The title alone says it: Anberlin is on their Farewell Tour, their last tour together as a band, and they had made Manila a part of it again. As Stephen Christian emphasized during the show, they had come here “three times – not twice, but three times”. Their first time was a sold out show in A-venue in 2011; their second was during Bazooka Rocks Festival 2 in 2012; and their last, which happened in the evening of September 13, was their farewell show at the Skydome. In all instances, it was all thanks to Pulp Live World.
Anberlin is composed of Stephen Christian on vocals, Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney on guitars, Deon Rexroat on bass and Nathan Young on drums. They have been around since 2002 and have released a total of 7 studio albums, each of which presented a different take on their music. They took risks, looked for ways for their music to evolve and never fell into the pit of just being another rock band.
In a lot of ways, being part of their final concert in Manila felt special. The Skydome was packed with fans who grew up listening to their music, so the atmosphere was different. Throughout the concert, there were only a few smartphones raised. Most of the people, particularly those in the pit, were just taking in the music – fist-punching the air, headbanging, jumping and singing their hearts out. It felt more like a celebration of Anberlin’s music, rather than a departure.
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