Mr. Big Live in Manila 2014 concert review

Written and posted for Manila Concert Scene :)

Mr. Big rocked the Mall of Asia Arena last Halloween (October 31), making it their third time to perform in the Philippines to the delight of Filipino rock fans.

The show started at around 8:50 pm, and when the lights dimmed and the crowd went wild, I knew this would be an energetic show. Mr. Big, the American rock group composed of vocalist Eric Martin, lead guitarist Paul Gilbert, bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Pat Torpey (who, according to Mr. Big’s official site – mrbigsite.com- is currently battling Parkinson’s disease) and tour drummer Matt Starr, gave an amazing rock show with more than 20 songs!

Fans looked forward to hearing their old hits such as To Be With You, Wild World and Just Take My Heart. This longing was satisfied by Mr. Big and more by also playing new songs off their latest album The Stories We Could Tell, released just last September 2014. The concert was such a treat for guitar fans. If you were a guitar enthusiast, you would definitely love the group’s dynamics and serious display of musicianship onstage.

There was some serious shredding that night, with Paul Gilbert letting his guitar sing beautifully in almost every song. He also had an electrifying guitar solo during the middle of the show. Not to be outdone is bassist Billy Sheehan’s 5-minute bass solo, who was introduced later in the show by Eric as “the real Mr. Big”. His was the best bass solo I have ever witnessed live. It was hypnotic and beautiful.

One of the memorable parts of the show is when Paul and Billy had a guitar face-off, which instantly made me think of friends who would have loved to witness such a crazy music battle. Mr. Big also gave their Filipino audience a surprise when drummer Pat Torpey (who was playing percussion beside the drum set) suddenly took over the drums and played Just Take My Heart. The audience were cheering especially when Eric exclaimed “Pat took a special trip to see you, Manila!” As the show progressed, one could notice a difference - an evolution - of Mr. Big’s music from their formation in 1988 and to their most recent album. Truly, they have come a long way but still kill it on the guitars and vocals.

The band loved performing for their Filipino fans so much that after their supposedly final song, Addicted to that Rush, they played five more songs (including their monster hit To Be With You) for their encore and even switched places/instruments at one point

Congratulations to Pulp Live World for making this happen! Thank you so much Manila Concert Scene and Kris Rocha (Kris Rocha Photography) for making me a witness to this iconic show!

Checking out the Mr. Big merchandise

Barbie Live! The Musical December 11-15, 2013 at the MOA Arena

Yes, my Facebook feed is filled with weddings, engagements, baptisms and all the cute pictures of kids and babies of friends and relatives these days. So when I got an invite from the SM Mall of Asia Arena for Barbie Live! The Musical, I thought "Yes! Finally I have something to give these guys". Hahaha!

It's interesting that Barbie, THE doll, now has a musical to its name. I'm sure this production will be filled with glamour and glitter, amazing fashion, and some pretty lights and sounds. 

“Barbie LIVE! will delight generations of Barbie fans and will leave the audience feeling entertained and inspired,” said Lori Pantel, Vice President, Barbie Global Marketing. “EMS Entertainment has brought together an experienced, industry-leading creative team and brilliant cast to bring this fantastic story to life in a fun and magical way.”

Barbie Live! The Musical opens today, December 11, 2013 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena and runs until December 15, 2013. Tickets for Barbie™ LIVE! is now available in all SM TICKETS outlets located in all SM Cinema ticket booths. For schedule and ticket information, visit www.smtickets.com or call 470 2222.

Barbie™ LIVE! is promoted in the Philippines by Vivre Fort Entertainment and Happy Junior Productions in cooperation with Mall of Asia Arena, SM Cinema e-PLUS Tap to Pay, Richprime Global Inc., Toy Kingdom, Barbie Store Philippines, myDSL, LG, Astroplus, Intercontinental Manila, ABS-CBN, Studio 23, Velvet, Lifestyle Network, Fox International Channels, ABS-CBN Publishing, Businessworld, Philippine Star and 105.1 Crossover.

To know more about Barbie Live! The Musical, visit www.eplus.ph. ePLUS Tap to Pay members get a special 20% discount on Barbie Live! ticket purchases by simply presenting their ePLUS Tap to Pay card at SM Tickets outlets nationwide.

Happy anniversary MOA Arena!

SM Mall of Asia Arena, or MOA Arena as it is popularly known, celebrated its first anniversary by kicking off with a press conference last May 24, 2013. It's too bad though that I was not able to attend because we were in our province that time, enjoying the sight of Mayon Volcano and all the pili I could eat.

I remember I was there when MOA Arena first opened to the public, on the first of the 2-night concert by Lady Gaga on her Born this Way World Tour that almost did not happen. I remember being ecstatic about MOA Arena's beautiful facilities and the notion of finally having an alternative to the venue in Cubao (as a consumer and concert-goer, healthy competition is good :)) And in their first year alone, MOA Arena has hosted world-class artists such as Nicki Minaj, David Guetta, J. Lo, Aerosmith, Swedish House Mafia as well as Kpop superstarts Big Bang, and local productions Foursome, Pinoy Pride, Icons at the Arena, Asia's songbird Regine Velasquez and games of the PBA, UAAP and NCAA.

Truly, its vision of "changing the game and elevating entertainment" was on point in the past year. This year, an amazing line-up of events welcome Filipino concert-goers, basketball fans and even fight/MMA enthusiasts. Here are some of the upcoming events at the MOA Arena - 

Lee Min Ho's My Everything World Tour on July 6 - 

Linkin Park Living Things World Tour on August 13 -

Rihanna Diamonds World Tour on September 19 -

NBA Pre-season Game featuring the Indiana Pacers v Houston Rockets on October 10 -

Disney Live on October 2 to 6 - 

Other events are Ogie Alcasid: I Write the Songs on August 16, King of the Cage on July 5 (headlined by two undefeated world champions), Monster Jam featuring monster trucks and their stunts, NCAA Season 89 and UAAP Season 76 games.

For more information, check out their website - http://www.mallofasia-arena.com.  For tickets, log on to SM Tickets or call 470-2222.

The Avicii Experience at the MOA Arena 2013

Here are some pics from the Avicii Live in Manila concert at the Mall of Asia Arena last May 15, 2013. Republiq sure knows how to set up and throw a party! I was happily observing all those dancing and jumping and swaying crowd below. The front act was DJ Marlon of The Bass Jackers and his set was really, really good. It could be the main show and I won't be disappointed. With Avicii as the headliner, this was an EDM party like no other. I loved the lights and LED display!! I thought nothing could beat David Guetta's prod last October but this was comparable, even better at times :) I'm happy and proud that we can already support this kind of world-class productions. Kudos to Republiq, World Wide Womb and Driven Manila!

Enjoy the pics!

Special thanks to Globe Tattoo, Coy Caballes and Marius Oczon!! :) <3 i="">
Photos courtesy of @MsVirna.