Philippine Concerts

Category: Concert Reviews

  • Lost in the Echo of Linkin Park

    Lost in the Echo of Linkin Park

    Chester Bennington

    After almost a decade of waiting, Linkin Park finally came back to Manila to conquer the Arena wherein thousands and thousands of manic LP fans screamed, jumped and rocked their souls with the band. Considered as one of the highlights of the Philippine concert scene this year, the show proved to be a riotous success as the Arena burst with multitudes of people from the moshpit up to the upper boxes. Without a shadow of doubt, the evening turned out to be one of the most unforgettable concerts that Manila had ever experienced.

    Local band Urbandub was both thrilled and honored to open for LP. The Cebuano band performed “Soul Searching”, “The Fight Is Over” along with tracks off their new album “Esoteric”. Their last song for their set was “First of Summer” which had the excited crowd more psyched up.

    Linkin Park Live in Manila
    (more…)

  • Fall Out Boy Brings Manila More Great Memories

    Fall Out Boy Brings Manila More Great Memories

    Save Rock and Roll Tour: Fall Out Boy live in Manila Concert Review

    Fall Out Boy Live at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
    The screaming fans who shook the packed Big Dome


    Fall Out Boy is such a talented band. Infinity On high is one of my most played albums ever! In 2009, after the release of Folie A Deux, the band went on hiatus. Last February, they announced that they were coming back with a new album and world tour. That tour included Manila, and the show proved to be tremendously successful. Fall Out Boy returned from their 4-year hiatus with their latest album “Save Rock and Roll” and on August 8, Thursday night, an approximate 9,000 fans in the Araneta Coliseum witnessed the much awaited performance of one of the best punk/emo bands in the world.

    Patrick Stump - Fall Out Boy Live in Manila
    (more…)

  • Pet Shop Boys Electrify the Big Dome

    Pet Shop Boys Electrify the Big Dome

    PSB_07 (1)

    “Electric” as their latest album and tour is called and Pet Shop Boys live up to their title. Last Tuesday, August 6, the Big Dome was transcended to the era of 80s synthpop as Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe performed their latest tracks and some of their biggest hits for the first time ever in Manila.

    The audience was mainly composed of people who grew up listening to the duo, people who were in their 30s and above. Some of them even brought their kids. There were also a great number of youngsters who were curious about the famous electronic pop duo. All of them were up for a huge surprise.

    PSB_27

    The evening was one huge visual feast which featured a stunning display of lights along with a grand theater-like choreography. Throughout the concert, there were several set and outfit changes that happened according to the theme of the song. There was the stuffy hedgehog-like costume in “One More Chance/Face Like That”, the metal horn headgear during “I Wouldn’t Normally Do this Kind of Thing”, the light-bending discoball headgear during “Leaving” and the neon orange tracksuits in “Domino Dancing”. All the while, Chris Lowe kept his signature shades and cap on along with his usual expressionless face. To add to the fun, there stage was extravagantly designed with multitudes of colorful strobe lights, elaborately animated video clips/images and sophisticatedly choreographed dance segments. Really, all these elements mashed up together to provide one great show.
    (more…)

  • xxTRAORDINARY Show in Manila

    xxTRAORDINARY Show in Manila

    The xx Mesmerizes Manila

     The xx Live in Manila

    The 30th of July was an evening of mesmerizing music down at the NBC Tent as The xx headlined their first ever concert here in Manila. As early as 6:00pm, a long line can be seen right outside the venue, eagerly waiting for the gates to open.

    The xx Live in Manila

    Tickets got sold out a day before, but the organizers made some adjustments in the venue in order to accommodate more people. Still, some people were still clamoring for tickets at the day itself and surely enough, the venue was packed during the evening. By the time the concert was officially about to start, both the gold and silver sections were bursting, leaving just the little blind spot areas at the back and sides vacant. The crowd was composed of a diverse set of people, ranging from college kids to grown-ups at their 30s. A lot of celebrities and prominent musicians can be spotted at the gold and VIP section.

    The xx Live in Manila
    (more…)

  • The Pianist’s Pianist: A World-Class Performance

    The Pianist’s Pianist: A World-Class Performance

    the-pianists-pianist-abscbn-philharmonic-orchestra

    When the country’s most celebrated pianist, Cecile Licad, teams up with the very talented conductor, Gerard Salonga, you know you’re up for something grand. The event calls for a performance that would satiate and at a bigger scale, invigorate the audience’s appetite for classical music. In the evening of the 29th of June, the spectators of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Nicanor Abelardo Hall got exactly that and more.

