22 concerts that rocked the Philippines in 2015

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22 concerts that rocked the Philippines in 2015
Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, and Incubus rock it out in Manila while local acts like Kamikazee give their final shows

 

MANILA, Philippines – The year 2015 was bittersweet for concerts in the Philippines, with Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, and Incubus rocking it out in Manila, and local acts like Kamikazee giving their final shows.

Urbandub also gave a final show this year – on May 9, they held their last concert before going on hiatus. Vocalist Gabby Alipe told Rappler that the band just needed some time to rest and be with their families. Watch what he had to say about the break below: 

 

While the May 9 concert was the last performance of bassist Lalay Lim-Geronimo and drummer Janjan Mendoza with the band, Gabby and John Dinopol played at JackTV’s MADFest 2015 on November 7.

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler.com

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler.com

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler.com

Aside from Urbandub’s high-energy performances, we witnessed a lot of great concerts this year too. Below, concert photographer Stephen Lavoie, Rappler contributor Paolo Abad, and Rappler Multimedia Producer Marga Deona discuss their favorites. 

Marga Deona, Rappler Multimedia Producer

Kamikazee

Shortly after Urbandub announced a hiatus, local rock band Kamikazee followed suit. Best known for a string of hits such as ‘Narda’ and their their tongue-in-cheek humor, the band said it will be taking a break after 2015.

Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler

 

Its final concert Huling Sayaw in the Smart-Araneta Coliseum was packed from the moshpit to the bleachers with fans from the past 15 years. Shortly after the concert, frontman Jay Contreras talked to Rappler about what’s next for the band – the immediate being throat surgery for him and quality time with their families.

What’s next for Kamikazee’s Jay Contreras?

Posted by Marga Deona on Thursday, 10 December 2015

 

Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler

Photo by Rob Reyes/Rappler

Stephen Lavoie, concert photographer

It’s always a puzzle, picking your favorite concerts of the past year. With so many top-notch artists now visiting our shores, it’s difficult to choose.

Of course, you’d think the best picks would be some of the big names, like One Direction, Maroon 5 or Katy Perry.

Photo by Kitkat Lastimosa

Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

 

But I find those huge production shows often rather impersonal. The nature of the beast, I suppose, when it comes to massive gatherings – it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.

What makes a concert stand out for me isn’t the size of the production or the on-stage pomp and circumstance. Sure you get some spectacular lighting and sound system at many of these events but that’s not really what it’s all about. Yes, all the technical mumbo jumbo is important, especially audio but it doesn’t have to be perfect to make it memorable.

The Charlie Puth mall event was a technical disaster. The sound system crashed twice and wasn’t working properly for most of the show. Ironically, this forced the performer to address the crowd for a longer time compared to normal, which made the event interesting. It was something akin to a radio appearance, or a press conference, where they would chat for a while then play some songs.

CHARLIE PUTH. Charlie Puth addresses the crowd at his Manila concert. Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

The show doesn’t have to be perfect to be outstanding. It’s nice to see a mistake every once and a while, reminding us that these gifted artists are people, too.

Incubus

There were plenty of up and coming artists that could have easily made the top 5, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Against the Current, Charli XCX or Pentatonix, to name a few.

I’d have to go with Incubus as the number one on my list. They’ve performed here before but still drew a large crowd, close to selling out the Big Dome. It’s relatively small as far as arenas go, but still can provide that intimate feeling, as long as the performer knows what they’re doing – and Brandon Boyd does.

BRANDON BOYD. The Incubus frontman rocks out in Manila. Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Lighting was solid. Sound system was dialled in. The crowd was attentive and the band just really got into it. Incubus is one of those rare bands that may sound better performing live than in the studio. At times, you felt you could be listening to a recording, then they’d mix it up with gusto, and variations to what you’d hear on album version, masterfully done, really exceptional.

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Everything just went right; it was in the cards. Either that or it’s a highly skilled group of musicians with many years of experience, basically putting on a clinic on how to have a successful concert.

