The Perkins Twins – Setting the pace for the show
The night started off with the opening act, The Perkins Twins. They played a handful of cover songs as well as their hit single “Ikaw Na”. For me, they really did a great cover of OneRepublic’s ‘Counting Stars’, which was at the tail-end of their segment.
On Stage (from Left to Right): Carlo Gimenez, Dia Frampton and Meg Frampton
Finally, the moment the crowd has been waiting for: The return of Dia Frampton and the debut performances of Meg Frampton and Carlo Gimenez on the Philippine stage. They started things off with “Don’t Kick the Chair” and it would be the Frampton sisters who’d do the rap portion of this enjoyable opening song. “Isabella” was next on the list and I have to admit, it was a thrill to hear this song live since the live version sounded as good as (if not, better than) the album version. Dia and the crew also sang a couple of others songs from her “Red” album that night such as “Trapeze” and “Daniel”.
Dia, Meg and Carlo did some cover songs such as Kanye’s “Heartless” and R.E.M.’s “Losing my Religion”. What I enjoyed most from the cover songs was their cover of Avicii’s “Wake me up”. Dia’s vocals and the guitar twist to the song turned it into a version I enjoyed more than the original. “Inventing Shadows”, another song she played during her stint in The Voice, was played that night and just like the last time, it didn’t fail to give some goosebumps for me and the crowd.
In between the songs, the three performers had some playful banter with each other. It was amusing to have Dia make Carlo the ‘interpreter’ for what she had to say, but instead he’ll ask for beer in Tagalog. The band also shared a couple of experiences they had on their visit here in Manila for the year such as the time when Dia trying to poke Meg’s nose while sister’s asleep and the story of when Dia and Meg trying to ‘steal’ enseymadas in the hotel by sneaking them all in Meg’s purse. Sadly, the attempt failed, but the staff gave them free ensaymadas anyway 😉
The signal that Dia gave for the crowd to ‘join in’ at a certain point of the song
The concert had some fan interaction, especially when Dia and the gang sang her new single “Fell into my arms”. The crowd joined in on the in-chorus humming and it was a fun song to sing along with. The band also barged in on a skype conference of one audience member at one point, which was kind of a cool way to let fans who couldn’t attend in person to feel like they belong with the crowd that night.
Dia, Meg and Carlo w/ the Birthday Girls
Near the end of the concert, they invited a couple of birthday celebrants on stage and played any song they wanted. So, one chose “Setting Up Sunday” and lo and behold, they performed it live, for the first time in Manila. I’m pretty sure a few Meg & Dia fans beside my table swooned over that fact alone. Speaking of Meg & Dia songs that night, they also pulled out some awesome numbers with staple favorites such as “Nineteen Stars”, “Cardigan Weather” and then finished their entire set list with “Roses”.
We thought the night was over after the final song, but Dia, Meg and Carlo came back on stage to perform 2 encore songs. “Monster” from their Meg & Dia days was the first song and the trio discussed how amusing and weird it was that there’s a dubstep version of the song on YouTube. I loved the fact that they played this live since it’s one of my favorite songs from the band.
They finished things off with Dia’s hit single “The Broken Ones” to finally cap the night. Once it was said and done, they thanked the fans and informed us of their performance the next night (Jan 22nd) at the Eclipse bar in Solaire Resort and Casino. Also, they gave the good news that there’s a big chance that Dia and the gang will return to Manila this year.
Dia, Meg and Carlo after the show
When in Manila, you could bet that the Dia Frampton Live in Manila 2014 concert was one exhilarating ride from start to finish. From their opening songs to their encore number, the fans were wowed by the trio of Dia Frampton, Meg Frampton and Carlo Gimenez. Dia proved once more that she had the vocal skills and range to amaze the audience. Meg and Carlo, on the other hand were awesome on the guitars and providing some backup vocals during the concert. In closing, I’d like to thank the wonderful people of Phoenix Productions, DMC Philippines and Dia’s Manager Mike Kaminsky for giving us access to cover this wonderful concert. Finally, we want to give Dia, Meg and Carlo a very huge THANK YOU for coming to Manila to perform live for their Filipino fans. If there was a way to start 2014 with something awesome for their fans in the Philippines, this was it.
WIM Photos by: Dale Ligon and Martin Vicencio
