SB19 (left) and BINI. Images: X/@RainierDagala, @bini_ph
The professionalism of SB19 and BINI earned praises after managing to complete their performances on Billboard Philippines’ anniversary show despite persistent technical difficulties.
The two P-pop groups were the final acts at the six-hour “Billboard Philippines: Mainstage” anniversary event held at the Mall of Asia Arena. Even though the show started on Tuesday night, Oct. 15, the P-pop groups performed in the early morning of the following day.
At around 1:13 a.m., BINI was the second to the last performer when “Cherry on Top’s” instrumental was suddenly cut off. This led the members to be momentarily confused, but they managed to push forward singing a capella. Their fans (or Blooms) sang along to show support as well.
When the music returned, the female octet went on. But Stacey was heard saying, “Take two,” seemingly asking for a repeat.
NATION’S GIRL GROUP SLAYING THROUGH IT ALL
Tech issues didn’t hinder BINI as the girl group and their dedicated fans (or Blooms) powered through “Cherry on Top.”
BINI SLAYS AT BILLBOARDPH#BINIatBBPHMainstage#BINI @BINI_ph pic.twitter.com/uM4oko4Dsm
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
BINI continued their stage with “Pantropiko,” although the members were noticeably singing louder on their respective microphones.
After their performance ended, the group’s leader Jhoanna thanked fans for the support despite the technical difficulty and their late appearance.
“Maraming salamat po sa pagsabay sa’min kanina. Super na-appreciate po namin. Salamat din po sa pag-suporta sa lahat ng OPM artists na nag-perform (Thank you very much for joining us a while ago. We really appreciate it. Thank you too for supporting all the OPM artists who performed tonight),” she said.
Despite the tech issues and their performance taking place at around 1:13 a.m., BINI’s leader Jhoanna thanked their Blooms for showing support to the groip.
BINI SLAYS AT BILLBOARDPH#BINIatBBPHMainstage#BINI @BINI_ph pic.twitter.com/IcIJloyy5J
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
SB19 then took the stage at around 1:25 a.m. with “Mana.” However, there seemed to be a problem with the synchronization of the instrumental and live band, as two layers of the song were playing simultaneously.
Confused expressions were seen on the members as they started to fiddle with their in-ear monitors and be somewhat off-beat with the choreography.
P-POP KINGS BRAVING THROUGH
Another case of tech issues was seen on SB19, with the members powering through their performance of “Mana.”
“Stop, stop, stop,” Ken was heard saying after.
SB19 IS BILLBOARDERLESS@SB19Official #SB19#SB19TakesTheMainstage pic.twitter.com/EsCsd4paqg
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
The quintet pushed through until the bridge, with Stell doing his best to keep up with the tempo. However, they still wore confused expressions throughout, with the group’s leader Pablo saying, “What are you guys doing?”
The lights switched off, with Josh and Ken saying, “Yo!” and “Stop, stop, stop,” respectively.
Moments later, SB19 returned onstage with their second attempt of “Mana,” but the technical issues continued. They were already singing louder at this point, with the members fiddling on their in-ear monitors to keep up with the tempo.
However, they walked backstage in what seemed to be an attempt to fix the situation. Stell was heard shouting, “MOA Arena” on his microphone, until the music was cut off.
Second technical issue of the night. Their performance of “Mana” stopped again, and SB19 went backstage.
The members were also noticeably singing louder than usual, with some fiddling on their earpieces.
SB19 IS BILLBOARDERLESS@SB19Official #SB19#SB19TakesTheMainstage pic.twitter.com/U3iaXHNoQ0
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
The quintet returned onstage at around 1:40 a.m. for their third attempt of “Mana.” The live band was then removed, while the members were seemingly monitoring each other throughout the performance.
SB19 ended their set with “Crimzone,” with the members dancing more powerfully than usual.
Here’s SB19’s attempt to perform “Mana.” The members were again singing louder than usual and glancing at each other at some point. They were also fiddling with their earpieces.
SB19 IS BILLBOARDERLESS@SB19Official #SB19#SB19TakesTheMainstage pic.twitter.com/PoYQ5eoaWm
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
SB19 still pushed forward with their second song, “Crimzone.” Members were still fiddling with their earpieces and were watching out for each other.
Their dancing was more “todo bigay” too.
SB19 IS BILLBOARDERLESS@SB19Official #SB19#SB19TakesTheMainstage pic.twitter.com/AjCEtuFpc0
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
SB19 addressed the technical issue on their X (formerly Twitter) page hours later, where they thanked their fans (or A’TIN) for watching their performance.
“A’tin, thank you for your energy and dedication even during unexpected challenges. Rest assured, we have noted and marked all the ways we can improve so we can deliver even better performances in the future,” they wrote.
“Our most sincere gratitude to @BBPHOfficial for the continuous support and platform that continues to fuel our passion to keep pushing P-pop to new heights. Maraming salamat (Thank you very much),” SB19 continued.
Thank you so much for watching and supporting our #BillboardPHMainstage performance!
A’tin, thank you for your energy and dedication even during unexpected challenges. Rest assured, we have noted and marked all the ways we can improve so we can deliver even better performances…
— SB19 Official (@SB19Official) October 15, 2024
SB19 and BINI weren’t the only artists who suffered technical problems throughout the six-hour show.
Alamat, KAIA, G22, SB19’s Josh Cullen Santos, and Cup of Joe also had minor technical problems during their respective sets, with their microphones having a lower volume than usual. This led them to sing louder to compensate for the issue.
Mic problems aside, Josh Cullen Santos managed to deliver a strong performance of his hit song “1999.”
JC BBPH MAINSTAGE@JoshCullen_s #JOSHCULLEN #SB19atBillboardPHMainstage pic.twitter.com/FzYlbw3fEE
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) October 15, 2024
Billboard Philippines has yet to make a statement on the technical issues as of press time. Nevertheless, it released articles covering SB19 and BINI’s professionalism in their respective performances.
The music publication celebrated its first anniversary with the “Billboard Philippines: Mainstage” show, where 33 artists performed their biggest hits onstage. Aside from the P-pop acts, also invited to the event were Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Sarah Geronimo, Gary Valenciano and Moira dela Torre, among others.