Ke$ha: The wild child takes Manila

MANILA, Philippines – The set was simple. The stage was black, drums, keyboards, and guitars positioned down makeshift steps, three disco balls hanging from the top railing. When the lights turned down, all the fans began screaming. The pumped audience was all dressed up for a night out, neon glosticks waving and cameras flashing as they crowded to the front of the stage.

They were all ready to dance, jump, fist-pump and sing to the music of Ke$ha.

The 26-year old singer performed with a single back up singer and two male dancers , but they pretty much entertained the entire Smart Araneta Coliseum last Thursday, October 24, with their outrageous costumes and quirky antics. There were no fancy gimmicks beyond the toy car Ke$ha drove around the stage, just the occasional power tool, fog machine and blow up mascot. 

It was her first time to perform in the Philippines. She gave a short funny spiel before every song, and requested to have the lights turned on so she could see everyone who came. She would sometimes engage the audience with questions about love and just having fun. She also asked her fans to promise to be themselves no matter what and to love whoever they were.

Wild child

Kesha’s blonde party girl image and edgy attitude appealed to the young audience that danced all night to her songs. Her music mainly spoke about partying and drinking all night, the lyrics mostly explaining why her fans are roughly between the ages of 16-22. Although a few of her songs does speak about individuality and love, they are mostly overlooked because of her reputation of her wild child reputation.

The crowd was on its feet for Billboard Hot 100 songs We R Who We R, Blah Blah Blah and the controversial Die Young, the number about living in the moment that was pulled last year from radio stations in the wake of the Newtown school shooting.

Ke$ha’s big finale, the four-year-old Tik Tok, had everyone dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs, while she waved both the Philippine flag and a rainbow banner.

Though the concert only lasted little more than an hour and fifteen minutes, it was an adrenaline-driven, foot-stomping experience for a crowd that finally saw its superstar sing live. – Rappler

Listen to ‘Tik Tok’ here:

– Rappler.com

Adrianna Mejia is a 24-year old writer for the sales and marketing department of Rappler.com. She enjoys listening to different kinds of music, playing sports and slacking off from time to time. Being given the opportunity to write about what she loves is something she looks forward to as part of the Rappler team.