This is a link to a very interesting video featuring Manila as it was in the 1930s, during the Commonwealth era. There were so many familiar and nostalgic images of places you know, but it is also sad that we could hardly recognize anymore due to very poor maintenance over the past 50 years. Escolta, Avenida, Dewey Blvd., Intramuros, UP Manila. . . . in all their former glory.

This is Colbie's performance of "Realize", her second single release. It also has her trademark laidback vocals and guitar work.

First of all, I am not really a fan of Jazz, the Blues or Big Band music, yet Elaine and I watched Harry Connick Jr. at the PICC tonight. I was not exactly planning to watch this concert. This artist had no bonafide "hits" for me to look forward to. However, I came by these two precious Right Flat section tickets by a literal luck of a draw (thanks to Sunday Inquirer Magazine). The tickets said 8pm, but much of the audience came in after 830 already. Still when Harry Connick and his band came out and started the concert there were several empty seats all over.

I was really struck by Mr. Connick's amazing piano playing which I totally did not know about him. His singing voice was very rich and dramatic as well. I am just so sorry that I did not know probably less than half of the songs they were performing, which largely diminished my overall appreciation. I could only recognize standards like "Hello Dollly", "Jambalaya" (Harry is from New Orleans), "Iko Iko," and "Yes We Can Can." He has some beautiful and bluesy ballads like "When Someone Really Loves You" and "When Your Lover Has Gone." But the audience really comes alive when Harry stands from his piano and dances around onstage. His featured musicians (some of whom have been playing with him for the past 18 years) were excellent players of the tenor, alto and baritone sax, trumpet and trombone, all of whom got their due solo spots.

But another thing that makes this concert memorable and lively is the COMEDY! This guy Harry was really so funny and IRREVERENT. He got away with controversial jokes about Manila not having pretty women (OK, only beautiful), and that Filipinos having no rhythm (because some audience member were clapping out of time) because of his charming delivery.

Then he announced that he thought "Halo Halo" (a local mixed treats sweet dessert topped by ice) was "NASTY"! I never heard that said before. It was so hilarious when he was describing all the individual ingredients (funny descriptions of ube and nata de coco) until he reached the corn and red beans, and declared "I do not want vegetables in my snow cone!" Hahaha!

Then he spent a long segment talking about and actually challenging himself to eat "Balut" (days-old duck egg) for the first time onstage! He even called a lucky girl from the audience to instruct him on the proper procedure. He did go through with it though, and he called it "GROSS"! Hahaha! Audience loved it! Then he settled down to play a bluesy number on the piano, he let out a major burp! Hahaha! Quite the joker this Harry.

In the later part of the concert (after the Balut segment) when Harry removed his tie and blazer and folded up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt, he really cut loose in his piano playing and dancing. In his last last song "Come By Me", he even turned his back to the audience, lifted his shirt tails and began gyrating and shaking his booty across the stage to the delight of the women there! LOL!

Overall, the music style is not really for me, but there is no denying the great musicianship in this concert. The show was made more enjoyable by Harry's quirky sense of humor (no wonder he got that featured role in "Will and Grace"). He certainly charmed the audience with genuine friendliness and sparkling personality.

This is the final song of the memorable Maroon 5 concert last March 5, 2008 at the Araneta Coliseum. The light show towards the end, together with the elaborate guitar playing, made this number an awesome and lasting impression of the entire concert.

I thought I would not make it to the Araneta Coliseum. I had classes tonight at UST. Luckily, 3 reporters were absent, so we were dismissed early. And, despite a rally at Welcome Rotonda (smaller version of the main Makati rally), the traffic was light up to Cubao. Despite these pieces of luck and the front act, I was still late for about five songs! Unfortunately for me, the very first song he sang was "So Sick" and the third was "Sexy Love".

When I caught up with the concert as I found my companions in the crowd, Ne-Yo was going through the audience sing-along with a series of songs which he wrote for other artists, like Mario's "I Wanna Love You", Rihanna's "Unfaithful" and of course, Beyonce's "Irreplaceable". He only sang a snippet of his duet "Hate That I Love You," which I am sure disappointed the crowd.

After that he sang his latest hit "Go On Girl" which was really a great song. He then went through a series of songs from his last album "Because of You": "Can We Chill", "Make It Work", "Say It". While Ne-Yo's beats were all grooving, the visual treat was provided by his va-va-voom back-up dancers who were shaking their booties like the proverbial girls in rap videos come to life. They were wearing either backless blouses, or skin tight tights, or cleavage and belly-button revealing outfits!

