Spotlight on Sound: Exploring the PH Concert Scene

Stadiums, stars, and everything you can’t miss from the start!

These are the ingredients chosen to create the unforgettable experience concerts leave in their wake. Whether it’s the electric energy pulsating through the crowd or the collective euphoria of singing along to beloved anthems, concerts possess an unparalleled ability to captivate hearts, leaving unforgettable memories that linger long after the final notes have faded into the night.

To everyone’s anticipation and excitement, the Philippines has and will see a lot of artists this 2024, with global sensations like SEVENTEEN, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran having already performed in the past months. 

SEVENTEEN’s FOLLOW to Bulacan Tour

The 13-member K-pop dynamo held their sold-out back-to-back Follow To Bulacan Tour on January 13-14, 2024, becoming the first-ever musical group to headline a two-night major concert at the Philippine Sports Stadium. Comprised of Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, Dokyeom, Mingyu, Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino, the boy group was excitedly received with rounds of never-ending cheers from Filipino Carats.

Scoring up to 2 billion streams and selling more than 10 million albums, the three-unit group is responsible for chart-topping tracks such as “VERY NICE”, “Super”, “HOT”, and “Don’t Wanna Cry”.

As the obligatory never-ending send-off of “VERY NICE” played on stage, Filipino Cartas were left with a ringing promise by their Sebong sweethearts: “Babalik kami para sa inyo.”

[Reference: BrandRoom. (2024). In photos: SEVENTEEN pulls off epic ‘Follow’ Tour concert at Philippine Sports Stadium. Inquirer. https://pop.inquirer.net/355976/in-photos-seventeen-pulls-off-epic-follow-tour-concert-at-philipp

ine-sports-stadium/amp?fbclid=IwAR2WK7Empo4SBEJK60OT39N8LWKdoyRpJm4gi8__Ax8Dse_EVKLkD4yd_U4]

On Spotify

SEVENTEEN’s Super

https://open.spotify.com/track/3AOf6YEpxQ894FmrwI9k96?si=2d396e19433346a0

SEVENTEEN’s God of Music

https://open.spotify.com/track/4MTNimMDRyFZv37Thcktwa?si=9faff8e43e1349cd

SEVENTEEN’s VERY NICE

https://open.spotify.com/track/1Rrj7KyS2R6SP9CQMDJW1w?si=3806abfaa503458f 

Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour

Coldplay made its way back to the Philippines with its two-day Music of the Spheres World Tour on January 19-20, 2024 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. With a grand opening by PH alt-pop artist Jikamarie and surprise performances of “Raining in Manila” and “Uhaw”, the stadium had fans cheering at the Filipino representation and appreciation. The flames were fanned even further when a surge of Philippine pride erupted in the audience as Chris Martin declared his Filipino crowd “the best audience I’ve heard in my whole life.”

Famous for hits like “Fix You”, “The Scientist”, “Yellow”, and “Viva La Vida”, Coldplay secures a permanent spot in the hearts of the masses for his soulful vocals and meaningful lyrics.

[Reference: Bodegon-Hikino, K. (2024, January 22). Here’s how Coldplay’s Philippine Arena concert unfolded according to social media—Jikamarie, Lola Amour, Dilaw, “number 1 traffic in the world”, “best audience”, “proposals”, and more. Bandwagon Asia. https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/coldplay-lola-amour-raining-in-ma

nila-lola-amour-raining-in-manila-jikamarie-traffic-helicopter-dilaw-uhaw-bulacan-philippines-concert-2024?fbclid=IwAR2OF7GtMxsJtvlWerhblhZxSewKeo0FTkO7_Sb6y2Ry6in9lFjMyzwKOlQ]

On Spotify

Coldplay’s Yellow

https://open.spotify.com/track/3AJwUDP919kvQ9QcozQPxg?si=d8639da2ade54f38 

Coldplay’s The Scientist

https://open.spotify.com/track/75JFxkI2RXiU7L9VXzMkle?si=d1591162bf9348ed 

Coldplay’s Fix You

https://open.spotify.com/track/7LVHVU3tWfcxj5aiPFEW4Q?si=1e7ae0a18686402e 

Ed Sheeran’s +–=÷x World Tour

With his debut song hit, “The A Team”, Ed Sheeran remains a big hit delight in the music industry. The British singer-songwriter took his +–=÷x Tour to Manila and graced the SMDC Festival Grounds in Parañaque on March 9, 2024. 

The award-winning artist received massive applause as he shared his stage with the Philippines’ own Ben&Ben, performing the band’s OPM Filipino-fave “Maybe the Night”. 

Ed Sheeran is also acclaimed for songs like “Thinking Out Loud”, “Perfect”, and “Shape of You” among many others.

[Reference: Lorzano, J. (2024, March 12). A front-row experience of Ed Sheeran’s songs and stories. The Philippine Star. https://qa.philstar.com/entertainment/2024/03/12/2339800/front-row-experience-ed-sheerans-son

gs-and-stories/amp]

On Spotify

Ed Sheeran’s Perfect

https://open.spotify.com/track/0tgVpDi06FyKpA1z0VMD4v?si=fc871ca5d9374626

Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You

https://open.spotify.com/track/7qiZfU4dY1lWllzX7mPBI3?si=b023308e4fe1474c

Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud

https://open.spotify.com/track/34gCuhDGsG4bRPIf9bb02f?si=122e91810e444dd3

wave to earth’s The First Era Concert

The Korean pop group wave to earth made its debut in solo concerts in Manila with sold-out shows on March 11 and 13, 2024 at the New Frontier Theater.

