By To continue the list of the best concerts that I’ve been to so far, here are the remaining five and a few special mentions. You can read part one here.
BEYONCE – THE BEYONCE EXPERIENCE 2007
The Queen Bey didn’t need a flamboyant set-up for her stage. All she needed was a huge LED screen, a few steps, and flashing lights. It was all Beyonce’s talent that wowed everyone at the open grounds in Taguig. Her back-up dancers were on point, especially her all female band. I wanted it so much that Jay-Z would make a surprise appearance when she sang “Crazy in Love” but that didn’t happen…all good though.
I remember trying to hold my pee because I didn’t want to miss the Destiny’s Child medley, ‘cause I know she’s going to do it, but when I couldn’t hold it any longer, I rushed into a portalet. And just when I was doing my business, guess what she started singing? Yep, the beginning of the medley. Thankfully, it lasted a few minutes that I caught almost everything. It was fun walking around, seeing good friends while singing to Beyonce’s songs. That concert was so much fun. Again! Again!
DEFTONES – DIAMOND EYES TOUR 2011
If there’s one band that I’ve seen perform live that I would give an MVP trophy to, I would definitely hand it to Deftones.
They didn’t scrimp on anything for their first show here in Manila. Deftones gave everyone their money’s worth by performing to a level that’s more than what we could have asked for.
Chino Moreno went to the crowd [all the way to the back] and sang his heart out. They performed 25 songs for everyone at the World Trade Center and still have the energy to go to the after party.
INCUBUS
Out of the five times that Incubus has been here in Manila for gigs, I’ve been to four of them, that’s how much fun Incubus concerts are. Like their good pals, the men from Deftones, they’re not fans of skimping when they perform.
They play almost everything that you want to hear during their concerts, and I keep watching them because it always amazes me how talented they all are.
You can’t keep your focus on just one band member because they’re all amusing and uber talented, but when Brandon Boyd removes that top, all eyes on him hahaha!
ERASERHEADS – THE REUNION CONCERT (2008) AND THE FINAL SET (2009)
Probably most of the people that I’m friends and grew up with listened to Eraserheads. They’re such a staple to everyone who listened to Pinoy rock or Pinoy music in general. It’s safe to say that I don’t known anyone that I love who doesn’t love the Eraserheads, if now, they shouldn’t be my friends to begin with. LOL.
Anyway, my friends and I went to The Reunion Concert, which was held at the Global City Open Field. I remember, we even placed bets on what song will be performed first. There was that massive countdown on screen that put everyone on edge while waiting for Ely, Raimund, Marcus, and Buddy to emerge.
When they did, it was just a sing-along of Eheads tunes; Ely didn’t really need to sing. Sadly, the reunion concert got cut short because Ely had to be rushed to the hospital, hence The Final Set. I was also there with my friends, of course. Utter exhilaration and a feeling of closure were just a few things that I was feeling during that moment. Everyone was singing again, that got me thinking, “Pucha! Ang tatanda na naming lahat dito…”
That was the last time we saw the band together perform live here in Manila but since then, they’ve reunited in some shows outside the country, aside from the occasional “almost” reunion performances here and there. Should a reunion concert would happen again, I’d be there again for sure.
ED SHEERAN – THE X TOUR 2015
Commanding a sold-out concert at the SM MOA Arena with just him on stage is something that a rare talent like Ed Sheeran can do. When it was announced that he’ll have a concert here, the tickets were all gone within an hour. I was so disappointed thinking that I won’t be able to watch him, but my Warner Music Philippines family surprised me with two tickets for the show.
I took my friend Kage Gozun because like me, she’s also a huge fan of Ed. I was expecting a band that will back him up during the show but nope, I only saw him on stage, in front of a giant LED screen.
His sound was crisp and full even though with a lack of musical back-up. He made use of his delays and other guitar thingamajigs, and of course his voice, to make us all listen. Ed made it perfectly clear why a lot of well-known musicians want to work with him, he’s really bursting with talent.
SPECIAL MENTIONS:
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS – 2011
I traded an Anberlin concert for STP and part of me regretted that move and the other part didn’t. The late Scott Weiland couldn’t really sing the way he used to and it kind of disappointed me a bit.
But like so many bands, I listened to STP while growing up and I can’t miss them performing live, although from that concert, I learned my lesson: I will think twice before watching rock legends, so nope, not watching GN’R.
BIG NIGHT OUT IN SINGAPORE: BAND OF HORSES, VAMPIRE WEEKEND, AND YEAH YEAH YEAHS
I enjoyed the heck out of this festival, even though I stood for more than 7 hours. I couldn’t feel my right toe the next day after this concert.
I was so exhausted from dancing and dehydrated because I didn’t drink a lot of water during the concert due to the fear of leaving my spot to go pee. I was such in a good spot and I fought for it, literally and figuratively speaking.
I was on Rostam Batmanglij side of the stage and that made me happy. I only know one song of Band of Horses, but I still liked their set. I went there for VW and YYY and they both didn’t disappoint.
That festival also made me realize that I’m not cut-out for music festivals, I’m too old for that shit.
ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS BY ME EXCEPT
Denise J. Mallabo 