May 19, 2024
It was not 6pm yet, and the Araneta Coliseum is already filling up fast. The free-seating General Admission section is already packed. The buzz of excitement of the A'tins filled the air, as they wore various fan merchandise and tried out their lightsticks. A bit after 6pm, a DJ hosted a Dance-cam contest sponsored by GCash, which hyped up the fun atmosphere as the fans danced to SB19 hit songs when the camera caught them onscreen.
Promptly at 7:00pm, the house lights dimmed as the audience screamed in anticipation, as the tangle of yellow tape got "peeled off" one by one on the big screens. As a video was played, the fans screamed even louder when they saw the face of their favorite SB19 member in focus. A stately tree "grew" to full size in the middle of the empty backdrop, an elegant image which will remain visible for the rest of the show until the very end.
If you came late for the show, you will already miss their big international hit "Gento" (VIDEO) which the guys audaciously made their opening number. They followed this with two Tagalog ballads -- "Ilaw" (the tree lit up in bright orange) and "Nyebe" (the tree in white, with snowflake designs "falling" in the background). They ended this segment with the slinky R&B torch ballad "I Want You" (VIDEO) complete with a sultry dance-off of the five on the catwalk stage.
The lightsticks around the venue were all switched to bright red. A big full moon appeared behind the leafless tree for full gothic effect. Boys came out wearing purple jackets and red pants to perform "Mana" while pulses of flame burst out from the floor. Then, the tree turned into a bare graphic rendition of lines. The screens were filled with fuschia and cyan designs and the stage awash with laser lights when they performed the next song "Bazinga."
Their next song was their new single "Moonlight" (VIDEO) which is another high-energy dance track. After this, they called in one of their producers for this recording, blond-haired Chinese DJ Terry Zhong, who gamely joined the boys for some funny banter and a short dance. Zhong was then given his own spotlight segment, where he was able to showcase his percolating EDM mixes, accompanied by a colorful, pulsating laser light show.
The next set were the Solos, where each member had free rein to show off their individual numbers. First up was Pablo, who entered the stage on a motorbike to sing "EDSA." Next, Justin, wearing a white floral shirt with long sleeves and fluted cuffs, blue shorts, black shoes with white socks, performed a love song "Surreal." He was joined by a female guest singer Jelou for the final verse, where they shared sweet nothings to the delight of his fans.
Wearing a white coat with red "dripping blood" designs on the shoulders, Josh Cullen upped the tempo with two intense songs: "Yoko Na," which was prefaced by a fan dance; and "Wild Tonight," which had a vampire theme, fiery graphic designs and red lights. The last two guys kept it simple with acoustic ballads: a hoodied Ken with "Kanako" accompanied by a keyboardist, and Stell belting out "Anino" (VIDEO) with Louie Ocampo on grand piano.
The next set had SB19's two sentimental hits. First was "Mapa" which they dedicate to their parents. For this song, the boys were joined by Vocalmyx and Fortenors, two groups both coached by Stell in "The Voice Generations" TV singing competition show last year. Only the five guys were left on the stage bathed in warm orange lights for next song "Liham" (VIDEO) which they lovingly dedicated to their loyal fans, the A'Tins.
For the next song, the beat again went uptempo as the screens were filled colorful checkered and geometric designs and the spotlights played around. The boys of SB19 all showed off their rapid rapping skills as they welcomed special guest performer Gloc-9 to perform his song "Sumayaw Ka" (VIDEO). The mood of this number was such infectious fun as veteran Gloc-9 was as electric as ever in his rapping. Too bad there was no second song.
SB19 paved the homestretch with three more upbeat numbers. They started with the fun and light "Freedom." Then they segued to the more hard-hitting beats and frenetic shaking and jumping dance moves of "Crimzone" (VIDEO). They said goodbye after this song and took a bow with all their guests. However, the encore came quickly as they came right back on stage to perform their final final number "What?" (VIDEO), ending in a shower of confetti.
The Pagtatag! World Tour was the second world tour of SB19 to support their second EP, "Pagtatag!" (2023). The first show was held in the Araneta Coliseum last June 24, 2023, and went on to have 18 shows, with 6 stops in United States, 4 in Canada, 1 in Dubai and 1 in Japan. This May 19, 2024 show is the final show of the 2-day finale, coming full circle back to the venue where it all began. I only knew SB19 music casually before this concert, now I have a better appreciation of their talents as a group and as individual artists.
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