Category: Concert

How glorious it is to be a part of an experience brimming with electrifying energy, leaving you yearning for ways to capture the fiery atmosphere of the moment, encapsulate all the emotions, and pour them all into a bottle to preserve eternally. This is precisely how One Ok Rock’s Luxury Disease Asia Tour in Manila made us feel.

Japanese quartet, One Ok Rock, returned to the country on September 26 at the Araneta Coliseum, five years after they last came for their Ambitions tour. It was a damp and windy afternoon, but the crowds waiting at the gates were so dense that the chilly weather went unnoticed. The fans’ excitement was justified – the band was initially scheduled to perform here in May 2020 but had to move dates around because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The eager anticipation would be rewarded that evening with a setlist that stirred both tears and screams.

The venue resounded with loud cheers throughout the night, and stomps reverberated all over the arena as a dedicated crowd declared their adoration. Ryota would later remark on social media that this was the first time they’d heard stomping during their acoustic set.

“Let Me Let You Go” and “Neon” featured staggering instrumental breakdowns. One Ok Rock could be an instrumental band with how Ryota, Tomoya, and Toru enthralled the audience with their masterful instrument-playing coupled with red-hot passion and playful showmanship. Taka remained the powerhouse vocalist we’ve come to expect. Not once did his voice falter despite dancing and running in all directions. As he sustained a high note for “Clock Strikes,” jaws hit the floor while fans held their breath in sync with him.

For two hours on Tuesday, One Ok Rock owned The Big Dome. The crowd was an orchestra and Taka was the conductor. We were singing, clapping, jumping, raising our fists, and headbanging. For “Stand Out Fit In,” Taka had everyone ducking down to gather momentum for a synchronized jump. “Your Tears are Mine” involved the special participation of Filipino fans who nailed it just like another regular day at the karaoke.

The night was supposed to conclude with “Wherever You Are” during the encore, but the band decided to extend their generosity. They quipped “Are you guys still alive?” before surprising the audience with a song they hadn’t performed in quite some time – the enduring crowd-pleaser, “Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer.”

Major props go out to the technical team behind the concert. This writer has been to numerous shows at the Araneta Coliseum, but the venue has never sounded as pristine as it did on the 26th. One Ok Rock’s music is best experienced live and the crew delivered with their expertise, which we find especially meaningful knowing that somewhere in the audience is a visually-impaired gentleman we saw at the gates. He may not have seen the band, but he heard them under the best conditions.

One Ok Rock has a track record of fulfilling their commitments. During their initial Manila gig in 2016, they vowed to return and did solid on that in 2018. After their 2018 show, they made the same pledge, and now here they are once more. This time, they’ve sworn to come back in three years. After waiting for five years to see them again, what’s another three?

By Marijo Endriga

The ONE OK ROCK LUXURY DISEASE ASIA TOUR 2023 in Manila was presented by PULP Live World. Special thanks to PULP Live World for the invitation.

The Eternity with EXO’s Chanyeol this November!

With love for his craft as eternal as his gratitude for his beloved EXO-Ls, K-pop star Park Chanyeol of supergroup EXO is set to hold his first solo fancon tour, “The Eternity”, in various Asian countries on his birth month.

Presented by SM Entertainment, APlanet, and MakeitLive, the tour will kick off in Taipei, Taiwan on November 4, followed by a stop in Bangkok, Thailand on November 18, and another in Hong Kong on November 25.

MakeitLive, a Philippine-based entertainment, event, and digital production company, holds the reins as the official partner for the Taiwan and Hong Kong stops, along with official promoters GMusic and PEACE, and promotion partner FangirlAsia.

“The Eternity” is a present for his fans across the continent who have dedicated their love and support to him since his group’s debut in 2012, and with an ultimate goal of making dreams into a reality, MakeitLive promises a memorable fancon that both the artist and fans will cherish for an eternity.