    The Pianist’s Pianist was a one-night performance highlighting the renowned Filipina pianist Cecile Licad in collaboration with the steadily rising ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gerard Salonga. Cecile Licad is the Philippines’ gem in classical music. A prodigy from the beginning, she made her debut at the age of 7 as she performed with the University of the East Student Orchestra. She then studied in the Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowsk. When she was 20, she won the grand prize in the much coveted Leventritt Competition which eventually launched her career as a soloist with the most prestigious orchestras around the world. Now 52 years old, she continues to inspire people all across the world with her sweeping and breathtaking piano techniques that leave every soul enthralled.
    (more…)

  • Lee Minho’s Everything

    Lee Minho’s Everything


    lee min ho live in manila

    lee min ho bench

    We’ve seen Lee Minho fit into many roles:

    The brash and snobbish, yet loyal and endearing leader of F4 in Boys Over Flowers.  The poker-faced, obsessive-compulsive architect in Perfect Match. The revenge-fueled vigilante in City Hunter.

    lee min ho live at moa arena

    These three dramas aired in Philippine local TV not too long ago, and with each one, Lee Min Ho owned his characters rightfully, inevitably making a deep impression to a lot of people and cementing his place as one of the most recognized Korean actors in our country.
    (more…)

  • CNBLUE: The Blue Moon at the Big Dome

    CNBLUE: The Blue Moon at the Big Dome

    cnblue-live-in-manila

    For the evening of the 15th of June 2013, the Blue Moon loomed over the Philippines. In the span of two hours, it shone brightly and perfectly over the Big Dome. Thousands of hardcore Boices, K-poppers and concert enthusiasts filled out every seat of the venue. Made possible by Pulp Live World, CNBLUE finally included Manila as a pit stop for their renowned Blue Moon World Tour. Their previous stops had included Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Bangkok.

    Jung Yonghwa, Lee Jonghyun, Lee Jungshin and Kang Minhyuk took our country by a screaming, flailing storm. You’ve seen these boys in the Korean dramas “You’re Beautiful”, “Hearstrings”/”You’ve Fallen for Me” and “A Gentleman’s Dignity” which had all aired in Philippine local television. Beyond their good looks and their interesting personalities both onstage and offstage, CNBLUE is composed of four guys who are musicians to their core. Different from the typical K-pop acts, CNBLUE is essentially a rock band, playing their own instruments and composing a great number of their own songs. Lately, even our local hit charts have been invaded by their recent releases.

    The day before their concert, CNBLUE’s first ever free public press conference was held at SM Megamall, causing a huge uproar in the Metro. Thousands of rabidly devoted fangirls filled up every possible point of access in every floor of the venue. Some were slumped down on the floor, peeping through the glass in between. Patient and unwavering, the Boices had waited for the entire day and withstood the smolderingly anxious pits just to catch as much as a glimpse of the guys. It was intense, to say the least, but well, if there’s anything that K-pop fans have proven over the years, that reaction was just a portion of the amount of energy they can muster.

    The Big Dome was completely packed during the evening of the Blue Moon concert. All the VIP and patron seats had sold out a few days prior, causing the organizers to open up the general admission section to accommodate more people. Thousands and thousands of Boices flocked the Big Dome, many of them travelling from provinces around the Philippines just to see the band for one evening. Majority of the crowd were garbed in the official sparkling CNBLUE shirts, customized Boice paraphernalia, handmade banners and the official Blue Moon light sticks. Dressed to kill, they wholeheartedly enjoy the concert, proving to be one of the loudest and liveliest crowds in Manila.
    (more…)

  • Summer Ends Loudly at Circuit Fest

    Summer Ends Loudly at Circuit Fest

    circuit-fest-yellowcard

    The afternoon rains are slowly getting more frequent as the last days of May peel away. In a few days, we can only expect the weather to get more bipolar with the rains steadily pouring and the heat becoming less infuriating.

    Yes, summer is drawing to a close, and Circuit Fest was just about the perfect way to give it a proper sendoff. Throughout the season, we’ve seen our glorious share of music festivals, but one thing that made Circuit Fest stand out was the lineup. For pop to punk enthusiasts, the 9 international acts served a dream team of sorts which included bands who had been frequent visitors in Manila such as Mayday Parade, This Century, We Are The In Crowd and Yellowcard to the highly anticipated first-timers The Downtown Fiction and Before You Exit. All of them shared one stage. What more could they have asked for?

    To spice things up, the event also highlighted skating icons Riley Hawk who is the son of the skating legend Tony Hawk and the Fil-American skater Willy Santos. A mini ramp was set up near the entrance with local skaters showing off their skills amid the slippery slope caused by the rain.

