Concert Review: Ed Sheeran's Divide Lands in Manila

Dwarfed by these huge television monitors, Ed Sheeran truly did a one man live show - a rare feat - in an age where performers usually have a huge entourage touring with them.

Armed only with several guitars and this contraption which allows him to record his voice and his beats - he depended solely on his vocal ability, his creativity in conjuring these beats and of course, his adorable charm - which was magnified a hundred times across the Mall of Asia parking area through this large vertical projector screens where his face was in close up so many times - it showed that Mr. Sheeran had no unnecessary vanity at all since there was just no way to hide any imperfections in his face.

Any other performer would've been petrified to have a camera really up that close on their faces and magnified so much back to the audience.

He did a very compact one and a half hour show where he sang a few songs from the Divide album (Galway Girl, Nancy Mulligan, New Man), a few earlier smaller hits (A Team, Don't, Sing) and of course his gigantic, made-to-sing-for-the-arena-tour songs (Thinking Out Loud, Perfect, Dive, Shape of You) which everyone lapped up!

There was a song there for everyone who came, and a lot of people did come. It has been sometime that I've seen so many people in MOA to watch a show and cause such vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

We were happy to see our friend Jennifer Chan Lorenzo enjoying the show so much, taking many videos and pictures.

As for me, this tour is winding down already for Ed, and I'm curious if he'll still use a mathematical symbol as the title for his next album.

Boyzlife: The Perfect 90s Throwback Concert

I wasn't actually planning to watch the Boyzlife concert last night because my schedule is a bit packed these days but when I saw the Youtube videos of their concert tours in the UK - and found out how laid back it was - and how hit-filled it was, I thought why not - hits of Boyzone and Westlife in one night - not a bad idea - and anyway, Brian McFadden was always my favorite among the Westllife boys - so much so that I followed his career as a solo artist.

Nostalgia filled the Kia Theater as the now much much older fans of these boy bands of the 90s gathered rather quietly only to burst into cheers and shouts when the two came out.

And they had a great setlist! There was no 'unknown' song as they only stuck to singing hits.

The format was in karaoke form though as they did not bring a band with them - but even if the music was not live - the boys were pretty lively - and were very comfortable with the mainly 90% female audience.

It was a great night to unwind after a very loooooooonnnggg day at work. I did not stand to dance or sing though because my body was physically tired but I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

I am more of a Westlife fan than a Boyzone fan so I'm not so sure if I will watch them when Boyzone does return here next year.

Cute Twinkie Jake Vargas in Oh Boy Concert

I don't know much about Jake Vargas but anyhow, he was cute and a bit self-conscious in the Oh Boy concert. He did show his singing and dancing skills but since he's the youngest among the four, his body will still build up and make him a credible future hunk!

Concert Review: Derrick Monasterio Shows Classical Training in Oh Boy Concert

Among the current crop of young actors, Derrick Monasterio is my most favorite!  He has certainly grown into a goodlooking man!

In the Oh Boy concert last night, which featured him, along with Jake Vargas, Rocco Nacino and Aljur Abrenica, Derrick sang Nessun Dorma! This was quite a revelation since not everyone can sing an operatic area. It certainly showed that Derrick has a good tenor voice!

He was also very natural last night, not still at all, and he had no qualms showing off his great body!

Concert Review: Jason Dy Makes A Breakthrough

The Skydome is not really the best place to hold a live show. I feel that the acoustics of the place is not very good.

It might be that or Jason Dy's sound engineer should've done a thorough sound check during their rehearsals, making sure that each nook and cranny of the venue can hear him ver clearly.

I was in the VIP section and for some reason, I could not hear very clearly what he was saying and sometimes, his voice gets drowned out by the band.

Tuloy, we couldn't react spontaneously to what he was saying, like any other live show audience should.

I'm sure there's a way that the lead performer's microphone should sound stronger than the rest, so that at least we could hear what he's saying and singing.

Thankfully, there were parts of the show that he could be heard so it was not fully an exercise in futility.