Known for being a singer and the main rapper of EXO, Chanyeol, who goes by the pen name “LOEY” as a music producer, has not only graced the big stages or the recording studios, but also television and movie screens, magazines, brand advertisements, and even runways for the past 11 respectful years in the industry.

The fancon tour is an opportunity for the multitalented idol and his fans to have a much closer encounter with each other following his post-military enlistment activities and recent events with his group and as a solo artist.

The energy was off the chart as the Philippine concert crowd welcomed Neck Deep to the local concert scene for the third time last September 22!

Welsh pop-punk band Neck Deep, composed of Ben Barlow, Matt West, Sam Bowden, Seb Barlow, and Matt Powles, opened their sold-out concert at the SM Skydome with “Sonderland” and “Lowlife” from their 2020 studio album, All Distortions Are Intentional. With high-up energy from the opening, the band continued to put out hit after hit as they brought out their 2015 songs “Ka Lima”, “Citizens of Earth”, and “Can’t Kick Up the Roots.”

The sold-out Manila show also concluded Neck Deep’s Southeast Asia Tour which brought them to Kuala Lumpur, Surabaya, Jakarta, Medan, Singapore, Bangkok, and finally landing in the Philippines. Additionally, the concert marked the band’s first performance in the country after five years following their 2018 show. Neck Deep debuted on the Philippine concert stage in 2016.

Third time’s the charm, indeed, as the pop-punk band and their devoted fans did not hold back in making the evening euphoric. After putting out the 2014 song “What Did You Expect?”, “STFU”, “Heartbreak”, and “Take Me With You” resonated in the SM Skydome. “Smooth Seas Don’t Make Good Sailors”, but a great band like Neck Deep makes music that will last a lifetime. Eleven years after their formation, the band remains a powerful institution in the music scene, and the concert last September 22 was enough proof that the Philippines will want them back on the concert stage.

Wish you were there to witness lights illuminating SM Skydome in “Wish You Were Here”, which succeeded “When You Know” and “She’s A God”. But Neck Deep allowed the emotions to wave through the venue more in “A Part of Me” and “December”.

An unprecedented night and a dream that lived in reality for every fan of Neck Deep. The concert concluded with requests granted, emotions high, voices loud and proud, and moments lived in the best possible way as “Motion Sickness”, “Gold Steps”, and “In Bloom” marked the end. Ben gave a shout-out to PULP Live World and its CEO Vernon Go for bringing them back for the third time to the Philippine concert stage—three sold-out shows at the SM Skydome. “I also want to say a huge thank you to Vernon, and to the whole PULP team for having us—for putting this show on… To every single one of you who is here with us right now, you allowed us to live such a beautiful and blessed life, so thank you so much. We love you so much, Manila. Thank you for all the love in return.”

“The SE Asia tour is over and we’re real sad about it. Thank you so much to Kuala Lumpur, Surabaya, Jakarta, Medan, Singapore, Bangkok and Manila. Some of the biggest, best, and most fun we’ve had on stage and on tour. We’ll be back soon,” wrote the band.

The SE Asia tour is over and we’re real sad about it. Thank you so much to Kuala Lumpur, Surabaya, Jakarta, Medan, Singapore, Bangkok and Manila. Some of the biggest, best and most fun we’ve had on stage and on tour. We’ll be back soon 🇲🇾🇮🇩🇸🇬🇹🇭🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/FukbvQKZFw

— Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) September 25, 2023

joan held their first headlining show in Manila with a pop at the New Frontier Theater on September 19. Presented by Live Nation, their Superglue Tour was met with hundreds of avid fans who jammed with them.

The American indie pop duo, composed of Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford, are no strangers to the Filipino stage. They had been part of a widely successful music festival and had a run of co-headlining mall shows with Honne in 2019.

“We’ve been here 3 or 4 times. Every time we come here, it feels like a big, warm hug,” Alan told the crowd.

joan opened the show with the sentimental “life death & everything between”. This was immediately followed by their lighter bops “simple”, “feeling like dancing” and “something special”.

