“I really mean it, thank you so much for coming along, guys! Thanks for being an incredible crowd… Thank you for supporting us over the years, listening to our music! Manila, we love you,” Steve Garrigan told the audience at the MOA Arena before singing the (supposed) final song setlist. Before that, the Filipino crowd had transformed into a full-blown choir for the band, backing up their tracks like as if they were part of the band themselves.
On August 10, Irish rock band Kodaline took the Philippine concert stage one last time. The Philippines had been part of their musical journey many times – from being included in the Wanderland Festival line-up in 2018, holding solo concerts at the New Frontier Theater and Filinvest Tent, to now taking over MOA Arena for their Farewell Tour in 2026.
Comprised of Steve Garrigan, Vincent May, Mark Prendergast and Jason Boland, Kodaline has been known for their heartfelt lyrics, revolving around love and loss, guitar and piano-driven melodies tinged with Garrigan’s emotionally charged falsetto. To put it simply, their music is the soundtrack for a “love that’s made for movie screens” (to quote a line from their hit song) – cinematic moments of falling in and out of love, along with the grief and yearning.
August 10 fell on a Monday, and a very rainy one at that. For what seemed to be a week, it had been raining nonstop all over the Metro due to the effect of Habagat. Still, a great of number of people turned up to witness Kodaline’s farewell concert at the MOA Arena. The floor area was packed until the back, the upper sections were moderately filled as well. Before the show began, there was this cold stillness in the air. People weren’t excitedly loud. They were just waiting silently.
When Kodaline took the stage, the silence was broken immediately. The band started playing, and as if on cue, the audience lit up and sang along to “Wherever You Are”, “Brand New Day” and “Ready”.
Being part of that audience was special in many ways. It was, after all, the last time Kodaline would be performing as a band in our country. That sense of impending finality might have given the crowd that extra energy to turn the concert into a synchronized singing party. They weren’t obnoxiously loud, rather they were singing along with gentleness and grace – exactly how a choir sounds like in a solemn cathedral. This was audibly felt when Kodaline performed their trademark hits like “High Hopes”, “The One”, “One Day” and “Love Will Set You Free”.
For their part, the band was very appreciative of the warm reception. Steve Garrigan would stop singing just to hear the crowd fill in the words for their songs. He even said at one point that the Philippines had the loudest crowd of the tour thus far. The members of the band would look around the arena, in awe. They would even take short snippets with their own phones just to remember the moment.
During the encore, Garrigan returned, wearing a Gilas Pilipinas jersey. He again expressed his appreciation of the crowd, saying “We won’t forget this, truly. Kodaline proceeded to perform the evergreen favorites “Everything Works Out in the End” and “All I Want”. At the end, the entire arena gave the band a long standing ovation to express their gratitude.
When Kodaline announced their disbandment in October 2025 via their social media pages, it came as a huge shock for their fans. Barely 14 years into making music together, it seemed too early for them to come to that decision. Still, it’s amazing how their music managed to create a distinct impact on people’s lives, providing them warmth, comfort and joy when they needed it most, giving them soundtracks to remember the big and small moments of their lives. Their final concert in Manila was the living proof of that. In that regard, we can only thank Kodaline for making us part of their journey. Their music will surely be remembered for a long, long time.
Special thanks to Live Nation Philippines!
by Sandra Mae Laureano
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