It wasn’t MTV’s VMAs, but our own BMAs, where the New Kids on the Block won big.
Last night at the 21st Boston Music Awards at the Roxy, New Kids Donnie Wahlberg and Jordan Knight picked up the boy band’s National Act of the Year award. After a crack about not winning a Grammy when Milli Vanilli did, Wahlberg said: “We’d rather have this than a Grammy any day.” It was cool. The 30-something women became screaming tweens instantly. But it was the only VMA-ish moment of the night.

Breaking from the typical public ceremonies at the Orpheum, this year’s BMAs were a private event at the Tremont Street clubs for nominees and industry types. (A few $150 VIP tickets were sold to the public to benefit the Music Drives Us Foundation.) Seemingly the idea behind the local showcase is to, well, showcase locals. But with local fans shut out, the event became a vaguely rocking, appropriately awkward holiday social.

Without the spotlight-stealing, not-as-exciting-as-we’d-hoped Extreme reunion and Bobby Brown cameo from last year, this was all about locals cramming their best into 20-minute sets.

Many complained about the plug being pulled on the Underbar DJs Baltimoroder and Red Foxx before the 9:30 p.m. awards announcements - who wants to shake it at 7:30 after one cosmo? But the BMAs got in a few nice early performances.

Downstairs at the Pearl, College Band of the Year Bearstronaut rocked hard to a tiny crowd at 7:15. With an indie rock take on California AM gold, Drug Rug, Best Song of the Year nominee, got a great response from a growing audience. Then Hip-Hop nominee Big Digits alienated half the packed dance floor and got the other half grooving with some geeky hip-hop.

Upstairs at the Roxy, Outstanding Folk Artist Miss Tess didn’t do folk, but a set of dressed-up, low-down jazz. Coming off a win at this year’s BCN Rock and Roll Rumble, Girls Guns and Glory nabbed both Outstanding Americana Act and Local Act of the Year - and with Ward Hayden’s wicked high and lonesome voice, put a sweet set.

Like the show, the crowd was an odd mix: slinky cocktail dresses and stilettos next to the Central Square chic of ratty sweaters and skinny jeans. But, like at any good holiday party, the awkwardness melted with a few drinks. And despite its best efforts to bomb - the 30-minute, rapid-fire awards ceremony was clumsy and still excruciatingly long - the BMAs were loose and fun. Sure, they didn’t do much to publicize local music and the place was clearing out by 11, but a boozed-up winter ball beats a broken-down B-list parade of past Boston rockers any day. -By Jed Gottlieb / Boston Herald

BOSTON MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

Act of the Year (National) – New Kids on the Block/