But i just hope that all newbie performers do it a la Barbra Streisand style, as the Babs has been known to be very meticulous about making sure she's heard very clearly in her shows, especially that she does a lot of spiels!

It's a pity since his show was well--conceptualized and thought out and Jason really made an effort to showcase his other talents like dancing.

And singing-wise, he was in top form as he was able to reach the high notes of South Border's Kahit Kailan with ease - easily one of the highlights of his show.

It's just that the mic or the sound system could not translate that to great audience reaction - something which I always look forward to in concerts.

His wardrobe though was excellent, really right along my alley and really what a concert wardrobe should be - flashy and glittery!

The band and the back-up singers and dancers were in fine form as well, and there was even a portion where a saxophonist joined Jason on stage.

It was very easy for Jason to please the audience since his Dyfenders and Sarah's Popstars were there to lend their support.

Even my seatmate was so into the show, shouting at just the right moments.

As for me, I like the portions where I know the song, like Prince's Kiss and Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the Feeling.

I also like when he sang his own song, I Am Something. In fact, he sang some of his own songs in the show, which is rare in OPM shows, where they tend to do other people's songs.

KZ Tandingan and Jay-R, who were his guests were standouts and you can really see that experience counts when doing live shows since they just moved and sang freely - and bantered with the audience with ease.

Anyhow, it's a good start for Jason and hopefully, he releases more new material that he can do in his future live shows. And really, a thorough sound check can make the experience much better for his fans.

The Mysterious Hunky Fourth Guy in the Boyzone Concert

Last night, as Jen and I were trying to compare who among the Boyzone boys transformed the most these past 20 years, the fourth guy who appeared onstage seemed out of place as he didn't seem to age at all, and looked as hunky and hot as he was 20 years ago!

Remembering Stephen Gately During the Boyzone Concert

What's a Boyzone concert without a tribute to Stephen Gately, whose sudden death in 2009 shook the pop world! There were even allegations of drug use and an unhealthy lifestyle stemming from Stephen's homosexuality, which a columnist unfairly insinuated in a widely reviled article. A firestorm of criticism followed and hounded the columnist against allegations of homophobia.

Most importantly, Stephen's band mates and management stood solidly behind him and shot down all those allegations as untrue and unfair - especially that Stephen was already six feet under and couldn't defend himself.

Last night though, any Boyzone fan did surely miss Stephen's distinctive vocals, as he sang an integral part into many of the boy band's hits. They kept his memory alive as they asked their lady back-up singer to perform No Matter What with them, a song where Stephen's voice figures prominently.

Ronan Keating: Still Dapper After All These Years - and Sounds Good Too!

Zayn Malik can take a lesson or two from Ronan Keating who, in his late 30s, has wisely built for himself two streams of income - one, as a member of a worldwide known boy band, and second, as a solo artist who can command a show all his own.  Sometimes, young people forget that they will also grow old and that their youth will fade, and it would be wise not to bite the hand that feeds you.

Ronan even had an Asian tour a few years ago (he did not pass Manila, but went to SG instead) to promote his last album, Fires.

Better than that, Ronan has maintained his voice, even after 22 years of performing, and he proved that last night, as we began to realize how sorely missed Stephen Gately was, when all the guys had to do their vocals together.  

I guess God had a reason why He put all you five guys together as a boy band group and how your voices sound well together is one of the major reasons why a particular boy band clicks with the masses!

Ronan has also taken care of his looks and although he has allowed age and maturity to etch themselves on his face, he was the easiest guy to identify when you match how they looked twenty years ago - as to how they look now that they were performing onstage.  

Our running joke was, one became Pavarotti, the other one turned into Vanilla Ice, while the third one became the real eye candy in the group!

The Boys of Boyzone Transform into 90s Icons after Twenty-Two Years!

Not only did we have Boyzone last night, we also had Luciano Pavarotti and Vanilla Ice onstage! It took us two hours to figure out who became who in a matter of 22 years! It was truly an all 90s reunion as well!