It was easy to get into the groove of joan’s music. Their blend of light rock, interspersed with 90s electro-pop, saccharine tunes, and relatable lyrics, easily makes them familiar and likable. The duo’s stage presence was also electric and captivating.

The mood turned mellow for their stripped-down set for “magnetic”, “monsters” and “i loved you first”.

“We released our debut album called superglue. We put a lot of work into that like every band ever, but it means a lot to us since it’s our most personal album yet. We wrote songs about our new babies, we talked about our wives, heartache, loss, the meaning of life,” Alan said before playing the song. He also thanked the crowd for the unforgettable evening.

The good vibes kept rolling as the band played their signature tracks like “tokyo”, “love somebody like you” and “so good”.

Special thanks to Live Nation Philippines!

by Sandra Mae Laureano

The Itchyworms have recently announced their three-city tour in Japan this October 2023!

The mini tour will kick off at the LIVE HOUSE GATTACA in Kyoto on October 6, followed by two more stops in Osaka (The Blarney Stone and Sengokudaitouryou) on October 7 and 8, respectively.

Prior to the announcement, The Itchyworms performed at the Tokyo Beyond Festival on November 22, 2022. They have also participated at the Kansai Music Conference in a virtual setting while delivering an exclusive live performance at the Big Baby Studios in Manila.

“There will be a lot of Filipino fans who will travel two or three hours just to see us live, so we will still be playing some hits,” the Di Na Muli hitmakers share in a collective statement. ‘We will also be playing some other songs that we think will be appreciated by the Japanese musicians and audiences. We feel that music is universal, and whether we sing in Filipino or in English, the audience will love it.”

The acclaimed band, consisting of core members Jazz Nicolas (lead vocals, drums, piano, keyboards, keyboards), Jugs Jugueta (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), and Kelvin Yu (bass guitar, backing vocals), will be joined by their new recruits Ciudad’s Mikey Amistoso (acoustic guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, tambourine) and Weckl Mercado (lead guitar, backing vocals) for this particular tour.

This year, The Itchyworms have released two new singles: “Panic In My Mind,” which was specifically written for their bandmate Chino Singson, who moved to Canada with his family to start a new life, and the Beatles-inspired “The Morning After,” which features some of their most intricate productions to date.

The Filipino alt-rock outfit has also released 2013’s award-winning album, After All This Time on vinyl last November 2022, and a repress of their 2021 album, Waiting For The End To Start on the same format. Both records are available via Backspacer Records.

For more information about the tour, visit the band’s official social media pages and revamped website: www.itchyworms.com; Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The Itchyworms’ “Panic In My Mind” and “The Morning After” are available on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.

Manila Metal Maniacs witnessed yet another unforgettable night of headbanging mayhem as The Bay Strikes Back brought together three Titans of Thrash Metal – Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel.

With a career spanning four decades of music aggression, these lords of metal show no signs of waning and it exceeded expectations at every level with The Bay Strikes Back as their witness.

Kicking the night with a blistering set was Death Angel. The crowd erupted as frontman, Mark Osegueda took the stage, with the twin guitar attack of Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar along with Will Carroll’s thunderous drumming, the band shook the very foundation of the SM Skydome.

Opening with “The Ultra Violence and Mistress of Pain” and then continuing with their barrage of sonic onslaught “Seemingly Endless Time”, “The Moth” and “Thrown to the Wolves” The mosh pit swirled into a vortex of chaos. Setting the tone for an unforgettable evening.

As the venue continued to pulsate with adrenaline, Exodus took the stage like a storm. With frontman Steve “Zetro” Souza leading the charge, the band launched into classics like “Bonded by Blood,” and “Toxic Waltz,” and finished with “Prescribing Horror” from their latest album “Persona Non Grata” with fans forming a whirlwind of bodies in the pit. The sheer intensity of Gary Holt and Lee Altus’s guitar work combined with Tom Hunting’s relentless drumming showcased their unwavering prowess. It only proves why they are true thrash metal legends.

