April 14th was the night of the sixth annual iBoston Music Awards held at the Wang Center. It was hosted by Boston's own comedian, Lenny Clark, who, although no Billy Crystal, did keep the audience entertained. All the Boston musicians were there, including Aerosmith, Extreme, and the New Kids on the Block. The Boston Music Awards acknowledges all types of music from Latin to rap and classical to heavy metal.

Many artists performed, including rap act Ed O.G. and Da Bull Dogs, the rock band the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the legendary James Taylor, who received the Hall of Fame award. The highlight of the evening was when the newest rap sensation, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch took the stage. They got everyone on their feet.

The surprise of the evening was Don Henley, who although not a Boston native, was presented with a special Walden Woods award from Aerosmith for all he has done to help the Walden Woods project.

Previous winners, the New Kids on the Block, were overlooked this year in most categories, but when they came on stage to present an award the place went wild, which showed that they are still one of the hottest groups around.

The big winners of the evening were Extreme with five awards including Act of the Year, Marky Mark and Bell Biv DeVoe each with three, and James Taylor, and Aerosmith each with two. The Pepsi Uh-Huh Rising Star Award was given to pop vocalist, Stacey Earl, who was also one of the performers of the evening.

This was the second year I have gone to the Boston Music Awards and both times were very exciting. Although the tickets were expensive (ranging from $24 to $60), it was well worth it. n