For those people who are still unware, In The Mix is a music festival produced by the one and only MMI Live that featured artists from different genre; rock, pop, country, alternative rock, YOU NAME IT. The acts in this debut show were Twin Pines, Elle King, Third Eye Blind, Panic! At the Disco, (grammy nominated artist with a 2x platinum debut album) James Bay and of course the headliner of the festival, The 1975. I was really quite disappointed when I found out that P!ATD, James Bay and The 1975 will be squeezed together in a show! I mean these three acts deserved to perform their own solo shows here in Manila. Panic! fans have been waiting for this so long! James Bay deserved an intimate show! and The 1975, well, they have lots of fans here who have been anticipating their comeback.
At the day of the concert, MOA Arena was filled with different people from different fandoms; there were hipsters all around; some were wearing band shirts, but most of the crowd were dressed in black from head to toe which is a highkey indication of being a The 1975 fan. It actually felt like the concert was a combination of Panic! and the 1975 fans.
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Anyway, the show kicked off with Twin Pines which I haven't really heard of before. They were followed by Elle King which gave me a nice country vibes and had legit insane raspy vocals. I only know a couple of songs from her including the famous Ex's and Oh's, Under the Influence, Last Damn Night and America's Sweetheart. I actually LOVE LOVE America's Sweetheart but she did not perform it. From her setlist, I only know Ex's and Oh's, so I just nodded and bopped along to some of her tunes which in all fairness were not bad at all.
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Going back to the corner where I stood and was squeezed to death by the mosh people, the third act gave the crowd a little trip back to memory lane. Third Eye Blind was new to my ears. When I first heard their song Semi-Charmed Life, I was hooked! They gave me that old pop rock vibes that I have always been so in love with. I'm not saying they're exactly the same but their tunes remind me of Busted. With regard to the vocalist's performance, it was A+! They have been in the music industry for a long time now so there's not slightest doubt that this band could pull off that kind of performance. I was just a bit bothered about how the vocalist spits while singing. It was entertainingly-weird.
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People then started to panic! when the organizers already placed P!ATD's drum set, which according to Rico Robles, the host of the show, had more fans than him. Judging by the way I was pushed and pulled in different directions, Panic! At The Disco's set was legit the most energetic and wild set from all the acts that performed. Brendon Urie had an electrifying energy that radiated throughout the arena. Everyone was dancing. Everyone was having the time of their lives. I am also amazed with Brendon's high notes and dance moves. Whenever he reaches for the high note, I'm like NO WAY HE DID NOT. I could not pick a favorite part from their performance because everything was legit amazing, especially the Victorious part where they popped some confetti! I kept some for remembrance. I am so happy for my friend though who finally saw them perform live.
Moving on to the main reason why I decided to go to this concert! To be honest I'm quite disappointed about how the crowd treated a 3x grammy nominated artist with a 2x platinum debut album. James Bay did not deserved to be snubbed by these people. I get that he's not as famous as Panic! At The Disco and The 1975, because he's just starting out in the industry, that is why I will always argue on why MMI sandwiched him between these two BIG acts! The mosh pit was dead! It felt like I was the only one singing along to his beautifully-written songs, except maybe the other girl beside me who also sang along and even comforted me when I felt sorry for screaming "I Love You James Bay!" while James was fixing his guitar and the crowd was dead. If I can remember that was before he performed Need The Sun to Break. I'm just so disappointed. He wore a Philippine flag jacket to show his love to his Filipino fans but the Filipino fam did him so wrong. He did not deserved a dead crowd. His songs were chill but I could scream out loud to their lyrics because damn he deserved so much appreciation. He is an art. He is everything.
I literally fell in love with his entire performance. It was filled with passion and pure talent. His vocals was a bit harsh but the harshness of his voice is an aesthetic, it was sweet in its own way. I felt the beautiful lyrics from his songs in every part of me as he magically slips them out of his lips. The lyrics of his songs are just so so so beautiful. I literally cried when he performed If You Ever Want to Be in Love which is my all time favorite along with Scars, Move Together and Incomplete that HE DID NOT PERFORM! I also love the guitar intro he made before he performed Let it Go and Best Fake Smile. His transition was epic! I'd also like to commend his guitar skill which is an A+ for me. I could just watch him play guitar all day long. I'd even pay to see him perform a guitar show. He's just so talented that I feel so bad for the people who only knew him by name that night. They failed to rock along to his songs and I'm sure they'll regret it like Ate girl whom I heard told the girl who comforted me, "Girl, di mo naman kami na-inform na ganyan siya kagwapo at kagaling!". Anyway, this could give him a chance to be known in the country. Everybody starts like this anyway. The 1975 started in Ayala mall shows and after that they went hit in the country in an instant. I just hope that happens to him as well but if not It's also okay. He's mine and he's better doing intimate shows anyway. I hope he comes back!!!!!
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Anyway, I actually didn't get a lot of shots in their set because my phone betrayed me. I actually regret not bringing my DSLR because I could've taken a lot of aesthetic shots in the mosh pit. Although it would've been hard because mosh pit people were wild.
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| Words and main artwork by collene. |
collene is 24-year-old self-proclaimed creative old soul who is deeply fascinated by the beauty of music, arts, books and poetry. Catch her wearing her bluetooth earphones on with either a phone or book on hand.
