Filipino hits, star wattage, thorough planning

Chito Miranda of Parokya ni Edgar. Photos by Marianne Bermudez

“Mabuhay ang OPM!” was a line uttered repeatedly by the artists who participated in last Friday’s Fusion 2015 Music Festival at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds. Between performances, they profusely thanked the fans and urged them to continue supporting Filipino music.

But the best endorsements were great performances. And there were plenty in this event boldly mounted by Carat Philippines.

One of the highlights was the main production number, an audiovisual spectacle that featured Joey Ayala, Yeng Constantino and Wolfgang’s Basti Artadi, with support from younger colleagues like Sam Concepcion, James Reid and Nadine Lustre.

Sam Concepcion

Backed by a choir and a drumline whose members sported colorful festival garb, the artists belted out Fusion’s pounding anthemic theme aptly titled “Play as One.” Intermittent bursts of fireworks that coincided with the tunes’ sonic peaks further fueled the crowd.

That number also had Gloc-9 and Andrew E., two of the most influential figures in the local hip-hop scene, sharing the stage to pepper the song with breakneck verses that had the fans roaring.

Folk-rock goddesses Tres Marias (from left): Bayang Barrios, Lolita Carbon and Cooky Chua

Star wattage just continued to spike up from there, with solo spots from the crowd-drawers: the ever-dependable Yeng, who grappled with a faulty mic at the start of her set, played “Time In” and “Chinito”; Gloc-9 called for equality with “Sirena”; Gary Valenciano showed off flashy and sassy moves in a spruced-up version of “’Di Bale Na Lang.”

Gary Valenciano performed a spruced-up “’Di Bale Na Lang.”

Fun duet

Abra

The most anticipated tandem, based on crowd reaction, was “The Voice of the Philippines” coaches Bamboo and Sarah Geronimo, who worked the expansive stage, running and dancing about, in a fun duet of “Uptown Funk.”

Christian Bautista prays for peace and justice. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Sleek in body-hugging black gear, Sarah strutted about, her body undulating, to the rhythm of “Ikot-Ikot,” followed by “Kilometro.” The tunes, composed by Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana, marked Sarah’s shift to a more R&B/urban sound.

Bamboo was his usual self, machine-like in precision, an energy beast. The rock star, accompanied by a choir in “Hallelujah,” sang atop the stage’s moving platform, which took him to a smaller stage in the middle of the grounds, much to the delight of the fans there.

Andrew E. sure knows how to work a throng; he was a surprise hit among the fans. The rapper dished out club ditties with a disc jockey, plus his signature songs “Humanap Ka ng Panget” and “Banyo Queen.” Surprisingly, even younger ones in the crowd were seen mouthing the lyrics.

No energy dips

Andrew E.

There were the rock festival staples, who fired up the night with hits guaranteed to make everyone howl, jump and throw fists in the air. The concert stage, outfitted with two sets of band platforms and equipment, effectively eliminated the need for tedious setting up and sound checks. The result: no energy dips in the atmosphere as bands took the stage one after another—Sandwich, Kitchie Nadal, Barbie Almalbis, Parokya ni Edgar, Wolfgang, Kamikazee, Urbandub, The Dawn…

Raymund Marasigan of Sandwich

The event started at sundown, about 6 p.m., with premain show performances by musicians who were every bit as engaging and enthusiastically cheered as the headliners: Franco, Noel Cabangon, Joey Ayala, Cooky Chua, Lolita Carbon, Bayang Barrios, Paolo Valenciano, Christian Bautista, Abra, 6cyclemind, Ebe Dancel…

Kitchie Nadal

Inspirational song

Some artists paid respects to the “Fallen 44.” Christian performed his inspirational song “Bagong Siglo,” Kyla dedicated “Salbabida” (or “Lifesaver,” last year’s winning PhilPop songwriting contest entry) to the slain policemen. Several fans saluted throughout the number.

Sarah Geronimo

There was nothing essentially groundbreaking about the festival format. Its biggest achievement was proving that Filipino fans, whatever their music preferences, would gather in one place when assured of performances that they would appreciate.

Folk rock, punk rock, metal, hip-hop, R&B, electronic dance, pop-ballad—the thousands of revelers in attendance last weekend made sure to sing along, even if they knew only a couple of lines. As Gary V said previously, the biggest reward for an artist is to hear the audience singing his songs back to him.

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