Closing out the night, the anticipation for Testament reached its zenith, Chuck Billy’s menacing presence and ferocious vocals were nothing short of awe-inspiring. The band’s tight performance, fueled by Alex Skolnick’s virtuosic guitar work and Chris Dovas’ brutal drumming, sent shockwaves through the audience.

Classics like “Into the Pit” and “Over the Wall” left fans in a frenzy, and newer tracks like “Children of the Next Level” from their last album “Titans of Creation” showcased the band’s enduring creativity. Proving that after all these years, they still stand as one of the Gods of Heavy Metal.

In conclusion, The Bay Strikes Back tour was a triumph for the bands and the local metal scene. Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel proved once again why they are revered as thrash metal royalty and that the metal scene here in the country is still thriving, no matter how the musical landscape evolves over time. The unbridled energy shown by the fans and the sheer musical mastery displayed by these bands will undoubtedly be remembered as a testament to the enduring power of metal music.

THE BAY STRIKES BACK was presented by PULP Live World. Special thanks to PULP Live World for the invitation.

Eclectic pop artist ena mori, fast-rising singer-songwriter syd hartha, and multi-awarded musician Joey Benin of Side A will be joining befriending my tears, a Clara Benin concert at the Music Museum on September 22, 2023 (Friday), from 7 pm onwards.

Both ena and syd will be performing as guest acts, while Joey Benin will reunite with his daughter Clara for a special segment.

“ena mori and syd hartha are both favorites of mine and I always feel inspired whenever I watch them perform and I think that my fans will really enjoy their performances as well as they open the show,” shares the Filipino singer-songwriter. “Every time I have a big show, I always make sure to have my dad, Joey Benin, join me on stage to play a few songs. He’s made such a huge impact on my music and being able to play with him on stage is always a fun and humbling experience.”

Celebrating the release of her sophomore studio album, befriending my tears, with a show made specifically for her fans, the concert chronicles Benin’s journey as an artist coming to terms with self-acceptance and healing while showcasing musical maturity through years of experience and growth.

Clara adds, “I can never thank my fans enough for all the love and support they’ve been giving me, especially after my album release! All I can say is, I can’t wait to meet you guys at the concert and I’m really excited for you to hear us perform all the songs from the album!”

‘befriending my tears, a Clara Benin concert’ serves as her second major show after staging a sold-out, two-night residency at Teatrino Greenhills in 2016. This time around, the Parallel Universe artist will be performing all the songs from her newly released album, along with fan favorites from her catalog.

A tribute to an album that honors Benin’s newfound artistry and emotional strength, don’t miss your chance to be part of this show-stopping concert.

‘befriending my tears, a Clara Benin concert’ is presented by CNCA Media Concepts Inc., in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment.

Special thanks to the sponsors and partners: Dunkin’, JBL, Globe, and GNN Entertainment Productions.

Tickets are almost sold out, and are available via SM Ticket online and select outlets nationwide.

HORI7ON showcased their immense growth during their first headlining concert Friend-SHIP [Voyage to Manila] at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Fans of HORI7ON called “Anchors” were fired up to give the boys a warm homecoming party with ardent cheers. Presented by DNM Entertainment, the show drew in many loyal Anchors as well as a lot of new fans.

After being the top contestants in ABS-CBN’s reality TV show Dream Maker, HORI7ON was formed with members Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy, and Marcus. From then on, they have been booked and busy. They did a series of local mall shows in February, held a fan meeting at the New Frontier Theater in April, went to Korea for training in June, and released their first album titled Friend-SHIP in July.

Subsequently, they made history by being the first all-Filipino group to debut in major Korean music shows like KBS Music Bank, MNET M Countdown, and SBS Inkigayo. On top of that, they also received their first nomination for topping the weekly chart of SBS The Show.

