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photo via The Chainsmokers on Instagram

With performances such as “Roses,” “Don’t Let Me Down,”  “Water Bed,” “Kanye” and “Inside Out,” The Chainsmokers are on top of their game this year, and with their latest single, “Closer” featuring Halsey, they’re showing no signs of stopping.

Closer, the song which features Drew’s voice, debuted within the top ten just two weeks ago, and finally, electronic dance production duo The Chainsmokers have jumped all the way to the top spot on the U.S. singles chart, marking a first for the duo. “Closer” is also number 1 on Spotify Philippines this week. When MMI Live announced their show date back in June, it was immediately well received by the fans.

New York City DJ duo Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, also known as “The Chainsmokers”, were both stunned while they were in town for a sold-out arena show last Friday night. It was their second show in Manila and Alex remembered that he had a great show the first time they performed back in 2014.

“We have been getting messages from our Filipino fans and they’re like, ‘you have to come here’,” Alex remarked, “It’s just awesome that now we are here, and it’s sold out, and tonight it’s gonna be crazy.”

After seeing how well their singles have all done here, the duo will definitely be back. “This is probably like the most anticipated show we’ve ever played. I’m almost positive about that,” said Alex .

When they’re asked about their most memorable gig so far, they said that it was at Lollapalooza and Coachella Music Festival.

There were also noteworthy opening performances by three opening acts by DJs Katsy Lee, Patty Tiu and Mars Miranda who helped usher in the right way for the main event. After three hours, the crowd was dying of anticipation, but never lost their excitement.

The Chainsmokers’ Drew and Alex kicked off the show with their well-known song “Roses,” and the crowd became ecstatic the moment they heard the first beat to the song. The duo totally ruled the night, starting off their chaotic, relentless set at 11 PM onwards. They could not have picked a better song to start out. The dance floor turned into a massive wave, as revelers were on each other’s shoulders bouncing up and down to the music.

Pounding bass, fireworks flashing strobes, amazing remixes and big bass drops followed the beats throughout the night with Drew standing on top of the DJ table hyping the crowd with loud lights and sound. Music is definitely therapeutic and the guys worked hard to bring the best and favorite beats to their shows giving all the fans a time to let loose and forget all their problems. But not only did they do their part as DJ’s, they were also good speakers who wanted their fans to live life to the fullest. Energy levels were on top when Drew introduced ‘Kanye,’ with inspiring words about being an individual and not being affected by what others would say. The sold-out audience, with their phones handy, shared and expressed their happiness through social media.

Although Andrew and Alex were behind their computers most of the time, they still made an effort to talk the audience. Andrew told the audience, “I got to give a shout out to this entire country because we came out with #Selfie before like we were ready to be known and everyone thought we’re a one-hit wonder except for you guys. Philippines, we love you! You got our [expletive] backs, and we’ve got yours!”

He also added, “’This is so unbelievable. You guys are (expletive) amazing. You guys love us more than United States loves us! That’s (expletive) insane. You guys made me feel super special. It’s lit.”

The crowd was so hyped in the music, especially when Alex interacted with the crowd before performing Closer, inviting the audience to sing along.

The concert consisted of two hours of songs from their latest album “Bouquet”, with smoke machines and confetti for effects, and dub-smash remixes to popular songs, such as “Roses,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “New York City,” “Kanye,” “Let You Go,” “Good Intentions,” and “Until You Were Gone”.

One of the best things about their set is that unlike other more generic EDM artists, they didn’t mind switching things up a little, by giving us amazing remixes of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers and “Yellow” by Coldplay with their own twist, as well as remixes from other artists such as Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike’s “Higher Place” and “Mammoth,” Zara Larsson’s “Never Forget You,” David Guetta’s “Just One Last Time,” Lukas Graham’s “7 Years,” “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber and “That’s What You Came For” by Rihanna and Calvin Harris.

The Chainsmokers are proven entertainers and will surely be one of the top DJs in the near future. Alex and Drew truly showed Manila how they like to party with rage attitudes sustaining the night’s positive vibes.  They are also so humble and very dedicated to their fans, giving high fives, fist bumping all around, and even having a photo-op at the end of the performance. Most of the audience may as well had woken up with stiffness in their necks from all the dancing and singing for several hours. But it was definitely worth the aches and pain to experience such an unforgettable night. Overall, I had fun here than you could have ever dreamed of. I don’t have any complaints on the security measures and it was perfectly organized.

Special thanks to MMI Live and Globe

by Jo Tagudin