Philippines 2011

[phlibera]

A news article about last night's second encore:
http://abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/10/26/11/goosebumps-over-libera’s-‘himig-ng-pasko’

Nothing new for us since we have read the wonderful reviews here. But it is an extra publicity for our favorite group.

[carina_gino20]

Ha ha! I knew you couldn't resist reading till friday, phlibera I intentionally wrote it as a spoiler for you.

Yup! Page 1 of this thread i believe. But that's not my only wish that came true. I wished Libera would stun the whole country on live tv and people would scramble for tickets but it's all sold out!

I saw the presidential convoy passing after the concert. If he came from another concert -- loser

Hahaha. Was that the presidential convoy? maybe he went to the BEP concert at MOA.

[carina_gino20]

Thanks for the update guys, nice to get news of the concert setlist and M&G. Glad to see Stefan has took some of the workload from Ralph as expected. I can appreciate they had to limit the numbers for the post-concert M&G as some of the younger boys in particular would be very tired by now, they have done so much already. Although it's interesting to know that Barney runs on duracell lol

I like the reaction from the fans, aslong as it's not all the way through the song. No outsider as a right to say how the audience should or shouldn't react in their own country, particularly during a patroitic song that means so much to them. If they don't like it watch another video. Speaking of which I wonder if OfficialLibera will share with us another concert video from the PICC gig like they did for Bayan Ko in 2009? Hope so!

I really hope so! In 2009, Bayan Ko was uploaded the Sunday after the Cebu concert. Maybe another bootleg version needs to come up so they'll release the official version.

Anyway, the applause was usually limited to the pauses between phrases, kind of like what you hear for Bayan Ko. They first sing the aaahs, then the audiences guess the song and start cheering, and go wild when they start singing the verses. Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

[carina_gino20]

Nice article Lauren... would you like a short video to go along with that? http://www.gmanews.tv/video/96237/bt-co ... ng-gabi-na" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sadly not the best quality, and requires translation into English from our Filipino friends? Although I can probably guess the commentary spiel - Kavana for future PM?

Translation:

"The concert of the all-boys choir group from London, Libera, will be this evening, to be held at the PICC. They said that they really like the Philippines because of the warm welcome that they receive here. That's why they have a gift to the youth. Part of the proceeds of their concert will go to charity...Kavana interview...They are very happy with the Filipino delicacies they have tasted like tapa. But the favorite of all are "mangoes". They first stirred the Pinoy spirits with their heart-warming rendition of the song Bayan Ko, which they all sang in PICC in 2009."

[Benj]

Ha ha! You saw that convoy too. My uncle said there's a picture of the president with the BEA. So you're right, he must have watch their concert. We have better taste than him!

It was obvious that Manila's elite went to the PICC. And the fan range is so varied. The number of males & females who watched was very close and equal number too between the young and those young at heart. People from all walks of life notice and appreciate Libera.

Oh, so they said Mangoes! They will probably like those sweet dried mangoes of Cebu too.

Apologies to Nano Ben for forgetting to write that he was the one who spoke in Tagalog

As we all shift our focus on Cebu, let me share that Cebu is known as having produced the best singers in the Philippines.
I am not from Cebu but i do know that the people there do know their music. Not to put pressure on the boys, but the crowd there might be harder to impress.

[Yorkie]

Great write up's and info guys, very enjoable to read and look at the pictures.

Hannah & Nikki - you may get presents but I got a kiss from Yuki, so I'm not jealous

And yes, before you ask we do get to eat mangos in the UK so not sure why they would be the favourite food in the Philippines!

[maartendas]

A news article about last night's second encore:
http://abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/10/26/11/goosebumps-over-libera’s-‘himig-ng-pasko’

Nothing new for us since we have read the wonderful reviews here. But it is an extra publicity for our favorite group.

A nice, very personal review (lots of personal opinion about the innocence of the boys' voices and speeches and so on) that might help to fill seats in Cebu (unless it's sold out already as well?).