Managed by the Korean entertainment company MLD and ABS-CBN, HORI7ON is making great strides toward being a global pop group as shown during their concert last Saturday. The stage set-up was at par with regular K-pop events – with huge LED screens as the backdrop and an extended walkway to the center. The production did not skimp on the props – the lights, confetti, and fireworks were all in sync during their performances. Even better, HORI7ON’s vocal prowess and fluid choreography shone all throughout the evening.

HORI7ON blasted off with their fiercer songs “Meteor”, “DASH” and “Tiger” which easily got Anchors on a craze. Their vibrant lead single “SIX7EEN” was an obvious crowd favorite with the crowd vibing to the catchy “la la la la la” part.

“Salamat! Sa airport pa lang, grabe na ‘yung energy na binigay niyo. I just want you guys to promise us na ganyan yung energy niyo hanggang matapos. We have so much in store for you tonight,” leader Vinci said in the early part of their set. The boys were visibly ecstatic in greeting the crowd, repeatedly expressing how much they missed their Filipino fans.

Another highlight of the concert was their flashy solo performances which showcased each member’s individual prowess and charm. For their unit stages, they dished out “Death or Paradise” and “How You Feel” with the special appearance of Haeun of Lapillus. NEW: ID, a new All-Filipino group set to debut in Korea, also graced the stage.

HORI7ON also paid homage to their K-pop seniors by treating fans to astounding covers of TXT’s “Sugar Rush Ride”, ENHYPHEN’s “Drunk-Dazed” and SEVENTEEN’s “Super”. As a bonus, they even performed a cover of SB19’s “Gento” and said they admire the group for their contribution to bringing the Philippines to the global stage.

The show also had its touching moments. After the group performed “Mama”, a ballad dedicated to their mothers, a surprise video message from their parents was played. Some members couldn’t hold back their tears. This was followed by “Salamat” which they dedicated to Anchors.

As the members keep saying, they are proud to represent the Philippines in the global pop stage. They are very grateful to their Filipino Anchors for their unwavering support.

HORI7ON has come a long way in only the span of a year. They have released an album, performed in major Korean music shows, and received their first nomination in a Korean weekly music chart. Now that they successfully wrapped up their first full concert in Manila, we can definitely expect more from them in the near future.

Special thanks to DNM Entertainment.

Words by Sandra Mae Laureano

Haven’t you heard? SEVENTEEN is doing stadium tours now, and the Philippines will once again witness it happen at our very shore.

S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino return to the Philippine concert stage to bring SEVENTEEN TOUR “FOLLOW” to Bulacan on January 13, 2024, at the Philippine Sports Stadium.

After creating history with BE THE SUN IN BULACAN, where they became the first K-Pop group to hold a solo concert at the Philippine Arena, the boy group will make history once more with FOLLOW TO BULACAN, where they will be the first musical act to hold a solo concert at the Philippine Sports Stadium.

SEE ALSO: SEVENTEEN Makes History with Be the Sun in Bulacan Concert at the Philippine Arena

Live Nation Philippines has announced additional details regarding the concert, including the seat plan and ticket prices.

Tickets to FOLLOW TO BULACAN will go on sale on the following dates via SM Tickets:

• CARAT Membership Pre-sale on November 9, from 10 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
• UnionBank Pre-sale on November 10, from 10 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
• General On Sale on November 12, 12 noon

Check out the seat plan and ticket prices below:

• VIP Gold A & B – Php 19,000
• VIP Silver E & F – Php 18,500
• Floor Standing C & D – Php 14,750
• Floor Standing E & F – Php 14,250
• Floor Standing G & H – Php 13,550
• Bleachers Premium 1 – Php 11,550
• Bleachers Mid 1 – Php 10,050
• Bleachers Center 1 – Php 8,550
• Bleachers Premium 2 – Php 8,550
• Bleachers Mid 2 – Php 6,550
• Bleachers Center 2 – Php 4,550

The prices are inclusive of ticketing charges.

