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The sixteenth day of 2013 witnessed an extravagant party that left its attendees hung over for days. On that chilly night, the Mall of Asia Arena was transformed from a simple concert venue to fit the ultimate rave. To describe that night as epic would be an understatement.

Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, and Steve Angello, better known as The Swedish House Mafia have definitely made a mark in the electronic dance music scene. Their debut concert in Manila is also their last in the country. They announced late June of last year that they would be going on One Last Tour – the official name of their current tour.

Inside the Arena, the atmosphere was an excited one. People were shuffling in and out of the venue, and official merchandise was selling out fast. Upon entering the Arena proper, one would get a club-like vibe. There was a huge dance floor, and to its left and right were sections with tables and two bar areas. If not for the surrounding bleachers behind the tables, one would have mistaken the Arena as a club.

At around eleven in the evening after Martin Pulgar and Quintino finished their sets, it was time for the rave to begin. Lights out, hands raised, heads banging and fists pumping — the crowd was psyched for the Swedish trio to take their places behind the DJ table.

The whole arena was at a blackout when suddenly lights started flickering on stage. The screen, which was as huge as a movie theater’s, showed 1/3 of their logo — a white dot — fading in. Suddenly, everything went black again as if teasing the already animated audience. The screen lit up again, this time with more images flashing together with thunder-like sounds. The beats were getting faster until finally they hit a cliff: a cue for the audience to scream even louder as they anticipated the trio to enter.

The stage went white. What appeared to be the screen was actually a white cloth that fell to ground, and revealed the set-up: there were two silhouettes mixing behind the huge table, and the real screen lay at their backs. By the third minute of their introductory song, the screen displayed their official logo.

“We Come. We Rave. We Love.”
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