    At around 3:00 in the afternoon, the festival began. The wide stage was perfectly set in the center of the venue, decked with the colorful circular logo of the event and a huge LCD screen which featured the current act’s animated logo and occasionally, the overview of the crowd. At both sides, 2 smaller screens that highlighted the performers up close. Right in front of the stage was the moshpit, tightly packed with aggressively hardcore fans. Another highlight of the event were the vibrant colors of the lights, well complemented by the sporadic spurts of the smoke machines, which both gave the festival the flare it deserved.

    circuitfest_skate

    Globe Circuit Event Grounds was very well suited for concerts, appropriate enough for the festival. With various booths encircling the venue, the atendees was delighted to browse different merch, apparel with a few freebies along the way. The event was also hosted by Glee’s Mark Salling who interviewed a few skaters and some of the bands right after their performance.

    circuitfest_hawk
    (more…)

  • Escape to Wanderland

    Escape to Wanderland

    temper-trap-wanderland

    In an era where there is a swift turnover of things, it is easy to get lost in the blur of the fast-paced life. Take a step back, slow things down, and enjoy the music with Wanderland Festival. This is exactly what attendees were able to do last May 18, 2013.

    Globe Circuit Grounds proved to be the perfect environment for an event such as this. Surrounding the area were food and merchandise booths as well as food trucks. Brands present were Captain Morgan, Oishi, PLDT, RayBan, Keds, Bauhaus, Roxy, DC, Quiksilver, Olukai, SneakPeek, Havainas, Bobble, Magnum, Nestle, Gap, Monster Energy Drink, and MTV Asia.

    wanderland-festival-2013

    The atmosphere was very relaxed. Mats, cloths, and towels were on the grass as people lay down as they watched the performances. The stage was a spectacle, an artistic monument, with its unconventional design. Its canopy roof aesthetically attractive against the skyline, adding to that laid back vibe that the festival had. Other features included an inflatable slide, a Velcro wall, and a joust area. Nearby were blank blocks of wood where artists such as Anjo Bolarda x Martojaks, Secret Fresh and Thursday Room had done their live art as the program went on.
    (more…)

  • Love is the most important word

    Love is the most important word

    JasonMraz1

    Jason Mraz‘s Tour is a Four Letter Word finally made its stop in Manila last Tuesday, May 14 and the Grammy winner nailed every performance.

    I’ve never seen an artist who went up on stage just to introduce his opening act without drawing much attention. He is so humble, fun and over all a good guy. A full night of music began with a 30-minute set from one of the newest singers and Youtube sensation Zendee. She did a great job warming up the audience before Mraz. She also returned during the performance of Lucky.

    JasonMraz2

    When Jason got on stage, the crowd went wild. He appeared in casual style as usual, t-shirt, jeans pants and the straw fedora hat. Mraz and his band kicked off with The World as I See It, followed by Everything Is Sound and one of my favorites The Remedy. The screen behind him showed beautiful graphics as he sang, especially during Butterfly.
    (more…)

  • Introducing Club Haze

    Introducing Club Haze

    club-haze

    Manila’s club scene has just become more exciting. From the organizers of BigFish, an electronic dance music party producer, comes a new nightlife hang out that dubs itself as the “the ultimate clubbing experience”. BigFish has found its official headquarters for its epic dance parties. Positioning itself in the heart of Bonifacio Global City’s club scene, in the Fort Strip, is Club Haze.

    It welcomed its first customers on May 4, 2013. The club’s soft opening was not complete without musical guests what with BigFish’s expertise in that area. There were DJ sets from John Paul Lee, Chris Raeuber and Paul Oakenfold.
    (more…)

  • Partying ‘til the Morning Light

    Partying ‘til the Morning Light

    CloseUp Summer Solstice
    April 27, 2013
    MOA Concert Grounds

    Partying ‘til the Morning Light

       closeup-summer-solstice-confetti

    With rising temperatures around the Metro, most people usually head for the beach. Boracay isn’t the only summer party destination anymore as Close Up presented its Summer Solstice Music Festival – twelve hours of partying – in the MOA Concert Grounds. It was the first Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festival in the country.

     Aside from bringing together local and international acts, Close Up Summer Solstice provided its attendees with numerous activities inside the venue. Throughout the grounds were food and merchandise stalls, reverse bungee jumping, basketball booths, and a huge stage-like photo frame. There were stilt walkers in fancy costumes roaming about. An empty piece of land had been turned into an area buzzing with people, activity and, of course, great music.

    closeup-summer-solstice-crowd

    Dubbed as the Philippine Rock Heroes, Urbandub, Sandwich and Sponge Cola set things off. Urbandub opened the show, and played hits such as First of Summer and Guillotine. During Sandwich’s set, lead singer Raimund Marasigan encouraged the audience to support Filipino music as he introduced one of their new songs. Finally, Sponge Cola closed the local line-up.  Each band showcased their talent, played a good mix of new and old tunes, interacted with their unique styles, and hyped the crowd with their on-stage energy.

