Glad we MET

The venue for the Side A concert was a bit different. Unlike the usual concerts which is usually held in MOA Arena, Araneta Coliseum and even Samsung Theater, their concert was held in a place steeped in history and culture.

The Metropolitan Theater.

Was telling Mark that the last time I watched something here was way back in high school. We watched the play "Noli Me Tangere" at the MET, and it was such a memorable experience. When we were in grade school, we also watched "Peter Pan" here, and I was simply amazed that Peter Pan could really fly! (With harnesses, of course.)

So many memories. And I'm glad to have relived them.

The right Side

Today was a day of firsts.

While Mark and I have watched a lot of movies and some musicals, we haven't really watched a full-on concert. And thanks to his friend - Gelo - we were able to.

We spent Sunday night together, enjoying the music that defined our generation. From that moment they sang "Tell Me," it was clear that the night was going to be rife with memories and nostalgia.

And it was!

From their iconic hits like "Eva Marie," and "Forevermore," to their upbeat encore of "'Di pa huli," Mark and I just sang and swayed the night away.

I'm so happy we were able to tap into this side of us tonight.

It's Electric!

If the kids get all giddy and excited whenever K-Pop acts, that's how Gen X-ers react to something like this:

Gosh! Debbie Gibson looks great!

Part of me wants to live my (Electric) Youth and watch this concert.

A is for Apple. B is for Britney.

While randomly flicking the remote last night to find something interesting to watch, I found this cable channel called "HallyuPop" which turned out to be a channel that features concerts. Majority of the concerts they feature are Korean acts (thus, the "Hallyu") but they occasionally show other foreign acts as well.

And what was showing last night?

Britney Spears' Apple Music Festival performance.

Needless to say, my channel surfing stopped there and I had the pleasure of watching Britney perform once again.

As always, Britney is a joy to watch.

Cyrus, Serious

Since she was Hannah Montana, I've always been a fan of Miley Cyrus and her voice. Even as a young girl, her voice already showed so much depth and range. And even as a teen, she was already a serious singer.

It was a depth and range that was way beyond her years. That's why when she went from Teen Idol to Pop Star, her voice and songs matured with her. Even if she sang a very uppity-boppity Pop ditty like "Party in the U.S.A.", it sounded rich and soulful.

And as she matured even more, think "Wrecking Ball" and "We can't stop," so did her music and the way she sang.

Throughout all those years, I'm constantly amazed at how versatile her voice is. Whenever I watch youtube videos of her in concert, the most common comment would be: "Is there a genre that she can't sing?"

Apparently, there's none. She can sing anything. She can sing country. She can sing pop. She can sing something soulful.

Heck, she can even sing Madonna!

So yes, Miley Cyrus can sing anything and everything.

Seriously.

It's a 160!

That's what happens when you put 2 of the biggest 80s icons together.

To watch, or not to watch...

Suddenly, Songbird

The Melrose gang were talking about watching the 30th anniversary concert of Regine Velasquez. But since everyone was busy with their own shizz, nothing came out from the talks. So, I thought we'd skip the concert altogether.

Well, that's what I thought.

Suddenly, I found myself in MOA Arena with 2 of my agency friends for the concert!

I must say, the songbird didn't disappoint.

It's Britney, B***h!

My concert dreams just came true!

Britney Spears is finally coming to Manila!

Let me take an hour or two, or maybe a day to process this.

*faint*

Time of Crisis

The 80s are back to haunt us!

This time, it's in the form of two popular new wave bands. In the 80s. Like, 30 years ago!

Strangely, though, I'm very interested to see this twin concert. Hahaha.

Women of the 90s

Admit it. If you're a 90s kid, you know the songs "Waterfalls" and "Weak." You would often sing that during the weekend videoke sessions with friends. Admit it.

These iconic songs were courtesy of TLC and SWV respectively. And guess who's coming to town this November.

Yup, now we have a chance to sing-along with these songs with the original artists! (Without Left Eye, though. Rest her soul.)

Welcome back, 90s. We missed you!

Boy, oh Boy! (George!)

It's the 80s all over again!

Boy George and the Culture Club are coming to Manila!

As I told Tintin, "ang hindi manood, maka-Karma Chameleon!"

The old songs. (And singers, too.)

 

Looking at the upcoming concert acts in Araneta Coliseum, one can't help but sing that old David Pomeranz ditty: "The Old Songs."



Oh and look, David Pomeranz is having a concert here, too.

Hello there 80s

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Madonna is bringing her "Rebel Heart Tour" to Manila. And so far it's the only South East Asian country where she'll be performing. 

