It’s a lot to take in. 6 amazing artists and bands in just one night full of joyful screams and monumental love from the crowd.
The concert started with Twin Pines followed by Elle King, who are both uh-ma-zing! Honestly, it was my first time hearing Twin Pines, but man, their set was good. The Scottish lads are stunning and gave me a new favorite song “Let Me Love You.” They also sampled us with a song from their upcoming debut album. The title is not yet finalized, but they call it “Get By” for now.
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They are really good with the crowd! I think if you manage to hype up the crowd as an opening act, you’re doing great. You know what’s even more awesome? After their set, the band danced along with the crowd in the mosh pit as the night went on with more acts.
Of course, the blue-haired queen of the night, Elle King, ruled the country, soul, rock and blues game! She was like the Dixie Chicks, which is my all time favorite country music band, packed into one person. She definitely has the qualities of a good country music singer and she proved to us that she’s not just another artist to mess with. She knows her talent and she’s not afraid to show it to the world.
Fun Fact: Did you know Elle King has Filipino blood? Whoa there. She said it is one of the things she likes about herself. She also said that she loves karaoke and went on to sing a cover of The Beatles’ “Oh, Darling.”
Third Eye Blind gave us a pure performance. Jenkins said they wanted to be different; not heavily relying on technology and visual effects, but by focusing on the stage lighting instead. They perfectly portrayed the mood of each song! Everything was on point! The fans all stood up to cheer on the band for more songs.
Stephan Jenkins revealed as he introduced their song “Cop vs Phone Girl,” which was performed live for the first time ever, that two weeks from now, their album “We Are Drugs” is going to be released.
Next on the list was Panic! at the Disco who definitely rocked the whole arena! After eight years of waiting, they finally came to satisfy the excitement of their long-time Filipino fans. Just seeing the grand piano and the drums coming in made the fans scream out of happiness. Even more so when the band came out!
And what better way to hype the concert to another level than playing, “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time”? Oh boy, we surely had a great time. The hyperactive lead singer set the pace for the crowd! Brendon really had it in him and even though he did not talk too much during their performance, their presence (backflips, yay!) was enough to fill our hearts with joy.
BONUS: Take a look at this fan-submitted photo of Brendon in all his ~*shirtless glory*~
Lally Fider
All throughout their set, Brendon kept on saying “amazing” and “awesome” in between songs. I swear to God, the arena boomed with screams because of it. We’re just hoping they come back soon for a solo concert! Sadly, their set had to end and their finale song “Victorious” was sang in the most fabulous way possible—with blasting gold and string confetti!
Second to the last act, James Bay! Like Twin Pines, I was not that familiar with James Bay. Seriously, how can I not know these amazing artists?! I might have heard one of his songs on the radio, but that was it. I’m really glad this concert shone light to these talented bands and artists for me.
I realized I was missing too much from the music scene.
He came in wearing a Philippine flag-inspired jacket greeting the crowd with “Mabuhay!” and the crowd accepted it with a warm welcome, no less. His songs are like lullabies. From Panic! at the Disco’s festive performance, the arena mellowed down, but in a beautiful, moving way. Everyone was singing along with their light sticks and phones swaying in the air. He ended his set with a cover of “Rolling In The River” and by throwing a jacket to a lucky fan!
Last, but not the least, The 1975! Is it just my observation or do they like Manila so much? They keep on coming back and, every time, it feels like they are only getting better. The band is a stranger no more to the Manila concert scene and they never disappoint with their grandiose stage set up and lighting. It felt like we were in a music video with them, but live! The set looked so cool and so did the band’s performance.
P.S. Am I the only who noticed that all bassists were rocking some of the nicest hairdos? #hairgoals
Comment down below if you think so, too!
Article written by Jemina Mission
Photos by Gia Soriano
