they almost played flawlessly the entire evening. During a break from the singing, the back-up band performed a long instrumental interlude that reminded me of the sound of Genesis when they were still struggling in the late 70's. It was a pity and even cruel that the members of Boyzone didn't even think of introducing the members of the band to the audience.

The first part of the concert was devoted to Boyzone's lesser-known songs, most of them upbeat tunes that had most of the audience dancing. But by the time they were singing the fourth song on their set, "Strong Enough" Boyzone had the audience on their feet, clapping and singing along.

Deciding to slow things down, a series of ballads followed and Boyzone decided it was time to become sentimental with their fans. The boys started things off by singing "Paradise," an environmental-awareness song, followed by the Cat Stevens original "Father & Son."which transformed the FAT into one huge karaoke joint. They followed up with their latest single, "Don't Stop Looking For Love." They also did another song from the Mr. Bean soundtrack, the upbeat, brassy "A Picture of You." which sounds like a big hit song for the band.

Shifting back to their retro, cover-version mode, Boyzone performed a medley of Motown hits, a performance that they also did at the European Music Awards.

"We have come to our last song," announced Shane Lynch. "We will leave you with this song that all of you will remember. This is the song that introduced you to Boyzone."

They then sang "Love Me for a Reason" while most of their female fans sang along with them. After they made a hasty exit, most of the people in the audience refused to budge and demanded for more.

Returning on stage to do 2 encores, Boyzone sang their remake of the BeeGees' "Words" and the song "Melting Pot." "You've been a great audience Manila."

For a major concert, the Boyzone show was short, clocking in at around one hour 30 minutes, including the encores, which made the audience scream for more songs from the boys.

After realizing a virtual gold mine for concerts that cater to Filipino youths, it is just a matter of time before promoters of another foreign all-boy group decide to hold a major show in one of our concert venues.