Moffatts take Pinoy fans on a trip down memory lane

The brothers, like their longtime fans, are all grown-up. —Photos by Kris Rocha for Midas Promotions

The fan girls were not exactly girls anymore. They grew up, just like the three men playing onstage. But on this recent show, the music inevitably worked its magic and turned back the clock. And before long, they were their younger selves once again—giddy, squealing and shrieking their hearts out, like it was the late 1990s and early 2000s all over again.

The pop Canadian band The Moffatts, which returned to Manila almost 20 years after its previous visit, kicked off its reunion/farewell concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with “Crazy.” The song is about yearning for someone out of reach. But it could very well be describing the night’s atmosphere.

The screaming was relentless, and especially deafening, whenever brothers Scott, Bob and Clint (Dave was not able to make it) dished out their most popular hits like “I’ll Be There for You,” “Misery,” “Bang, Bang, Boom,” “Girl of My Dreams” and “If Life Is So Short,” which all prompted infectious sing-alongs.

The venue was jam-packed, proving that nostalgia remains one of the most potent driving forces in the music business.

But while the show primarily revolves around the promise of taking the fans on a trip down memory lane, nostalgia was not the sole currency The Moffatts banked on.

For the siblings, this concert—mounted by Midas Promotions—was an opportunity to show off what they have become as music artists outside The Moffatts. Scott, who is pursuing a solo career, performed downbeat, electropop songs that at times bordered on whimsical. Bob and Clint, who currently play together, as a musical duo called Endless Summer, performed a spunky, blues-tinged set that hewed close to the siblings’ country roots.

Scott, Clint and Bob ended the show with the breezy pop ballad, “I Miss You Like Crazy,” and with it, a vow that their next visit would not take another 20 years.

Scott Moffatt

Clint Moffatt

Bob Moffatt