    As “Jump Smokers” flashed on screen, a swarm of people rushed towards the stage. “We got smoke, we got that fire,” the song went. And everyone’s hands were up in the air. The electronic dance party had begun. There were dancers on stage with hoses that were filled not with water, but smoke. Roman, Jump Smokers’ singer, was chatty and very interactive with the crowd. At one point, he even went down the stage, cruising through the VIP area, to perform with those in the Gold section.  As they played their set, fireworks decorated the sky, foreshadowing the epic night ahead.

    (more…)

  • Franco Rocked the Music Museum, Man

    Franco Rocked the Music Museum, Man

    franco-music-museum

    On the evening of April 6, Franco Reyes made the Music Museum the home of positive vibes, good vibrations and great music as he owned its stage to mark his first major solo concert. With his laidback aura, his magnetic charisma and his striking musical talent, he held the attention and fervor of the jam-packed venue of Suspitsados and concert enthusiasts.

    Formerly known as a superband during his debut in 2009, Franco is now making his own way as a solo artist. Supporting him onstage are Paul Cañada on guitars, Dave Delfin on bass, Victor Guison on drums who are all more than capable in handling their instruments and performing live. With the very recent release of his second album titled “Soul Adventurer”, he has proven that there’s still so much that he can offer the Filipino music scene. There’s still a lot we have yet to see and hear, and Franco is just about to get started. He proved that all too well that evening.

    franco-reyes franco-live-at-music-museum-2013 franco-soul-adventurer

    “Hey, you guys, stand up, man!” he encouraged the crowd in good humor. “This is a rock concert. You have plenty of time to sit down.” Astoundingly, Franco is as, if not more, positive spirited in person as he sounds in his songs. Just like his songs, he emanated “positive vibes” and “good vibrations” with his words and his beaming smile. All throughout the concert, he was overflowing with gratitude to the attendees and the fans that he kept thanking them almost after every song. He even went on to say, “thank you for keeping OPM alive.” (more…)

  • Bloc Party Live in Manila: A Rocking Miracle

    Bloc Party Live in Manila: A Rocking Miracle

    bloc-party-live-in-manila

    We were hoping for a miracle, or something very close to it. Bloc Party made one happen in Manila.

    Eight years after the release of their iconic debut album, Silent Alarm, Bloc Party finally made their first stop in Manila to give their Filipino fans a rocking musical experience that would be difficult to top. Before the Southeast Asia leg of their tour, Japan was the only Asian country the band had frequented over the years. Thank the heavens and all the goodness in the universe for their decision to put Manila in their itinerary for their world tour this year, because for the thousands of their hardcore fans who were in that hall, the experience really was one hell of a miracle.

    For an hour and a half, the Hall D of World Trade Center echoed out the united roars and shrieks of the thousands of hardcore fans and music enthusiasts. Kele Okereke, Matt Tong, Russell Lissack and Gordon Moakes put out a performance that was beyond enthralling and so powerfully moving. Both the VIP and Gold area were bursting with crowds of people who were frenetically awaiting the band’s performance. (more…)

  • A SCRIPTacular Evening with The Script

    A SCRIPTacular Evening with The Script

    In support of their third album #3, Irish rockers The Script performed to a packed show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Easter Sunday with more than 14,000 screaming fans.  Mark took the stage and play as the crowd screamed, then on drums, Glen Power. Just when we couldn’t wait anymore, The Voice UK coach, singer-songwriter and The Script frontman, Danny kicked off their 2nd sold out show in Manila with a rap inspired song GOOD OL’ DAYS from their #3 album and followed by WE CRY. It was a good start with incredible amount of energy.

    the script live in manila 2013

    danny the script manila

    An early treat was given to all concert goers when they performed one of their signature songs BREAKEVEN, it was one of the highlights as the entire Big Dome sang the chorus. The band continued with SCIENCE AND FAITH. Like other fans in the venue, I was waiting for “going back to corner when I first saw you…” and then a piano started to hit the first few notes of their breakthrough song THE MAN WHO CAN’T BE MOVED. The first verse was performed by the crowd with a little background music and it was amazing, considering the Big Dome was full house, so imagine how the entire song sounded and felt. (more…)