Over 26,000 music fans moved to the same explosive dance beats at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds last night (24 Jun) for one of the biggest nights of the year in Manila – MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016.
The one-night only outdoor live music event hit an all-time high with a stellar line-up of international and local acts who ignited the stage in celebration of iconic and contemporary pop music with a dance influence.
A media conference was held earlier the same day at Sofitel Philippines Manila and were among the invited media. Here are some pictures of the performing acts like iconic international pop band and prolific hit-maker OneRepublic; L.A.-grown electric dance trio Far East Movement; Billboard Hot 100 artist, American singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha; Korea’s favorite K-pop idol female group, Apink; Philippine pop superstar father and son-tandem Gary V feat. Gab Valenciano; and Filipino pop darlings James Reid and Nadine Lustre.
MTV VJs Alan Wong, Hanli Hoefer, Yassi Pressman and Andre Paras hosted the press conference as well as the evening concert.
You can view all the pictures we took at the press conference on our Facebook Page:
You can also read more about the event and artists on migme or follow @migmephilippines on migme for more post-event coverages.
It was raining on and off during the concert night, but even that could not dampen and bring down the fever as fans moved to the pop dance beats with the explosive performances by the artists.
While global audience will be more familiar with international acts like OneRepublic and Apink, the show stealer for me was the opening performances by the Filipino father and son pair, Gary V and Gab Valenciano.
Gary V, also know as “Mr. Pure Energy” is a well-respected veteran in the Filipino music industry, performing award-winning and chart-topping hits for over 25 years. He is 51 years old and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes since the age of 14, but looks and behaves nothing like his age or a person with diabetes.
Gary opened his act in true, proud Filipino fashion to the beat of a kulintang, a traditional local instrument. Backed up by rising percussions.
He then immediately got the crowds dancing to the country’s own beats before moving into a set featuring his song “Babalik Ka Rin”. He brought his son Gab on stage in a heartfelt performance that not only told his own personal story, but to serve as an invitation from himself and his fans to welcome back MTV Music Evolution Manila for many years to come. Mr Pure Energy’s set also included some of his biggest hits, such as “Shake It Off”, “Arise” (remix version) and “Sa Yahweh ang Sayaw”, backed by no less than top dance group, The Maneuvers.
Gary is a good role model for young musicians to never stop innovating, proving that career longevity is possible in a industry is very trend sensitive.
Pinoy pop music’s fastest rising stars and celebrity couple, James Reid and Nadine Lustre performed after the Valenciano father and son pair. They presented a throwback to Original Pinoy Music’s most memorable tunes, opening with a duet of some well-loved singles, “Para-Paraan” by Nadine and “Huwag Ka Nang Humirit” by James.
The heartthrob Reid also wooed the crowd to renditions of “Randomatic” and “Bonfire” while Nadine brought up the energy with “Me and You” and “Paligoy-ligoy”.
JaDine, as the duo is affectionately known to their fans, closed the set by creating a romantic moment for all their fans with a medley of favorites like “Bahala Na” and “Hanap-Hanap”, as well as their love team’s hit song “No Erase” from the soundtrack of their first movie together, Diary ng Panget.
Brooklyn-born singer and songwriter whose voice has provided hooks in nearly all the current Top 40 tracks, Bebe Rexha, then took the stage.
She immediately ushered in her unique brand of intensity with the hit song “Take Me Home”, epitomizing true female prowess. Bebe’s energy was undoubtable as she immediately got fans present moving to her powerful delivery of chart toppers like “The Monster”, her composition for Rihanna and Eminem, “Hey Mama” and “Me, Myself, & I”. A hyped up crowd happily sang and danced along to “No Broken Hearts” which ended her set with a bang.
The MTV Music Evolution Manila event grounds were then driven into a wild frenzy with the energy of all the K-Pop fans screaming for their lovable Korean idols, Apink. The all-girls group demonstrated the fervent appeal of Kpop in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, garnering the loudest cheers at the concert, with fans going crazy every time they appear on the big screen.
Apink dazzled the crowd in matching sailor-themed outfits as they serenaded the crowd with their top hits, including “Remember”, “Mr. Chu”, and “Luv”, bringing the sweet and innocent image and street style that they are known. The K-Pop girl group showed how the language of music knows no barriers as they all moved in sync with two other songs, “Attracted to You” and “No No No” alongside a massive Pinoy audience.
Electric dance trio Far East Movement amped up the energy when they kicked off a set of their top hits. Mixing their tracks with live rap segments and synth riffs, the three artists on stage brought the crowd to whole new levels of motion—creating a sea of raised fists all moving to the same beat. Their performance featured tracks like “Push”, “G6”, “Bang It To The Curb”, and “When The Funk Drop”. Far East Movement wrapped up their set with the audience singing along to a crowd favorite“Rocketeer”, leading into an explosive outro with their hits“Illest”, “Turn Up The Love”, and “Rattle”, where they then sent giant inflatables flying out to the audience.
The evening closed with a memorable final act – multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated quintet OneRepublic had the audience moving to the beat of their most iconic songs. Opening their set with “Love Runs Out”, fans showed their appreciation for the group’s second visit to the Philippines with arms waving in the air, all around the grounds. Lead singer Ryan Tedder showed love back to his fans from the Philippines, saying “You are the most genuine people on earth.”
Emotions ran high among fans when they were led into a stunning rendition of “Secrets”, performed side by side with the sweet hums from a cello. Ryan Tedder and Brent Kutzle then performed an intimate rendition of “Apologize” on piano and the cello before delighting everyone with crowd favorites, “Counting Stars” and new single “Wherever I Go”. The night closed with an amazing performance of “If I Lose Myself” that completed the experience for the tens of thousands in attendance with an explosion of confetti and fireworks to cap off MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016.
Recorded live for global telecast under the MTV World Stage global series, MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016 will reach an international audience of more than three-quarters of a billion households in over 160 countries.
If you missed the live show, don’t worry, you can catch the repeat telecasts:
MTV MUSIC EVOLUTION MANILA PROGRAMMING
MTV Music Evolution: Manila Asia Special premieres on MTV on Tuesday, 19 July at 7pm (TH/WIB), 8pm (PH/SG) and 9pm (MY).
Repeat airings of MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016 are on:
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