But the baritone voices were still heard rising above the tenor.

I wonder whose voice(s) the author meant.

[carina_gino20]

The one thing that disappointed me though was seeing some empty seats in the middle section, right in front of the boys. I thought it would eventually fill up like in 2009, but sad to say that it wasn't. I don't know if those seats weren't sold or if the so called VIPs just didn't bother coming.

And also hate to say that "Filipino time" was very evident again last night. I really think they were just waiting for the VIPs as it wouldn't be good to have the center seats empty. Then I noticed one VP who was there early, an old lady with a few British (?) ladies with her. I was maybe 10 feet away and I could hear her complain to the usher, asking why they were already running 15 mins late. She said that if it doesn't start soon, "we will go now." And just maybe 30 seconds later, strains of the UK national anthem could be heard and the show was starting.

[hannah_kirstin]

Noticed those empty seats too, pity- they should've asked people to move forward intead. Haha! Filipino time indeed, concert didn't start until about 8:30 on my watch. Thought there was some kind of last-minute holdup. If it was indeed because of the VIPs then I'm truly embarrased! What is it with Filipinos and VIPs anyway? And LoL about the Pres watching the BEP concert instead. I always doubted his taste.

[maartendas]

I will just say this.

Today I had a very tough time and I needed to unwind. I'll go for a stroll later on but I just watched Carol of the Bells again and it just swept away the worst of my negative energy and even managed to bring a small tear to my eye. There's nothing like the joy of Libera to make me feel better. Hearing them but also seeing them - it truly is a balm for the soul.

Thank you all those involved in Libera - boys, RP, musicians, chaperones, everyone working behind the scenes AND all of you too, crazy fans - thank you. You all contribute to something so beautiful and meaningful.

[carina_gino20]

Here's my review for the PICC Concert. Lots of the details of the song will be similar to Hannah's, so apologies in advance if you read the same thing twice...and this will be long, so pls bear with me.

Part 1.

I arrived at the venue around 7:30pm and there were already lots of people. The traffic towards PICC was quite bad, probably compounded by the BEP concert in a nearby location. Parking was also a big issue because of the large crowd. Just in front of the Plenary Hall doors, there were already 2 long queues to the auditorium. I was quite surprised and pleased to see lots of nuns lined up.hehe. As Benj has already commented, it was really nice to see such a varied group of people brought together by these angelic voices.

Just before I entered the concert hall, I spotted a familiar looking gentlemen, Ken Madine. Was quite surprised to see him there and thought of going over...but then, what would I say? There were a bunch of fans around him already, no doubt congratulating him for raising two lovely boys.

The concert started late. I was seated 5 rows from the front, but on the left side of the stage. The view was great. Good value for the money.haha. I saw Yuki and her mom and some fans on the front row. There were also quite a few VIPs in the middle section. But as I said earlier, sad to say that this section was not full. Whether it was because of the price or the VIPs just didn't bother to show up (I'm leaning on the latter, although I'd gladly accept a price reduction next time around...), I don't really know. I saw Mr. Bobby de Ocampo, the chairman of the British Alumni Association, the guy responsible for bringing Libera to the Philippines for the third time. The rest of the sections, meanwhile, were already packed. At the sound and lighting area, Sam C. and Ben C. were already preparing for the show.

Before the show started, I sneaked out quickly to buy the concert program (for Php 200, roughly $5). It's a nice gloss print, like the program in 2009. Half of it is for ads.haha. It also comes with a nice poster (same Christmas cover picture)

Around 8:30pm, they started to play the UK national anthem, followed immediately by the Philippine national anthem. I don't get many chances of singing my own anthem so I took my chance. After that, Mr. de Ocampo gave his welcome speech, which is what is written in the program. In the middle of his speech, RP discreetly went over to his position at the center, just a little lower than the stage.