Save Me Hollywood

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Save Me Hollywood is one of my favorite local acts, with Julz Savard on lead vocals. They were opening for Cody Simpson, and although the crowd was still trickling in during their performance, the band wasn’t distracted and performed well together. Lighting was nice and they sounded fantastic, but what impressed me the most was their energy on-stage and the crowd responded.

Pepe Smith

PEPE SMITH. Pepe Smith performing in Manila at Exocus Music and Arts Festival. Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Pepe Smith performing at Exodus Music and Arts Festival was another favorite. I know he’s a local legend but I had never photographed him before. It was obvious by the way he commanded the stage, you were watching a pro. Also, the gray hair was a giveaway. It was his stage presence that caught my eye. Also, the audience perked right up when he took the stage, and he rocked it. You can see why he’s so popular. He really got the crowd into it, well done.

Lifehouse

LIFEHOUSE. The band makes an emotional connection with the crowd at their Manila concert. iRocktography: See what music looks like...

Another memorable one was Lifehouse. Everything was technically well done and all the production elements were in place, but what caught my attention here was an emotional connection between the performer and the crowd. It’s one of those things that’s hard to explain with words but you could really feel it. It was almost palpable. It’s what live music is all about, those “moments” where artists and fans are connected.

Bryan White

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Bryan White is another on my list. Yes, believe it or not, country music in the Philippines. Although this genre may not be abundantly popular here, the AlDub portion of the Eat Bulaga TV show is, which features his song “God Gave Me You”.

The only other country artists I can think of who have visited these shores is Kenny Rogers, the namesake of the fast-food chain that held a show to inaugurate the restaurants’ grand openings. Another was Taylor Swift, who started as a country star and is now a crossover artist.

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

I was privileged with special access for this one and was not only super impressed with Bryan’s performance but also with how he handled himself off-stage. He showed true appreciation of his fans and a humility that is refreshing to see in this industry. At one point on-stage, there certainly was a “moment” and Bryan even got a bit choked up – touching stuff.

Cody Simpson

CODY SIMPSON. The singer is more rock and roll than pop, surprising concert photographer Stephen Lavoie. Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler Unexpectedly, Cody Simpson is in my top 5. I’m far from being a bubble gum teen-idol fan and was certainly not thrilled when I discovered I’d be covering this one.

Yes, his career began as more of a commercialized product, common in today’s music marketplace. It’s almost as if a group of young listeners are force-fed specific brands and have seemingly been brainwashed to love what is basically the fast food equivalent of music.

But Cody has recently left his record label and struck out on his own path as an independent artist, and he’s not what I expected him to be, more rock and roll than pop. I was way off the mark and pleasantly surprised. And the band came out firing on all cylinders. He grabbed the audience’s attention from square one, and took them on a ride, from fits of screaming, to an eerily uncommon hush among the crowd. At one point in the show, they performed a medley, which featured one of my favored blues songs, “Sweet Home Chicago,” and the blues is something you just can’t fake. He knocked it out of the park – well done!

Mutemath

MUTEMATH. The band's outdoor concert was a high-energy performance. Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Lastly, I’d have to go with Mutemath. An outdoor concert with thousands in attendance, getting lucky with perfect weather. But it was the phenomenal on-stage energy that stood out. I loved this show, an amazing live representation of their music with top-notch design and planning, a phenomenal visual experience. And how could you not enjoy a high-energy performance with a lead vocalist even doing headstands on his keyboard or crowd surfing on an LED-lit air mattress?

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

And you know you’re in for a wild ride, when the drummer’s pre-show routine involves securing his headset to his bald head using duct tape.

DUCT TAPE. Mutemath's drummer secures his headset with duct tape for his pre-show performance. Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Some honorable mentions for me were a few bands that I hold in high regard: Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Zombies, and Spandau Ballet. Concerts that you have to experience to really take it all in.

The stack appears to be towering in our favor. I can’t wait to see what 2016 brings. There’s already numerous festivals that I’m psyched about, featuring names like Death Cab for Cutie, Kayne West, Chvrches, and Passion Pit.