His main set seemed to have ended quite suddenly with "Because of You." After what felt like an interminable wait, Ne-Yo obliged with an encore number of "When You're Mad." And then that was really the end of the concert, when he greeted the audience with his "Mahal ko kayong lahat!" as written on a piece of paper handed to him by the stage hand.

He was a good singer. His songs were good. But maybe for me, he has a quite generic look, not distinct enough. It's probably just me, but I think I would not recognize his picture when set side by side with Chris Brown, Ray-J, Trey Songz, Mario or any of the current crop of R&B songsters. Anyway, this was a good concert while it lasted. But I do not think it will have a lasting impression on me.

This is the finale number of the Beyonce Experience. This is the best number in the concert, in my opinion, because this is where she connects most with her audience. This is her biggest hit as a solo artist, and understandably so.


This is the link to my review of the concert last November 7, 2007: http://3xhcch.multiply.com/journal/item/126/The_Beyonce_Experience_The_Fort_November_7_2007

Thia is a very strong vocal performance by the Bootylicious diva. This is despite the fact that this is already the penultimate song of a very strenuous two-hour hip shaking and booty grinding concert! Wow.

This is the link to my review of the concert last November 7, 2007: http://3xhcch.multiply.com/journal/item/126/The_Beyonce_Experience_The_Fort_November_7_2007

Well, this much-awaited concert had actually come and gone last night!  Definitely this was a more crowded affair, compared to the Christina Aguilera concert held in the same venue.  You would know this fact starting in the parking conditions.  My wife and I had to park quite a distance away, then had to walk a long round-about route into the audience entrance.  When we entered the area past 8pm, there was nary any space left in the grounds.  Every conceivable standing room was occupied.  The atmosphere was electric with anticipation.

The concert did not really start with a big bang.  The Beyonce Experience logo appeared on the screen and everybody went wild!  Then the Bootylicious One simply walked out onto the stage dressed in a glittering silver gown, greeted everyone simply, then launched into her opening number, (and my personal favorite) "Crazy In Love."  Beyonce had a truly beautiful face, and her figure was full (not skinny at all).  This woman had her curves in all the right places, yet her abdominals are visibly firm and taut.  She sexy dance moves (especially her belly dancing) are unparalleled by her other contemporaries.

She had two unfamiliar (to me at least), though catchy songs "Freakum Dress" and "Green Light".  These were followed by more familiar songs, all with very energetic, belly-grinding and booty -shaking choreography:  "Baby Boy,"  "Beautiful Liar," "Naughty Girl." 

The standout in that series of dance numbers for me was "Beautiful Liar", where one of her dancers took the Shakira role as they recreated the scenario of the music video, and danced mirror images of each other.  This was amazing to watch live as they slinked across the stage together to the interesting beat of this song.

After showing us her athleticism in her dance moves, Beyonce then regaled us with her vocal prowess as she sang her ballads "Me, Myself and I" and "Dangerously In Love".  Both of these numbers were infused with so much soul and passion.  Beautiful and powerful, as only Beyonce can deliver them.

What followed would be what I would consider my favorite part of the program, being a veritable senior citizen there:  the Destiny's Child retrospective.  I did not expect these songs to be performed last night, but I am very happy that she did them. Once the words "Good morning, Angels!" blared out of the sound system, I knew what was coming up and I was not disappointed.  The hits came one after the other:  "Independent Women", "Bootylicious", "No No No", "Bug a Boo", "Bills Bills Bills", "Cater 2 U", "Say My Name", "Jumpin' Jumpin", "Soldier" and finally "Survivor".

Beyonce then went back to her own catalog of solo hits:  "Ring the Alarm,"  "Upgrade U", "Check On It", "Deja Vu".  This frenetic series of dance songs really shows the unique mark of Beyonce songs, you cannot really sing along along with them, but their beats are really very catchy and it was impossible not to move your body along with them.  (As a side note, there was this boy beside me who was singing everything word for word as he seemed to have memorized the entire "Beyonce Experience" DVD, which amazed me. LOL.)

"Dreamgirls" was up next.  This was followed by her power ballad from the same movie "Listen" (video) where she once again displays her considerable vocal acrobatics. 

As you can feel the concert winding up, there can only be one song left, her undeniable world-wide smash hit:  "Irreplaceable." (video) She starts up the song as a sing-a-long session with the audience, as she lets everyone sing the ubiquitous refrain "to the left, to the left".  Then of course, she sings the whole song.  Strangely, it was only during this song that I really felt Beyonce connect personally with the audience.  The song was simply so catchy, and  Beyonce was smiling throughout, this was when I felt her warmth as a performer. 

