LANY maybe a new and unfamiliar name to some but the sea of people that filled the entire Araneta Coliseum and sang their hearts out at LANY's two-night sold out Manila show is a living proof that this indie-pop band is a forced to be reckoned with. Without a doubt, LANY is about to become a household name - or so atleast for the Filipinos who can't get enough of supporting the music/concert scene, may it be local or international.
The last time I went to Araneta Coliseum for a concert was back in 2014 when Avril Lavigne brought her self-titled tour here and the first one was when Taylor Swift brought her Speak Now Tour back in 2011 which also happens to be my first concert.
Avril's show wasn't sold out but Taylor's show was.
It's rare to see a concert venue be jam packed. If an artist has already established a name worldwide, selling out an arena and adding up another show wouldn't be so hard at all. However, it's going to be a needle in a haystack if an artist or a band just started out or isn't as big as household names like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Coldplay and One Direction. Lucky for LANY, Filipinos got lost and found in their dreamy-indie pop music that (also) tugs perfectly-ruined heartstrings. Their market is not just screaming fangirls with unpredictable and intense emotional reaction over their favorite artists. LANY's music speaks to the general public; the Millennials to be exact. I guess that they found their home crowd in the Philippines just like few of the in demand bands that have visited the country for countless of times. The Vamps and The 1975 to name a few.
On the other note, LANY didn't come back for the third time (7th Manila show) to joke around. They came to play and claim a massive show with a massive crowd. I still can't comprehend though how they were able to sell out a huge concert venue for two nights when other household names still struggle to do so. I take into consideration their affordable ticket prices which made a lot of people firm on seeing these amazing musicians perform live.
With regard to the the show itself, all I can say is that I wasn't disappointed at all. I'm lucky to have witnessed them for both shows. I already bought myself a GA ticket for day 2 before, but heaven was in my favor when I got free Box ticket for Day 1 from its producers. It was actually a good seat (much better than what I already got) because it was at the second level center back of the dome. I got a perfectly good view of the stage and the trio.
LANY started out the show with their intro song in their self-titled album and ended it with a bang by singing their radio hit ILYSB. They also performed their singles Super Far and Good Girls.
With the beautiful chaos that LANY have caused in those two nights, I'd have to say that 13 and Hericane were my favorite performances.
I've heard the studio version of Hericane a couple of times but I never knew that hearing it live would give me a different kind of pain. It was too personal and too raw, not for me, but for LANY's frontman Paul Klein. What's amazing is that he was able radiate his pain in a beautiful way and made the song a part of who we are as if it was written for our own possession. I still carry the pain I witnessed that night. It was so painfully beautiful, I'd never stop sharing that moment. I'd never forget when Paul kept thumping his hands while singing "I love you still. I always will."
I'm lucky to have witnessed that heart-wrenching, curse-triggering performance of Hericane in Day 1 because it wasn't like what it was in Day 2. Maybe, I just got spoiled on what's about to happen in Day 2 that I got a bit unexcited on their second show. Nothing beats that surreal feeling during the first time.
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| My second day view according to my old school digital camera. |
Aside from being my all time favorite LANY song, 13 was also my favorite performance because I got a better view of them performing it on the mini B stage near the tech booth which was right in front of me. That undeniable proximity of LANY to my existence happened during the first day.
All in all the two-night concert was amazing! Although if I would
change something about the entire set production that would be the lack of
spotlight on the trio. Maybe it was just in my perspective but the lighting
set-up was not that good for me. The aesthetic of the digital screen at the
background was on point. It’s just that it would’ve been so much better if they were lit up properly. I don't know if that's part of their aesthetic but I'm not the biggest fan of it. Nevertheless, they still did great.
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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.
