Pet Shop Boys' Electric Tour in Manila

Pet Shop Boys rock Manila with opening number "Opportunity"

Can't believe that after more than 20 years, the Pet Shop Boys has finally decided to come to Manila!!!

I honestly didn't know that they were coming. Thank goodness Tessa P pulled me to watch last night! When I asked her kids though if they were joining, they kitted their brows and asked 'Pet Shop who? Who are they?'.  Ha ha.. Well I guess they can't relate since they weren't born then.

The Pet Shop Boys are an English duo who were smashingly popular in the late '80s and early '90 with their electronic pop, new wave, alternative music.

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe met in 1981 and managed to survived after all these years. Note that they both do look a little bit older on stage. Neil is apparently 59 years old this year. But mind you, they still sound the same as before and man, they can still perform!

Tessa in full 1980s mode (center) and we're ready  to dance

I love the concert's club vibe with the criss-crossing laser lights, the giant video wall, the disco lights and kudos to their outfits  especially their head gear - from feathers, a disco mirrorball cap, minotaur heads and tangerine colored hats.

I must say though that of the Tour's 24 set list, they played only seven of their top hits! Seven!! They sang - West End Girls, Its a Sin, Always on My Mind, Opportunities, Suburbia, Domino Dancing and Go West.

This is Manila, they should have been tipped to play all their old songs so we can welcome them back with open arms. Just take a look at Tears For Fears, their second time around was so successful that tickets were sold out on the very first day. Paging organizers!!

I would've enjoyed the concert more if they played my favorites What have I done to deserve this', Where the streets have no name, etc.

Electric Tour Set list :
1. Axis
2. One More Chance/Face Like That
3. Opportunities (Lets Make Lots of Money)
4. Memory of the Future
5. Fugitive
6. Integral
7. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing
8. Suburbia

9. I'm Not Scared
10. Invisible
11. Last to Die
12. Somewhere
13. Leaving
14. Thursday
15. Love Etc.
16. I Get Excited
17. Rent
18. Miracles
19. It's a Sin
20. Domino Dancing

21. Go West
22. Always on My Mind

Encore:
23. West End Girls
24. Vocal

J-Lo's Dance Again Tour in Manila

My favorite "Let's get Loud"

Karaoke time with "If you had my love"

Yessss!! I am a J-Lo fan and definitely wouldn't miss this concert despite the ummm -pricey ticket. I just love J-Lo!!

I was totally enthralled by her high energy, non stop dancing, her forever windblown hair and her genuine kindness.

Between sets, she would  reach out on all fours and extend her hand for a high five or handshake. She even cried out "Mahal Kita Manila"!!

In the second set she pulled a fan onstage to sing "if you had my love" with her (lucky lucky girl, right photo) and to top it all she kept  hugging her!

Towards the end of the set, someone threw a Philippine flag onstage. She wrapped the flag around her and grabbed a camera from one of the fans and took a photo of herself onstage. She's totally adorable!!!

check out the abs "Going In"

The concert promptly started at 9pm where came out all glitzy in a diamond body suit and from then on, it was non-stop dancing for an hour and half.   Which also meant non-stop dancing for us in the audience.


The die-hard-fans next to me were not too happy though. She didn't sing the whole tour's set list last night (that's 25 songs).  Well, thank god I didn't get a chance to compare. I thoroughly enjoyed J-Lo and ended with sore feet from dancing all night!!

Here's Manila's set list (note: my service unit is still funky so the videos below are not mine but sourced from youtube):
1. Get Right
2. Love Don't Cost a Thing
3. I'm into You
4. Waiting for Tonight
5. Going In
6. I'm Real
7, Aint it Funny
8. Jenny from the Block
9. If you had my Love
10. Until it Beats no More
11. Lets Get Loud
12. Papi
13. On the Floor

Encore:
14. Dance Again

and she's totally enamorata dancing with her beau

ends with a blast

and check out her tweet today:

Going Gaga over Born this Way Tour in Manila

Critics missed Lady Gaga wrapping the flag around her face

Amid calls by religious organizations to cancel Lady Gaga's concert, her two-day Born This Way Ball Tour  in the newly built 20,000-seater Mall of Asia Arena was sold out despite the pricey tickets.

The protesters accused her of 'symbolizing everything that is corrupt and demonic'. Well, 26-year old Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta a.k.a Lady Gaga is definitely far from being demonic, she is believe it or not honest, modest and quite charming!

This college drop out (like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates), started her career in 2007 as a songwriter and in 2008 became famous for her debut album The Fame. Since then she has sold 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide and received five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards.

Lady Gaga in her infamous meat dress

Frankly, after watching last night's performance, this pop diva actually strikes me more of an activist, a crusader campaigning against bullying, against gay discrimination and even against the treatment of women as 'a piece of meat'.

