Against the Current in Manila was Nothing Sort of a Nightmare, but Everything that is a Daydream

Against the Current has found a home on the Philippine stage as they have returned to the country for the sixth time, delighting Filipino rock fans with another world tour, Nightmares and Daydreams last October 8, 2023, at SM North EDSA Skydome, presented by PULP Live World.

Against the Current, which consists of Chrissy Costanza, Daniel Gow, and Will Ferri, seems to have a Pinoy bug fever that they can’t get enough of and that their fans can’t get enough of either. They had to return and not miss the Philippines as their stop.

Legends Never Die

A tour-hour-long concert took the place of a setlist by Chrissy Costanza, Daniel Gow, and Will Ferri, along with their touring bassist David Whitmore, who played their most popular and nostalgic songs plucked from their decade-long discography under an incredible rock atmosphere that embraced both the band and the crowd.

An electrifying playlist ensued, while the band interacted with the crowd, who to their surprise, found fans who had been present since their first show in the country.

“How are you doing Manila? It’s been a while since we’ve been here, 5, 6 years?” recalled their vocalist Chrissy. “I think I was 17 when I came here the first time!” She talked to a fan on the barricades who mentioned they were only 15 when the band came here and it’s evident that the band has formed a solid fanbase in the country with fans who never miss an attendance whenever they bless Manila with their music.

A playful banter throughout the night took place with the band and the fans, and a switch up with the band’s drummer, Will played an acoustic guitar with the song “‘Chasing Ghost.”

A notable stage was when they played, “Legends Never Die” as their encore opening, easily being their most popular track, the anthem for League of Legends Worlds 2017, and currently the game’s most played original anthem track.

Check out the full ‘Nightmares & Daydreams’ setlist here:

  1. “good guy”
  2. Wildfire
  3. again&again
  4. jump
  5. Strangers Again
  6. Personal
  7. Running with the Wild Things
  8. blindfolded
  9. silent stranger
  10. lullaby
  11. Paralyzed
  12. Another You (Another Way)
  13. Roses
  14. Almost Forgot
  15. Chasing Ghosts
  16. Voices
  17. Gravity
  18. Wasteland
  19. that won’t save us
  20. Legends Never Die
  21. weapon

Will the Against the Current come back? If they came back the 6th time, what would stop them from coming the 7th time, especially with the Pinoy crowd’s always on-another-level concert energy, never failing to leave a mark on any artist’s memory in every concert stop? The fans sang along, jumped along, lost themselves on important high moments, and sang back to ATC when they were asked to sing along to the song “weapon”, their closing song, to sing the song back to the band, with a promise they will never give up. Enough motivation to go on your daily lives? We daresay it is.

Words and Photos by Arielle Elep


The AGAINST THE CURRENT ‘NIGHTMARES & DAYDREAMS’ 2023 World Tour in MANILA was presented by PULP Live World. Special thanks to PULP Live World for the invitation.

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