IN PHOTOS: Christina Perri in Manila

Paul John Caña

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IN PHOTOS: Christina Perri in Manila

Stephen Lavoie

Scenes from her March 5 concert in Manila

Christina Perri is perhaps best known for her song, “A Thousand Years,” her contribution to the soundtrack of the blockbuster film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. Her single,  “Jar Of Hearts,” was also a hit when it was released in 2010. (READ: Christina Perri arrives in Manila)

The American singer-songwriter may have a small and devoted Filipino fanbase, but her Manila show last night was held in one of the country’s bigger sports and entertainment venues, the Araneta Coliseum. Even if the General Admission and Upper Box sections were closed off, the Big Dome still had some open spaces. 

That didn’t seem to faze the artist when she came out at a quarter to 9 pm. Wearing a sleeveless white blouse that showed off her heavily tattooed arms, a black skirt, glittery black stockings and sneakers, Perri channeled youthful energy as she hopped and danced around during her opening song, “Shot Me In The Heart.”

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

“I’m so grateful you guys decided to spend your evening with us,” she said. “My heart is exploding right now.” 

Somehow, Perri and her band turned the Big Dome into an intimate venue, calling the audience her friends and asking them to sing along, which they did, especially on the song “Distance.”

 “You guys sing beautifully,” she told the crowd. Perri is in the middle of the Southeast Asian leg of a tour to promote her latest album, Head or Heart. “I may or may not have told the band that you’ll be the loudest audience in this tour.” 

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler
Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler
Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

Perri displayed beautifully solid vocals throughout the show. From valleys of tenderness to summits of power and force, her voice was certainly her biggest instrument. She told anecdotes to introduce some of the songs, which added an extra dimension to the stories of her life. 

“I wrote this next one when I moved from my hometown to a bigger city to chase dreams,” she said about “Burning Gold.” “It’s really about not stopping till your dreams come true.”

A highlight of the show was when Perri sat down on the edge of the stage before launching into arguably her biggest song, “A Thousand Years.” She followed that up with a cover of Coldplay’s “A Sky Full Of Stars,” when she asked everyone to hold up their mobile phones, which turned the Big Dome into a dark sky with, yep, twinkling lights.

Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler
Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler

“This so awesome,” Perri said. “It’s so magical. I could not have imagined coming here and feeling so welcome and loved. I will remember this forever.”

The singer asked the audience to take selfies and post them on to social networking sites right before launching into the song “Penguin.” She followed up with “Jar Of Hearts,” which she called “a big fat giant thank you note” to her fans, and ended with “I Don’t Wanna Break.”

Fans were screaming “I love you, Christina,” as she took her bow with the band. She may not have filled Araneta Coliseum, but Perri’s performance made it seem like the venue was sold-out. – Rappler.com

All photos by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler 

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