She dedicated Hair to "... all those kids  who take their lives when they're so young because they feel bullied, or they're afraid because they're gay and they don't want to tell anybody... what I don't respect is homophobia and hatred.. I reject intolerance to the gay community."

Her message to all the little monsters last night was simply about acceptance and self confidence, to be proud of who you are. She said "I know that everybody.. thinks that I stand for... really inappropriate things that are really bad for.. ... The truth is, I want the best for every single one of you. I love you with all of my heart and all my soul.. and all the things that I think about and the way that I am, it's my lifestyle, it's just part of this one big giant performance art statement of liberation. So, I hope that you feel tonight as free as your hair. And to those of you that don't feel free, take the best opportunity to free yourselves."

From the lyrics of Born this Way: Don't hide yourself in regret, just love yourself and you're set, I'm on the right track baby, I'm born this way. 

Lady Gaga's set list in Manila:

For her opening act Highway Unicorn, she came out on horseback clad in a horned headpiece

Government Hooker
She wowed the little monsters by donning a yellow terno (Philippine national costume) in Born this Way

Black Jesus + Amen
In a towering white outfit singing Bloody Mary

Bad romance

Alas, the battery of my phone ran out.. so I'm just sending the youtube links below. :-)
Judas

Fashion of his Love
Just Dance
Love Game
Heavy Metal Lover
Bad Kids
Telephone
Hair
You and I
Electric Chapel
Americano
Poker Face
Alejandro
Sheiße
Paparazzzi
Edge of Glory
Marry the Night

Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour in Manila

Clear the Drain

More than 25,000 trooped to the concert grounds in Pasay (I'm not mentioning the venue due to their plan to cut 182 trees in Baguio) to see Katy Perry LIVE!

This is Katy's second time in Manila and she reminded everyone that "this is the last California Dreams tour event..  you make it the 125 show.. so that means, you have to show everybody else..." Well, we sure didn't disappoint her! The venue was a big giant karaoke mixed with shrieking fans ranging from 5-year olds to past 40! Yup, there were several 5-year olds with their parents and yayas in tow and singing the lyrics word for word!

Ivan Dorsche onstage with Katy in Furne's creation

The audience went wild when she said "the first boy to take his shirt off comes onstage." There were lots of takers where she had to weed out the 14-16 year olds and contend with 21-year old ripped,  Pinoy Big Brother Ivan Dorsche who not only got some face time but got pecked on the lips!

After a year's tour (from February 2011), I must say that California Dreams with its cotton pink, candy colored set is the best so far that I've seen (true, Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite too). Her outstanding performance makes up for the show's tardiness (started two hours late) and poor exit routes.

By the way, bravo to Dubai-based pinoy fashion designer Furne One who created some of the outfits in this tour. Specifically, the beaded apple green halter gown with an oversized tri-color boa which she threw to the audience (I Kissed a Girl), the blue jacquard doll dress with floral applique and crystals (video).

Here's the setlist:

1. Teenage Dream

2. Hummingbird Heartbeat

3. Waking Up in Vegas
4. You're so gay
5. Peacock

6. I Kissed a Girl

7. Circle the Drain

8. E.T. 

9. Not like the Movies

10. The one that got away acoustic version

11 Hot and Cold where she changed seven times

12. Last Friday Night (TGIF)

13. Firework, where she admitted that this is her favorite song. She performed  this with foam spray guns, gigantic bouncing balls and actual fireworks!!

14. California Girls in a gigantic hershey kisses-bra!

The confetti filled stage. Thanks Katy!

Tears for Fears: one giant karaoke in the Big Dome!

That's how it was last Saturday despite the Noynoy rally and traffic, everyone trekked to watch Tears for Fears at the Araneta Coliseum.
This is the first time my pop rock group of my teenage years (1980s) was here L-I-V-E in Manila. Lead singer Roland Orzabal said that they've been all over the world including Siberia and "it has taken so long to get to Manila."
I'm sure they were blown away by the audience participation. Everyone was singing and dancing. Its like one big giant karaoeke without the words flashing on the screen. The Ninf called it a "big high school reunion."
I love that the kids were there too and enjoyed. Lit's 15-year old son said it was better than what he expected including Emma's 8-year old son who said he had fun.
My tweet playlist, yup, I was tweeting : Curt Smith opened with Head over heels, Everybody wants to rule the world, Mad world, some new songs like Floating down the river, Orzabal's slow version of MJ's Billy Jean, audience got riled with Break it down.. and ended with my two fav songs it's a world gone crazy Woman in Chains and Shout!
At 10:30 before the encore, Korina was booed not once but twice when she was shown onscreen. I guess no one wanted to be reminded of the upcoming circus, I mean elections. As of today, the Commission on Elections recalled 76,000 compact flashcards nationwide. With five days to go before elections,all this computer glitch news is causing a lot of jitters... say that you'll never never never need it, one headline why believe it? everybody wants to rule the world.. all for freedom and for pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever...