When In Manila, I got to check out the super AMAZING Switchfoot concert!
I think I am still hyped up because of Switchfoot’s concert in Manila. It’s already 4:27 AM but I do not feel sleepy at all. Just to share my beautiful experience this evening, I made some pointers on why I really enjoyed the concert. Actually, it’s more of a timeline of how the event transpired. And each part was wonderful!
We arrived really early because there was sale at a mall near PhilSports Arena so we expected heavy traffic. I was with my two lovely sisters. Though we got there way ahead of time, a lot of people were already waiting in line. It was already 7pm but the gates were still closed. My tickets however weren’t with me yet because they were still with my friend Cheryl of LittleRunningTeacher.com. My sisters and I waited in line for around one hour. We were kinda getting impatient and I could hear all the other people complaining about why they would not allow us to enter yet. By around 8PM, Che arrived and at that same moment, as if the guards were just waiting for her to come, gates were opened and people were allowed to enter. My sisters went to the VIP area while Che and I stuck together at the courtside seats.
It was time for the opening act. To my surprise, it was Imago, one of my most favorite Pinoy bands. That convinced me that that night would be really special, well, aside from the fact that it’s a Switchfoot concert! I really like Imago’s hits “Akap” and “Sundo”, Lucky enough, these were their first two songs. The last song was called “Effect Desired None”. The funniest part of the front act was the time when Aia, the band’s lead vocalist, sang the part of “Sundo” that goes “Kay tagal kong sinusuyod ang buong mundo para hanapin, para hanapin ka” then a random guy from the crowd shouted at the top of his lungs something like “Andito lang ako!” That really made everybody laugh.
Then after the front act, the moment I’ve waited for, Switchfoot finally stepped on stage. They were welcomed by roars, claps and screams from the crowd. Here’s the setlist of Switchfoot’s Hello Hurricane concert in Manila and my reactions and thoughts on each song they played.
1. The Sound – The crowd gone wild because of the upbeat rock feel of the song. The song is definitely a good song to start the concert. It boosted the crowd and band’s energy.
2. Stars – This is one of their most famous hits and another upbeat song so the crowd gone wilder. I sang with Jon Foreman, the lead vocals, though my lyrics always fail. I did not really care as I was enjoying the moment. I loved how the stage lights danced with the music and how the crowd clapped all at the same time in harmony with the song.
3. Bullet Soul – I had the band’s whole discography but I had to text my sister to ask about the title of the song. I am not familiar with the title since I always put my playlist in random and never bother to check out the titles of the songs. It’s another song that made the crowd dance, scream and raise hands up and down.
4. Gone – I liked how Jon introduced the song, saying how the band used to play the song when they were just starting and how it ended up after recording. I sang with this song again but on the “gone” part only. I don’t know all the lyrics. 😛
5. Your Love is a Song –Andrew Shirly on electric guitar was introduced before singing this song. Then Jon played harmonica at the start. He surely is one talented music man! This is actually one of my most favorite songs of the band so I almost gone crazy while they were playing this.
6. Always – At the beginning, Jon spoke first of how he loves Manila, the birthplace of his bandmate Jerome Fontamillas. The crowd was really noisy during this part maybe because we were just proud kababayans. I did not expect that they would sing this song, another favorite. This is the song I listen to when I feel sad so to hear them singing it live feels really amazing.
7. Free – This is another nice song but I think, this was the part when Che and I sat down to rest for a while. Of course, we had to save some energy because the night was still long.
8. Awakening – True enough the crowd was really awakened by this another upbeat song. I like this song too and I sang all throughout because this is one of the few songs that I know all the words.
9. Meant to Live – This is another popular song so it was expected that the whole PhilSports Arena sang with the band. I was so amazed because the crowd was really responsive and cooperative, singing on parts where Jon asked us to sing.
10. Mess of Me – This is another rock song, so energetic and powerful. Che and I just enjoyed watching the band perform another good song. After this song, the drummer Chad Butler was introduced.
11. Learning to Breathe – For me, the moment the band played this song was the highlight of the evening. When I heard the intro, I thought I would die and even told my friend Che that I think I’m gonna cry. First, because I was not expecting them to sing this song. It was not in the setlist they had in Singapore (They played in SG before here in Manila. And yeah I researched about it!). Secondly, I think this is the first song that made me fall in love with the band. Definitely my most favorite part of the night!
After Learning to Breathe, Jon talked about how he enjoyed having concert in the Philippines. So to join him in capturing an event like this, he asked for all the lights to be turned off, including his spotlight, and invited everyone to take picture all at the same time. So when the whole venue was dark, the crowd went quiet for a while and only Jon’s voice could be heard, he counted “One, two, three!” and at that moment, the stadium lit up from all the flashes coming from the cameras. The crowd roared and cheered. It was beautiful! This is my second favorite moment of the evening.
12. This is Home – This song was used in Narnia. I liked this song because of its beautiful lyrics and music. Before singing, Jon said that they came from halfway around the world and still felt like home in Manila.
13. We are One Tonight mixed with Shadows Proves the Sunshine – This is a cool version because I never thought that these two songs would sound great if mashed up together. But the coolest part was when Jon went to the ringside portion of the audience and mingled with the crowd while singing his heart out. The people on that side were really lucky.
For the encore, when the crowd went “we want more!” Jon asked “Is it okay if we play three more songs?” and the crowd, of course, responded positively.
14. Only Hope – In this song, I think everyone was singing. I really like the male version of this song. And although the venue had nothing to do with worship or religion, hearing the song live reminded me of God. It was a touching experience.
15. Hello Hurricane – This song is from their latest album and I must say, it is another nice song. After hearing the live version, I now like the song more.
16. Dare You To Move – “I wanna play a song about movement”, said Jon and the crowd turned really crazy. Hearing this song live and being aware that the band playing the song was just in the same room (though it’s really a big room) with me gave me goosebumps, the nice kind of chill. IT WAS REALLY A MOVING PERFORMANCE!
After this song, the band took their final bow!
So overall, I think Switchfoot’s 2011 concert is one of the best concerts I’d ever seen. Maybe because the concert was made of three important things: beautiful music, an amazing band and a great crowd. I am just sorry that I do not remember the exact moment Jon introduced his brother, Tim, but he did. Switchfoot is really cool that Jon even used the words “ASTIG KAYO!” to the Fililipino fans and I think Filipino fans had to tell them the same. Although my lyrics were never right and my videos were all shaky because I was too busy enjoying each song, my Switchfoot experience is surely one that’s gonna be hard to forget!
Thank you When In Manila, Little Running Teacher and all the sponsors for making this experience possible!
When in Manila, check out the coolest and hippest concerts from Becca Music! I hear Hillsong is coming up next!