Needless to say, the response to the concert has been kuh-ray-zee. Tickets were sold-out a few hours after they started selling it.

And today, the news about Spandau Ballet's concert in Manila just came out. Mind you, this is the whole, original band. And not the usual "Tony Hadley - lead singer of Spandau Ballet" concert.

Yes, the 80s are back. Hooray for us!

By your Side A

It's been ages since D' Frendz watched a concert. In fact, I think the last time I watched a concert with Bonique and Alfie was in Annapolis Live. (Yes, it was that long ago.)

Saturday night changed that, though. Thanks to the heads up from Bonique, we were able to watch an outdoor concert at Robinsons Magnolia. 

The band playing was Side A, which was one of the quintessential bands of our generation. Ask anyone to sing "Forevermore" and "Tuloy pa rin," and they'll probably know it by heart.

Needless to say, majority of the audience were people from our generation. People who would sing with Joey G. and shriek everytime he would approach the audience. Yup, it's been almost 2 decades since they broke through the music scene, and they still have that charisma and appeal.

After listening to Side A for almost an hour, one thing I realized that this was more than just a concert. It was actually a walk down memory lane.

Give me a piece of this!

Here's a good reason to go back to Las Vegas soon!

Britney Spears will have a year-long concert in Planet Hollywood! This might be the chance I've been waiting for to watch Ms. Spears, Live!

FMM: Freedom of Expression

In the midst of the entire Miley-VMA brouhaha, certain people were comparing Miley to the younger Madonna.

During her younger years, Madonna did then what Miley is doing now. She like to be provocative, bold and fun.

This was who Madonna was, and she was just trying to express herself.

(Cue in our Friday Magic Madness song for today: Madonna's "Express Yourself.")



(Speaking of brouhahas, this Jean Paul Gaultier conical bustier was already the stuff of scandals back then. And of course, there was the on-stage pumping scene that makes Miley's grind look tame.)

FMM: Pet with no peeve

As if on cue, Friday started with a Friday Magic Madness moment.

While passing through Cubao on my way home, I saw a concert poster for...

... wait for it...

Pet Shop Boys!



It's the 80s all over again!

I've been Stung!

At the onset, we knew that this was a concert for our generation.

While we were walking from Starbucks to the Araneta Coliseum gates, we kept on bumping into people we knew. There were former classmates, former colleagues, clients, celebrities who were from our generation - we were all there for one reason.

Sting!

As predicted, he didn't disappoint. His voice is still as crisp and clear just like when he started with "The Police." And he could still get the crowd to stand up and dance!

It was a great repertoire of old favorites and new songs. And one of the old favorites he played was one of my old favorites from The Police.



As the song says: here's all I want to say to you:

Sting rocks!!!

Thrilled in Tokyo

Yesterday afternoon, Mark and I walked around Odaiba and ended up at Diver City Mall in the neighborhood. We noticed there was a makeshift stage and a crowd gathering, and we found out that there was an event in a few minutes.

It wasn't just an ordinary event. This event was Bad!

It was a Michael Jackson Memorial Day concert in honor of the King of Pop's death anniversary.

Headlining the program was this Michael Jackson impersonator who did a really good impression of Michael. As Mark observed, he even looked like he had botox and had a whitening job done.

This guy was really good. It seems like he's been a long-time follower of Michael since he had all his lines and mannerisms memorized. But more than that, he had the moves right down pat.

 He even came with back-up dancers!

Here he is doing the "Smooth Criminal" number which the crowd went crazy over.

As the program progressed, the crowd just got bigger and bigger. We even noticed a group in front who dressed up like Michael Jackson. He's that popular here.

Here's his finale which the audience just loved. It was a medley of Michael's greatest hits.

And just like a real Michael Jackson concert, the audience asked for an encore, and he gladly obliged! 

Overall, it was great fun to spend the afternoon watching a pseudo-Michael Jackson concert. 

Heck, it wasn't just great fun. It was a Thriller!

Sergio-so!

Right on the heels of Olivia Newton-John's concert, (which I missed, of course, thereby missing Olivia's performance of "Physical" and "Xanadu.") another favorite - and old - singing group is coming to Manila for a concert.

I've been blogging about this man's work for quite sometime. And I've also singled out some of his songs that have been embedded in my mind's playlist. And I've also collected some of his CDs, and sang some of his songs during videoke sessions with D' Frendz and the SSC faculty.

He is no other than Sergio Mendes and Brasil (insert year here.)



The concert is on April 24, which is the same date of a seminar I'm attending.

So, should I skip (or cut short) the seminar in favor of Sergio and his group.

I'm seriously thinking about it.