The Cranberries Live in Manila

Ultra-short blond or black hair, petite-framed, big Doc Martens shoes. 20 years and six albums later, Dolores O'Riordan's appearance has changed quite a bit. Except for the Doc Martens, maybe, which stood in stark contrast to the black lace see-through bell-bottom pants and the bathrobe-like white coat she appeared in on stage. Reminders of the counter-culture?

Unchanged, for sure, is her distinctive voice, the identity of The Cranberries. Especially the songs of the older days, written to depicts and condemn political struggles in Northern Ireland at that time, brought out the unmistakably sound of The Cranberries.

I wondered more than once, how the band's motivation must have changed over the years. What stood out for me was the increased passion on stage with the older songs like Zombie. It felt like their roots were there and seem to rejuvenate while singing down memory lane.

Dolores dedicated one song to her daughter, whose 7th birthday it was today. She described her birth pains as: "Exactly seven years ago I was like WHOOOAA!" The crowd cheered! Go, mom!

Evanescence life in Manila!

Who says cool gigs don't stop by Manila? The Stone Temple Pilots,
Kylie Minogue during her sexy "Aphrodite Tour", and now Evanescence with opening act Bush - buy 1, get 2).

I missed Incubus due to travel which I deeply regret. That would have been just awesome!

Lined up are Avril Lavigne, The Cranberries, and Vertical Horizon.

Not too bad for the capital city of the Philippines, with no direct access road to the airport and airlines like Air France threatening to pull out due to the red tape by airport authorities. Given these obstacles I myself am already happy to be able to exit and enter this archipelago without further trouble (not throwing wasted time into the equation...).

Just imagine bands' considerations, bringing in all their stage equipment! I'm sure Amy from Evanescence wouldn't have wanted to find out her beautiful black piano is stuck at Customs because some of the crew didn't follow "local protocol".

The crowd at Araneta Coliseum was cheering when the piano was rolled on stage and the rock tunes became mellow and classic. The life Cello on stage together with Amy's incredible voice gave me goosebumps!

Bush's lead vocalist Gavin Rossdale was less subtle in turning the crowd on. During one of his songs he suddenly abandoned the stage, and started climbing up the lower and upper box of the stadium! The crowd was frantic and his bodyguards huffing (to keep up with him and the girls off his sweaty body!).

And then, he passed right by my friends Jeff, Tess, Maria and Joe, who all had to get up from their front seats to let him pass. Me, "behind the scene" in second row, had the best view and most importantly, the camera rolling!

Stomp!

Who has seen Stomp might fantasize over a janitor job! Sweeping floors, tapping brooms, and drumming garbage cans has never been so entertaining! It is incredible what sounds can come out of a concerted and choreographed house cleaning job!

The 100-minutes performance of only 8 people was an animated communication between audience and performers with not a single word uttered. It struck me how the audience of a sold-out Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) responded to the claps and rhythms of a single man on stage. Synchronized! Very interesting, looking at it from a communications angle.

The group surely did their homework in localizing the show. The audience cracked up laughing when one of the guys came on stage with a Baguio broom! For non-Filipinos: a Baguio broom has a short handle (makes you bend over all the time) and a very soft brush. He tapped the broom a few times, of course a futile attempt to get a sound out of it, then left the stage artificially disappointed. Great!

I had seen Stomp in Boston more than ten years ago. I remember my fascination back then and I felt the same way this time! Simply amazing!

Stone Temple Pilots

"Good evening, Manila! Or is it morning?" Scott Weiland, lead singer of the Stone Temple Pilots, was obviously still in jetlag delirium when he conquered the stage and later the audience at the Araneta Coliseum for the band's only concert in Manila.

Jetlag or not, Weiland remembered his manners and thanked the crowd by saying "It is an honor to be the invited guest to your party!" The honor is ours! For about an hour the band rocked its Pinoy audience (including us). It was my first time to see them life. I was impressed with Weiland's charismatic and unique voice!

The stage design was rather simple with a huge flower ornament on a dark red backdrop behind the stage. Scott Weiland's funky dance moves (a mixture of Tai Chi and Moonwalk) surely made up for it. So did the megaphone, amplifying his microphone-amplified brilliant voice. Apparently, the megaphone is a common feature on stage (looking at other STP videos posted on youtube).

After less than three songs he started peeling off his cool shades and "corporate suit" outfit, exposing various tattoos. Google didn't leave me wonder for long after the concert who the lady on his lower left arm is: his ex-wife and the mother of his two children.

The massive stage lights struggled to compete with the thousands of flashing camera and beaming LCD monitors of recording devices aimed at the band. Picture, picture tayo, as we say in the Philippines.

With a cheering crowd screaming "STP, STP, STP" the band came back on stage for an additional three or four songs. Soon after the stage was being dismantled already... Good by Manila!