How SB19’s ‘Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Finale’ concert was brought to life

From the beginning, sacrifice was the overarching theme of SB19’s “Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Finale” and “Simula at Wakas” concerts. The quintet had a goal of uplifting the local music scene, so it was fitting to decide how each member would contribute a part of themselves to a greater purpose.

“It should be medieval, and it should be about sacrifice. Because, as artists and owners of 1Z, SB19 has this goal of uplifting or elevating the Filipino multimedia industry. It requires a lot of sacrifice, hard work, and battles,” Iana Forbes, 1Z Entertainment’s creative services manager, said when Inquirer Entertainment asked about the overall theme of the group’s recent concert.

SB19 — composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin — held their “Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Finale” concert at the SMDC Festival Grounds earlier this month, a grand celebration that witnessed thousands of dedicated A’TIN from the Philippines and different countries gathering in one venue to cap off a significant chapter from their careers.

Almost a year prior, the P-pop powerhouse kicked off their latest era with the “Simula at Wakas” world tour at the Philippine Arena. Despite the year-long stretch, the group was intended to drive both narratives through lore, or an expanded form of storytelling.

“Tracing back our initial brainstorming for ‘Simula at Wakas,’ SB19 is very particular about the concert’s narrative. But after several concerts, how do we offer something new? What I pitched was creating a myth of our own. Build a show around the telling of a myth. Segments are divided into suites that follow the heroes’ journey as they bring the myth to life,” Mikko Angeles, the concert’s creative director and writer, said.

“Now with ‘Wakas at Simula,’ how do we exceed everybody’s expectations? How do we top the kick-off experience? If ‘SaW’ was about myth-building, tungkol saan ang ‘WaS?’ And with A’TIN, it cannot be something that they couldn’t decode. When we got the green light na outdoor na ang venue, that’s when my brain went haywire. Literal na sky is the limit,” he continued.

This explains why incorporating medieval themes and adding elements such as the castle, tree, book, statues, guards, and even the apple — which was a significant part of both eras — were part of the promotional material. Each piece had a role in the lore that they created.

Building the concept of “Wakas at Simula’s” concert lasted for a year. “When we were starting the pub mats of ‘WaS,’ we cryptically said, ‘It was written, it was done.’ Because it was, they’ve seen the boys walking in hooded cloaks, venturing into new lands and new challenges. We wrote the ending first. Then we wrote the stories in between the ending of ‘PAGTATAG!’ and that intro,” Forbes recalled. 

“The one year of production is very real and ‘brainwrecking’ if I may say so. We also teased A’tin about how we think,” she continued. “With all the cryptic posts, puzzles, original language, decoding, and more. We made sure they experience this ending as much as possible, as real as possible, and that they really are part of the story.”

Building on the initial lore

Forbes and Angeles said the process was a labor of love, with each team member bouncing from one idea to the next. “The boys make sure that they are on top of everything, despite their busy schedule and tour stops across the globe, talagang kasama sila sa conversation — from inception to execution,” Angeles said of the quintet.

Since the “Simula at Wakas” concert already established its storyline, the objective of “Wakas at Simula” was to “solidify it and encapsulate it into one, big celebration” in a three-hour show. “We considered that when we were building the program. A’TIN wants to hear them sing, watch SB19 perform, and celebrate altogether,” Angeles said, noting that the concert was divided into “rites,” with songs driving each narrative.

“Each suite represents a ‘Rite’ — a symbolic stage in a larger cycle of becoming; also a turning of the cycle, to guide the heroes toward their final transformation: a moment where the former self is given to flame, reduced to ash, and from it, a new form rises,” he explained. “This is the inevitable narrative of an ending that must happen so that a beginning can exist. The sacred crossing between what was and what comes next.”

Angeles also shared that bringing 1Z’s new girl group, XONARA, and its hip-hop artist, J2X, was part of the narrative. “We know that this will be the perfect opportunity for the world to know them. Wakas ng Ikalawang Yugto, simula para kay J2X at XONARA,” he explained.

Aside from 1Z’s homegrown acts, adding an “interstellar direction” was the way to go for J-pop boy group BE:FIRST, who performed “Toyfriend,” “Be:First All Day,” and “Boom Boom Back,” to seamlessly bring them into the storyline.  

From Forbes’ point of view, she said, “We were so thankful that we planned for an interstellar direction, we can go for a polished, futuristic, mechanical, or steampunk direction. Something that can cater to the songs for the collabs. If you can see the pattern, we rely heavily on the songs talaga.”

Since SB19 is set to perform at the Lollapalooza and Summer Sonic festivals, many considered that their recent concert was a “training ground” of some sort. Forbes clarified that it’s not necessarily the case.

“It’s not considered to be part of the brief specifically, but it’s more on anything that comes in their way; the quality and the range of the campaign should be enough to represent SB19,” she explained. “Mas ganun siya for us at least. Every time, it should represent the song, the story, and the boys. Then, sila na magdadala anywhere their talents take them.”

Despite the year-long extensive work put into the concert, Forbes admitted she “had a good cry” during the drone show. “We were so thankful to everyone for their trust and respect for the brief. For the post prod and highlights, it was just the best feeling.” 

“Starting it and ending it are as fulfilling as they are melancholy,” she continued, adding that ending the concert felt like saying goodbye to a child of her own. “But just as in our narrative, we have a semicolon there, something to think about as we say goodbye to this era.”

For Angeles’ part, he will miss witnessing the P-pop powerhouse’s sheer passion for the stage. “I’ll miss seeing SB19 perform onstage as if it’s their last. They always give their all. Just when I thought that I’d seen them at their best, even at rehearsals, well, I am always proven wrong,” he said.

“Not to mention, using their platform to showcase other talents? Here sa ‘WaS,’ we have premiered J2X as a solo artist and XONARA,” he added. “We have also W3, Mari Dance, BE:FIRST, and Rie Hata on the ‘WaS’ Stage. It’s like SB19 doing the work for other artists to shine. They’re not afraid to share their spotlight.”

SB19’s “Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Finale” concert is co-produced by Live Nation Philippines and 1Z Entertainment.