How the whole concert ended was very strange.  I have never seen anything like it.  I don't think I even like it.  I guess she was referring to her latest album B'Day when she began asking who were celebrating their birthday that night.  Then she sang "Happy Birthday To You", rephasing it as "Happy B-Day" toward the end.  I felt this was anti-climactic, and even tacky! (sorry fans!)

Then she said her final goodbyes.  She thanked her dancers and all-female band.  Then the credits rolled on the screens.  And that was it, no encore anymore.

Overall comments:  The concert was very well-staged, very bright lights and exciting lighting effects.  The sound quality was not very good where I was standing.  It may already be midway in the song before I can recognize some of them because the sound was a bit muffled.  The videoscreen in our area was rather dim.  I hope they can improve this further in the future.  I don't know, but I also felt her instrumental interludes featuring her female band individually were too many and too long at times.  I felt some of these dragged out and killed the momentum of the concert.  Of these, the best was the bass player.

As for the performance of the star herself.  I have already mentioned the fact that unlike most concerts where you can sing along with hits, Beyonce was an artist whose songs were not really easy to sing along with.  While her dance songs maybe familiar, the lyrics may not be, as the delivery is really uniquely staccato and rapid, very stylized.  On the other hand, her ballads are also generally not accessible for singing along as well, as they are very bluesy and heavy on soul.  Only the star herself can perform them well. 

That is why I discovered the contrast only at the end when she sang "Irreplaceable".  That was when I felt how cold and impersonal the rest of the concert was, up to that point.  It was only during that song that I felt how much warmer and more personal Beyonce could be.  However, unfortunately, it was already the end of the concert when this magic happened.

This is not too say though that the Beyonce Experience was a bad concert.  Not at all!  It is just that I feel it could have been so much better.  Or maybe again, I'm getting too old for these kinds of concerts.

Despite the disappointment true Josh Groban fans went through because of the elitist way his recent concerts here had been handled, articles such as this stupid one get the light of print: http://www.philstar.com/index.php?p=60&type=2&sec=24&act=view&aid=2007102253

"This may come as a shock to people of today’s generation, but prior to his two-night Manila concert last week, I was vaguely familiar with Josh Groban. In fact, I thought his last name was spelled Grobin (but pronounced Groban) — until I saw People Asia magazine with him on the cover and there it says: Josh Groban."

This guy is supposed to be "entertainment" writer!  He even prided himself with his being an ignoramus.  Josh Grobin?  Huh?  Showbiz and pop culture should be his business.  OK, what kind of "entertainment" does he know then?  Really, stupidity such as this need not be flaunted just to lengthen his "article".  It is not funny.

"By the time he was into his second or third song, A Time for Us (from David Lean’s 1965 epic film Dr. Zhivago)..." 

Terrible.  "A Time for Us" is from "Doctor Zhivago"?  Huh?  He had to insert a parenthetical information, still its all wrong!  He really should do his research before he reveals more of his dumbness by volunteering wrong info obviously said with misplaced pride.  He even included the director's name and the year (!), thinking he's a know-it-all entertainment writer.  Hahaha!  Now this is funny.  I really had to laugh at this one.  Of course, we humbler folk know that that song is from Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" (1968).

Then he had to repeatedly reiterate his being forced to attend the Josh Groban concert against his will.  That Ali Sotto had to "plead" for him to go with her.  That he was "hardly thrilled."  That this was a "favor".  That he had "a gun pointed at his head".  Overkill man, we get the point!   He did not really want to go.  He needed to mention this just once.

Then to top it all off, he acknowledges that this article of his is bound to offend a lot of true Josh Groban fans, yet he went on to write and have it printed.  He knew Grobanites are bound to read his bilious article, yet he even dares to challenge them. 

"But the good friend that I am to her, I granted her that “favor.” Those who failed to get tickets to the Josh Groban concert are probably itching to give me a collective slap by now. Line starts  here." 

Really, the gall of this person!  ARROGANCE in all caps!  Frivolous public mockery cowardly hiding behind the guise of freedom of the press.

He then called "To Where You Are" as one of Josh's "OBSCURE" songs!  My God!  He already said he did not know much about Josh, so he should just stop writing about things he doesn't know!  He should just stick to what he felt while watching the concert.

This kind of article really need not be written with all of these inane insensivities.  This guy has got connections.  This guy has got influential friends with influential friends.  This guy was able to get into a very exclusive and expensive concert FOR FREE!  He knows that he had been treated to an event that many true fans of this artist were denied because of financial reasons.  He should just review it.  He should just praise for how good it was.  But please spare us the shallow, inconsequential, cheap and very arrogant behind-the-scenes backstory.  We don't want to hear it!