Established in 2019 under the record label Wavy, the band is comprised of three core members: Daniel Kim, Soonjoong Cha, and Dong Q.

wave to earth has especially risen massively in the Philippine charts after the discovery that their “sunny days” music video was filmed in Pampanga. It features scenes of the band members riding bicycles, performing music on jeepneys, and interacting with children.

Best known for their cool lo-fi melodies fused with the catchy undertone of indie pop, wave to earth creates a unique experience for listeners with tracks like “seasons”, “bad”, “sunny days”, and “pink”.

[Reference: One Music PH Team. (2024, March 10). Wave to earth ushers in ‘The First Era’. ABS-CBN. https://ent.abs-cbn.com/onemusic/articles-news/onemusicph-onemusicphtop10-wavetoearth-firsteratour-newfrontiertheater-mar11and13-21853]

On Spotify

wave to earth’s seasons

https://open.spotify.com/track/5VBjyOQzqlPNgdRPMM6prF?si=18d2efa5fb61485f

wave to earth’s sunny days

https://open.spotify.com/track/4U9teFThcaHZz386DQM6FY?si=a96cb2447d434e89 

wave to earth’s bad

https://open.spotify.com/track/5TZKpQFKCbIlWGD8DzHbC6?si=a294f950ec014e56 

Wanderland Festival 2024: Neighborhood

The Wanderland Festival has given Filipinos two days of art and music since 2013. With nine years of enjoyment under its belt, it has been fondly dubbed as the “premier music festival.” 

With “Neighborhood” as this year’s theme, it is set to kickstart its activities on March 9-10, 2024 at the Filinvest City Event Grounds in Muntinlupa City. The theme mirrors how Wanderland functions as a place for old acquaintances to reconnect and for new bonds to be forged, much like a real-life neighborhood.

Jack Johnson headlined Wanderland’s Day 1, followed by a multi-talented lineup that includes Parcel, Novo Amor, Cosmos’ Midnight, Lola Amour, Beenzino, Gabba, Ena Mori, Jose Miguel, bird., and Bosudongcooler. 

For the awaited Day 2, Thundercat headlined the event. Other artists highlighted PJ Morton, HWASA, Breakbot and Irfane, Jeff Bernat, The Walters, grentperez, Paolo Sandejas, dwta, CLOUDRIVER, and Party Pace.

[Reference: Rappler. (2024, February 21). Here’s what you can expect from the much-awaited Wanderland Festival 2024. https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/music/what-to-expect-wanderland-festival-2024/?fbclid=lwA R3zfaYu3wVVTMj7DDJ7ZYvdpjiBVPea9K_74luLRNP_Fqjo2fITyczIzb8]

On Spotify

Wanderland Festival 2024 Spotify Playlist by Leovic https://open.spotify.com/playlist/22XHlIVjPs7EBCTIVGb6MR?si=1e91c3b95f664390 

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Singapore

Although the Philippines wasn’t included in the tour, a special mention has to go to the Queen of Concerts herself: Taylor Swift. Responsible for numerous chart-topping hits, the 14-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter opens her doors to Singapore, causing a tremendous wave of excitement for her Southeast Asian Swifties.

The festivities took place on March 2, 2024, at the Singapore National Stadium. The presence of the popstar sensation ensured an impressive six nights of soldout concerts, leaving the country with awe-inspiring nights to remember. 

From Lover’s puffy pastels to Midnight’s dazzling sequins, everyone was dressed to the absolute nines, each reflecting an Era that they greatly resonated with the most. Opening act Sabrina Carpenter further added to the concert’s overall pop glitz and star glamour, especially with her customed outros to fan-favorite, “Nonesense”.

The “All Too Well” megastar produced a plethora of international hits including “Cruel Summer”, “Anti-Hero”, and “Blank Space”. Known for her relatable yet poetic lyricism and incredible vocal range, Swift undoubtedly establishes her position as a pop culture icon and an epitome of girlhood.

[Reference: Tan, D. (2024). Review: Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ in Singapore. Lifestyle Asia. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/culture/music/review-taylor-swift-the-eras-tour-concert-singapore-2024/]

On Spotify

Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer

https://open.spotify.com/track/1BxfuPKGuaTgP7aM0Bbdwr?si=fb2925e26e744dad

Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero

https://open.spotify.com/track/0V3wPSX9ygBnCm8psDIegu?si=8b19f488c04c468e

Taylor Swift’s Blank Space

https://open.spotify.com/track/1u8c2t2Cy7UBoG4ArRcF5g?si=9025671509ef4cca 

With the year only beginning, other artists have announced more concerts in the Philippines in the months to come. This multi-talented lineup includes Laufey (May 28-29, 2024), IU (June 1, 2024), and IVE (July 13, 2024) among a plethora of others. 

Representing more than just performances, concerts serve as poignant reminders of our shared humanity and the enduring power of artistic expression to uplift, inspire, and bring us together in harmony.