SEVENTEEN will perform at FOLLOW TO BULACAN as part of their current concert tour, which will also stop in Bangkok on December 23, 2023, and Macao on January 20 and 21, 2024. The tour began on July 21 and 22 at the Gocheok Sky Dome and continued on September 6 and 7 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Prior to the rest of Asia, the boy group will perform in Japan in November and December in Saitama, Aichi, Osaka, and Fukuoka.

Since their first Asia tour, Shining Diamond, in 2016, SEVENTEEN has routinely included the Philippines in their tours. The nation hosted the conclusion of their first world tour, Diamond Edge, in 2017. Then, in Ideal Cut in 2018 and Ode To You in 2020, Philippine Carats witnessed their return to the Philippine concert stage.

The boys visited the Philippines again after more than two years to perform two sold-out Be The Sun performances in Manila in October 2022. Two months later, on December 17, 2022, SEVENTEEN made history in the Philippine Arena with Be The Sun in Bulacan.

SEVENTEEN TOUR “FOLLOW” TO BULACAN is presented by Live Nation Philippines.

R&B Royalties Kyla and Jay R reigned over the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City for their reunion concert titled Back in Time. Presented by Gabi Na Naman Productions, nostalgia was palpable all over as the crowd, mostly composed of millennials, was treated to a fabulous concert with two of the most talented OPM artists.

With their distinctly airy yet smooth vocals, Kyla and Jay R were some of the most popular singers in the early 2000s. They were regular performers in GMA’s noontime show SOP which ran every Sunday from 1997 to 2010. There, they often shared the stage as singers and even had their stint as actors as part of the love team called “JayLa”. Beyond this, the two have been musical partners, composing and making music together. Twenty years since then, their love team might be no longer, but their solid musical chemistry is still very much alive.

When the lights went out, Jay R burst through the stage with Ne-Yo’s “Closer” followed by Kyla who then performed Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”. Together, they performed “Back in Time” which was composed by Jay R.

Accompanied by an incredible live band, each artist had their solo stage first. Jay R whipped out his best moves with his best hits including “Parachute”, “Kung Mahal Mo Siya” and “Bakit Pa Ba”. He also introduced his new song “Blessed”.

Kyla’s stage performance was stellar with “Making Me Crazy”, “On the Wings of Love”, “Hanggang Kailan” and her breakthrough hit in 2000 “Hanggang Ngayon”.

”Ever since I met this woman 20 years ago, she elevated me in so many ways — as a singer, as a performer, as a person even. Ky, she gives great advice,” Jay R said in between their duet.

“I feel the same. You’ve done the same for me. We’re very close friends,” Kyla replied.

Kyla also fondly reminisced about their first meeting which apparently is a subject for debate for the two of them. According to Kyla’s memory, they met at SOP wherein a towering Jay R accompanied by a bodyguard greeted her with “Wazzup”. Meanwhile, Jay R always thought they first met during their Christmas stage in SOP. Regardless, the two concluded that it was the show that solidified our partnership as musicians.

Kyla and Jay R shared the stage again, one banger after another. Songs like “My Boo” (Usher ft. Alicia Keys), “Hate That I Love You” (Rihanna and Ne-Yo), and “Broken Vow” and “Say That You Love Me” had the crowd singing along with them.

The show was a pleasure to watch from beginning to end. Like its title, it really did take us back in time. Jay R has this natural swag which is matched by his soulfully airy vocals. Graceful as she is, Kyla’s vocals are powerful and distinctly colorful. Together, they make a great team, and seeing that unfold again in 2023 was terrific.

Special thanks to Gabi Na Naman Productions!

by Sandra Mae Laureano

Manila went on an evolution genre journey with Turnover, as no rain nor storm stopped them from capturing the Philippine concert scene on the last day of August!

The Virginia Beach locals, Austin Getz, bassist Danny Dempsey, guitarist Nick Rayfield, and drummer Casey Getz, took off with their Turnover Asian Tour 2023 in Manila in SM North EDSA Skydome and squeezed in more than a decade-long year career in one night.