Paolo Abad, Rappler contributor

The Script

THE SCRIPT. The band's frontman Danny O’Donoghue performs in Manila. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

These Irishmen, led by Danny O’Donoghue, knew exactly how to put on a thrilla in Manila. They had a B-stage jutting out way in the middle of the audience, and Danny even walked among the bleachers of the lower boxes during one part of the band’s set. (READ: 5 unforgettable moments from The Script Manila concert 2015)

Hale

HALE. Frontman Champ Liu Pio at the the Wanderland Music Festival 2015. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

Wanderland 2015 was almost made to be a trip down memory lane, with our younger selves’ favorites, Augustana and Hale on the lineup. After Hale’s 5-year hiatus, there we were, singing “Blue Sky” and “Broken Sonnet” again at a music festival, and it was a magical thing to behold.

alt-J

ALT-J. The 3-piece band wows the crowd at the Theatre at Solaire. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

The Leeds 3-piece weren’t exactly the most charismatic showmen, but their genre-defying music – not quite folk, not quite trip-hop – was sublime live. alt-J was indeed a great fit for the Theatre at Solaire’s state-of-the-art acoustics. They sounded so pristine, and everyone in the intimate setting was transfixed. (IN PHOTOS: alt-J live in Manila)

By the end of the night, the crowd clamored with the “Please don’t go / I’ll eat you whole / I love you so” part of “Breezeblocks.”

Skrillex (at Road to Ultra Manila)

Photo by Magic Liwanag for Ovation Productions

Music producer and dubstep stalwart Skrillex was practically the main draw at the local edition of Road to Ultra, the global party series and EDM festival. He dropped bass-filled banger after banger, even closing his set with his irresistible collaboration (along with Diplo) with the Biebs, “Where Are Ü Now.”

Backstreet Boys

I WANT IT THAT WAY. The Backstreet Boys take Manila fans on a trip down memory lane at their concert. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

“I wanna ask you if you want to take a trip down memory lane with us tonight and party like it’s 1999!” said Kevin at their sold-out 2015 Manila show. Just like that, I was a wee grade-schooler again.

It’s been more than two decades since the singular boy band sensation started, but AJ, Brian, Howie Kevin, and Nick could still rock their body. Time and again, it could still be said, “Backstreet’s back.”

Ariana Grande

ARIANA GRANDE. The singer shows off her powerful vocals to her Manila audience. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

A formidable vocal powerhouse, Ariana Grande seems to effortlessly belt out the most challenging songs. When she reprised her cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” for the Manila crowd, that was quite a showstopper. (IN PHOTOS: Ariana Grande ‘The Honeymoon Tour’ Live in Manila)

Sam Smith

SAM SMITH. The singer croons to and interacts with his Manila audience. Photo by Nicole Reyes/Rappler

Sam Smith’s show almost didn’t happen. But he delivered a feels fest, and definitely made up for postponing his show to November. (IN PHOTOS: Sam Smith in sold-out Manila concert, thanks fans for ‘magical’ first trip)

“These aren’t my songs anymore. They are your songs,” said the British singer to the audience. 

Maroon 5

Photo by Nicole Reyes/Rappler

It was the Adam Levine-led pop rock band’s third time in the country, and just like their previous visits, they rocked everyone’s socks off. Adam, ever the charismatic frontman, made legions of fans swoon at his creamy vocals. (IN PHOTOS: Maroon 5 thrills Manila fans)

Tycho

TYCHO. The musician's concert was a feast for the eyes too. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

Tycho’s gig was, suffice it to say, visually arresting. As designer and photographer Scott Hansen’s ambient rock project, Tycho didn’t only conjure an expansive soundscape, but created mesmerizing backdrop projections, too.

Justice

 JUSTICE. The French duo performs at the Valkyrie Nightclub at the Palace. Photo by Paolo Abad/Rappler

These giants of French electronic music – up there in the pantheon with Daft Punk – were responsible for infamously riotous arena shows like A Cross the Universe and Access All Arenas. The duo graced the Valkyrie Nightclub at the Palace for a DJ set, albeit with little fanfare. Like true legends, they had everyone dancing the night away and even chanting in unison the chorus of “We Are Your Friends.”

Which were your favorite concerts in 2015? Did they make it to the list? Let us know in the comments section below! – Rappler.com

 

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