IN PHOTOS: Guitar prodigy Sungha Jung plays for Manila fans, debuts ‘Love Yourself’ cover

There was no hype, no big production, simply one man and an acoustic guitar. Stage lighting was minimal, the backdrop stayed unchanged the whole time, not much movement, the occasional fog machine operated at curious indiscriminate moments, with only subtle changes over the course of the show. (READ: Sungha Jung: Growing up on YouTube) 

At first glance, it may have appeared as a a set-up for a disastrous lackluster event, a recipe for boredom, certainly a challenge photographically. After all, how much instrumental acoustic guitar playing can a person withstand in one sitting? Well it turns out if Sungha Jung is performing, you really don’t want to see the show end. All factors combined for an absolutely mesmerizing night of music. 

The sound system in this theater is fantastic, not a bad seat in the house, top notch venue. If you haven’t made the journey, make it a point to do so and catch a show at Newport Performing Arts Theater. Which is often why many top notch musicians, such as Sungha and his team will choose such a venue. In music terms, it’s not about where “the rubber hits the road,” rather where the vibrations meet the ear – and the system itself, especially in a large hall, makes a huge difference.

Ironically, this theater boasts one of the largest surface areas of any stage in the PH, which made for an interesting juxtaposition. Conscious choices most likely, intentional focusing the crowds gaze towards centerstage, where his incredible guitar playing was the shining star of the show. 

Many musical artists avoid this type of production, because it amplifies all your mistakes. You can’t hide behind other sounds projected from the rest of the band, If you do flub up, usually your drummer is just laying it down with style, or your guitar player is ripping it up, no one notices.

Here, if you make any blunders, they are magnified tenfold. If he did create any mishaps musically, I certainly didn’t notice, other than, at one point when he attempted to speak to the crowd, his microphone wasn’t working, which he quickly remedied with the flip of a switch. 

Between every song, as the crowd patiently looked on as Sungha judiciously tuned his custom Lakewood guitar, which has an interesting signature type inlay on the fret board. He politely addressed the crowd in English, introducing the next track, with an occasional anecdotal short story or history about the song itself.

 

The set list was a thoughtful mix of pop songs and originals. I enjoyed his cover version of ‘Photograph’ by Ed Sheeran, well done indeed. The announcement of a cover song by the K-pop band BTS, called “Butterfly,” garnered a huge response from the crowd.

Another highlight of the show, drew a raucous uproar, as he hinted to “another famous pop song that I haven’t uploaded yet, so this is my very first time to play this song at a concert,” he further added, “And it’s the first time for me to arrange a song of Justin Bieber, this song is called ‘Love Yourself.'”  

What I also found interesting, was such a mixed demographic in the crowd. Such a diverse crowd is unusual, generally the audience is of an approximate age, this is a telltale sign, a huge compliment to this artist’s skill. When it comes to appreciation of great music, age shows no boundaries.

 

The fans were enthralled, and even the older folks stayed awake – no kidding, I’ve seen people fall asleep at concerts, on numerous occasions, although much more likely from too much to drink rather than boredom. Somewhat miraculously, the younger ones even paid attention and stayed still long enough not to be noticed. 

There was also an intermission which was a pleasant surprise. Unusual in the rock concert world, but here, leaning more towards a theatrical event, it worked and fit in nicely at about the halfway mark. And the crowd didn’t seem to mind, as they chatted, took a bathroom break or busted out their smart phones for some social media updates. And you couldn’t help but notice how many fans brought along their guitars or ukuleles, not just a sporadic few, I would guess a hundred or so, there were plenty of musically talented fans in attendance.

When everyone was waiting in the lobby, I attempted to count, in my line of sight at the moment, got up to 86, and there were more towards the back I didn’t even get to. They had arranged a meet and greet before and after the concert where Sungha was signing instruments, a humble gesture which is always refreshing to see. 

He also had a special guest play with him for one of the songs on the setlist, Alyza Barro, a Filipina who also plays finger-style guitar and performed a few opening songs before introducing Sungha to the stage.

Although Sungha didn’t sing any tracks on the setlist tonight, at the encore portion of his show the crowd was shouting for him to sing and I’m told on occasion he will bust out with some vocals but that night it was not meant to be.

My favorite moment of the concert was the last song of the night, “Guitar Boogie” by Tommy Emmanuel, more of a blues rock upbeat number, that’s more in my wheelhouse, a wonderful song to end the show. 

Sungha plays with subtle perfection, there’s such beauty in how he interprets music, whether on a cover song or an original. The intimacy of it all, the simplicity in which he seemingly effortlessly plays such complicated arrangements is really what made the event.

He’s one of those performers whose artistry will grab your complete attention, regardless what you are preoccupied with at any given moment. Your mind doesn’t wander to what you’ll be having for lunch tomorrow, how that meeting will go next week or remembering to reschedule your son’s dental appointment. You get caught in the music, exceptionally peaceful, a conscious state that words have trouble describing.

Were you at the show? What was your favorite moment? Let us know in the comments below. – Rappler.com