The Filipino crowd, as always, resonated right with the band with a few familiar faces in the crowd of our very own music scene and showed that we are still deeply connected to the rock genre, despite the rise of pop music in the country.

Synths and Low Light Bulb Feels to Almost Mosh Pits

The band started their act with their latest album, Myself in the Way, tracks that were released last year, effectively putting the crowd in the right mood with their synth play, which is almost somnolent and puts you in a trance. They plucked “Stone Station,” “Tears of Change,” the album title track, “Myself in the Way,” and “Mountains Made of Clouds” from the album. In addition to the setlist was one of the crowd favorites that released the audience from its trance and gave a nod to the band’s early loved genre, which are “Cutting My Fingers Off” and “Humming,” both from their 2015 album, Peripheral Vision. Perhaps this is the band’s most loved and most popular album as this isn’t the last song of the night they played from the LP.

The vocalist Austin Getz greeted the Filipino audience gave the crowd the classic “Mabuhay!” and thanked the crowd for always welcoming them into the country. Some tracks from the Good Nature album also made their way onto the stage, a happier tune the band has previously experimented on with good feel songs like “Super Natural,” “Pure Devotion, Plant, and What Got in The Way. This got the crowd excited and it was evident that the band’s best attraction to the crowd was their fast-paced tracks as tracks from another album full of happy drive feel songs took over the Skydome and made the patrons dance with Plant Sugar, Number on the Gate and Much After Feeling, all from the album “Altogether.” Sneaking into the middle of all this beautiful chaos was their single “Humblest Pleasures.”

The vocalist noted that he feels like the Filipino fans are their long-time friends with the number of times they’ve been back in the country and still welcomed warmly, with the fans still able to sing along with their old and newly released tracks.

The night was then taken over by Peripheral Visions tracks like “New Scream,” “Diazepam,” and the band’s most streamed track on Spotify, “Dizzy on the Comedown” which gives extreme levels of nostalgia. Songtell has described this song as “about being in a tumultuous relationship and yearning for connection beyond the way things have always gone.” And it does. It’s impossible not to connect to this song and it has been a universal agreement among the song’s listeners that it has hit them on a core memory.

And how can you let go of the band after they sing that? The Manila crowd who is always notorious for asking for more asked the band to sing another track for the encore, which almost turned the crowd into a mosh pit with a heavier guitar riff and faster pace than most of the songs of the night, another track from Peripheral Visions, “Take My Head.”

It’s clear that the band has found a home in the country when they said they will come back again as part of the closing words of the concert and band followers cheered on. They even asked for more songs after the encore and insisted that they didn’t want to let go of the pop rock and indie rock band that captured an audience in our country, chasing that high feeling for shoegaze and nostalgia.

Words and Photos by Arielle Elep

In September, Nyoy Volante and Juris Fernandez will perform a sentimental concert together that will transport us on a musical journey unlike any other.

Get ready for an extraordinary evening of soul-stirring music and compelling performances when two of OPM’s finest, Nyoy Volante and Juris Fernandez, perform on September 29, 2023, at the Music Museum for Soundtrip Sessions Vol. 2.

With iconic 80s and 90s tunes as their backdrop, Nyoy and Juris will transport you on an enthralling musical journey.

Whether you’ve been a longtime admirer of Nyoy and Juris or are just now learning about their musical genius, this event promises to be mesmerizing and soul-stirring and will leave you wanting more.

Tickets are currently on sale at TicketWorld (8891-9999), www.ticketworld.com.ph, Music Museum (8721-0635/8721-6726), and at 0917-8032571.

Tickets are 4500 for VIP, 3000 for Gold, 2500 for Silver, and 1500 for Balcony.

Kiko Versoza also contributes his talent to Soundtrip Sessions Vol. 2. Showtime is 8:00 p.m.

This production is brought to you by Dragon Arc Events Management in collaboration with Katinko, Le Marais Esthetics, Gusto Goto, Distileria Barako, Viic’s, Particio’s, 104.3FM2, 0107 Management Group, Inc., and the Philippine Star.