Big Time Rush transports fans back in time with a nostalgic set in Manila

Did Big Time Rush’s concert send anyone else back to their tween years?

Fans in their early to mid-20s who grew up watching Big Time Rush on Nickelodeon just had one of their childhood dreams come true: seeing Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson perform live.

On October 17, 2024, Big Time Rush held their very first concert in Manila at the New Frontier Theater, and Rushers definitely did not miss the chance to sing and dance to their favorite BTR classics on this night.

Photo Credit: Big Time Rush

And man, were Rushers given the chance to be blessed by the early 2010s boy band magic.

Starting off the concert strong with “Big Night,” Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan showed up looking more mature than when we all first met them, but still had the charm that made us all fall in love with them back in 2009.

Continuing on the show with 3 more of their songs from 2010 to 2013—“Windows Down,” “Elevate,” and “Song For You,” Big Time Rush changed it up with their most recent tracks and sound, starting with “Waves,” followed by “Call It Like I See It,” and “Weekends,” which were all from their fourth studio album, “Another Life” released in 2023.

A brief interlude saw the BTR members talking about how they had been wanting to do a show in Manila for years (literally 15), and now that they were finally able to do so, they were loving every single second of it.

Photo Credit: Big Time Rush

The concert continued with Big Time Rush’s recent release, “Only One,” before ultimately switching back to their classics, which was led by an energetic singing of “Nothing Even Matters” with the crowd, then by “No Idea,” which they absolutely love to perform on stage according to past interviews.

Then it was time for their acoustic set, and everyone that’s been following Big Time Rush’s tour knows what’s coming up next.

The quartet introduced their guitarist to the crowd, Cody Perrin, and then started their acoustic rendition of their 2010 song “Stuck,” which was followed by “Cover Girl,” with Kendall commenting that he saw it on a fan’s sign and the group then doing a “cheer test” for which song they’d want to hear live—“Cover Girl” or “I Know You Know.”

James also commented on how the Filipino crowd “sounded good,” saying that “some of the best singers in the world are from the Philippines.”

Photo Credit: Big Time Rush

Photo Credit: Big Time Rush

Then it was time for Big Time Rush to sing every long distance relationship’s theme song—“Worldwide.”

Four lucky fans from the crowd were hand-picked by each of the Big Time Rush members to be their “Worldwide girls,” and just like that scene montage from “Big Time Rush” episode “Big Time Break-Up,” we all felt like we were the ones being serenaded to.

The energy started picking up once more after the acoustic set with the quartet singing “The City Is Ours,” “Love Me Love Me,” and “Any Kind of Guy.” By the time they were performing their pop-rock inspired track “Paralyzed,” Big Time Rush headed down into the crowd and fans were able to see them up close and personal for the first time.

Big Time Rush’s last song before their much-awaited encore was “If I Ruled the World,” a dance pop track that hyped up the crowd for what’s next—their most popular songs.

The encore part of the concert is always the best part of the show, with artists showing and performing the songs that catapulted them into success. For Big Time Rush, those songs were from the album that started it all—“BTR.”

Photo Credit: Big Time Rush

First was “Till I Forget About You,” the group’s debut single, then followed by “Big Time Rush,” which was the Nickelodeon show’s opening theme.

The concert ended with “the song that everyone knows the words to,” which everyone sang along loudly to, and is their most successful song to date—“Boyfriend.”

It may have taken 15 years for Big Time Rush to do a show in the Philippines, but their first one was definitely worth the wait. To finally be an adult and being able to afford the concert of an artist you’ve watched while growing up is satisfying, and hearing all of their songs live for the very first time is something that Rushers won’t ever forget.

Watching the Big Time Rush concert as a 20-something adult definitely brought back our childhood, even if it just lasted almost 2 hours.

The event was made possible by Live Nation Philippines.