Kenny Rogers Live in Manila: Final World Tour

A few weeks ago, we posted about Kenny Rogers’ first and last time performing in the Philippines. Once I found out that When in Manila is a media partner, I volunteered to cover the event! Except for #RedTourMNL, I have never been that excited to cover an event before!

Kenny Rogers Live in Manila this August for Final World Tour! Ovation Productions

Witnessing this concert is witnessing history unfold. How do I even begin to describe the living legend that is Kenny Rogers?!

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Perhaps I’ll start by saying that he is not a chicken.

While I was freaking out over Kenny Rogers’ upcoming concert, a few of my friends were shocked to discover that Kenny Rogers is a person. The only Kenny Rogers they knew was the roasted chicken. I felt pained on behalf of Kenny Rogers (the person, not the chicken).

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That’s Kenny Rogers doing a facepalm for every millennial who thought he was a chicken.

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“LOL. Kala nila manok ako?!”

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My favorite genre will always be country. There are songs that move you to tears–even if there’s no personal hugot. These are songs that are so beautifully made and beautifully sung.

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Country songs do that for me. That’s why I love the pre-1989 Taylor Swift. Lady Antebellum. Rascal Flatts. And of course, Kenny Rogers–the legend himself.

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I grew up listening to him sing Lady, We’ve Got Tonight, Islands in the Stream, Through the Years, You Decorated My Life, She Believes in Me, and other powerful classics. Once upon a time, I imagined dancing to these songs on my wedding day. Whenever I hear them playing, I’m always caught off guard with how beautiful they are even if I’ve heard them countless of times.

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What a privilege it is to here him sing them live, especially since he is already on his final tour! There were no fancy gimmicks or theatrics in his concert. He didn’t even have a single wardrobe change.

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He faced the crowd with his white button-down and spent most of the evening standing on the same spot or sitting down on a stool provided for him. (He explained that he had knee problems.)

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That didn’t dampen the mood at all. I never really expected Kenny Rogers to go on an all-out dance-off, anyway. What I wanted was to see and hear him perform live, and to catch a glimpse of what inspired his best works.

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And that was exactly what we got! Before each song, he shared some anecdotes from his personal and professional life. The overall mood of the concert was nostalgic.

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We sang along, swayed, clapped, laughed, and cried. I could barely take decent photos because I was trembling whenever he sang my favorites.

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He gave credit to the people he sang with and worked with throughout the many decades of his career.

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Willie Nepomuceno was supposed to open for Kenny Rogers, but he was unable to make it due to vertigo. Instead, Aiza Seguerra took the stage. She sang beautifully! My favorite part was when she sang Ulan. 

GO TO PAGE 2 TO SEE PHOTOS OF AIZA