Then the lights dimmed, and the boys started coming in donned in white robes. All we could see were silhouettes. A hush...then applause all over the place. Finally, the show was starting.

1. Jubilate Deo- Hair raising is how I would describe those first "Alleluiahs"...I think this is really a perfect first song. It sets the mood so well. In the middle, they went into Libera. Of course, what is a Libera concert, without their theme tune? I believe it was Eoghan with the solo and Luke doing the backing.

Barney and Cassius then did the intro speech and I was really impressed with how eloquent they were. And so at ease! These two are such a funny combo! They said that there were 28 of them and also mentioned JB and Josh being the oldest members, and also the new touring members. They talked about coming from "London, in a little place called England", and mentioned some famous places including King's Cross Station, where Harry catches the train to Hogwarts. Oh Cassius, you are too dear.

2. Joy to the World - I really haven't heard this sung as lovely as it was sung last Sunday. The harmonies are just spectacular, the descants so beautiful. Absolutely no complaints on this one.

3. Still, Still, Still - This was such a sweet number. Some of the boys were kneeling in front, with the older boys at the back. They looked so much like guardian angels watching over the younger ones. Ralph's solo was so beautiful. The low voices were so heavenly. I love how varied their set list was, coming from such a lively song to a softer song like Still, Still, Still.

4. Song of Life - First time hearing it live, and wow! This was really great. Ralph pulled this off nicely. I believe he was backed by Daniel. It's such a hopeful song and they performed it so great last Sunday.

Cassius and Michael gave a speech about the moose (don't call it a reindeer!) and big people teaching the little people (Michael is such a cutie!).

5. Sanctus - Honestly, I was so happy to see this in the set list. I mean, a Libera concert without Sanctus is...unthinkable. As usual, they sang this perfectly. The timing, the harmonies, they all blended so well. I think it was Luke and Kavana doing the high notes. Luke did the ending "Sanctus."

6. Salva Me - Matthew R-A did the Salvas and he stood higher at the back, separate from the others. It was lovely, but not as piercing as his Salvas in the 2009 concert. Still very beautiful though, if just a tiny bit wispy. His voice sounded stronger towards the end.

7. Stay With Me - They used a different intro in this than what I am used to, but I don't know how they did it in the US tours. Matthew R-A stayed where he was and did the high descant and really nailed it. Daniel did a splendid job on this. I think his voice is already starting to change. It was a little husky at times. He was also backed by Cassius. I also really loved the percussion on this song.

Jude then introduced their backing band - a string quartet (all but one is Filipino), Steven on the keyboard, clarinet and recorder, and RP on the keyboards. This cute kid had so much energy.

8. Veni Emmanuel - We all expected Josh to do a solo, but I didn't think it would be in Veni Emmanuel. Still, that was quite obvious when all the rest pulled their hoods down over their faces, except for Josh and Ralph. This was such a lovely number. Reminded me of monks, with how simple the setting was. I loved everything about it--from how happy and confident Josh looked singing the verses, to the "Gaudes", to Ralph's duet with Josh in the 2nd verse, to the full choir joining in the 3rd verse...It also helps that this is already my all time favorite Advent hymn to begin with.

9. Exultate - Great way to end the 1st half. My, how time flies! Stefan did a great job with the solo. I loved the choreography for this. Loved it the 1st time I heard it in Peace, and now that I've heard it live, I love it even more. Now if they can just do a little jig to go with it.

The first half ended in a high note (literally) to thunderous applause.

[Nikki178]

Hannah & Nikki - you may get presents but I got a kiss from Yuki, so I'm not jealous

Haha, I don't know Yuki. But I'm familiar with her mom (at least by face) since I've seen her in all three M&Gs! I was tempted to talk to them the last time at the Block but I wasn't sure if they'd want some stranger coming up to them.

[Nikki178]

The one thing that disappointed me though was seeing some empty seats in the middle section, right in front of the boys. I thought it would eventually fill up like in 2009, but sad to say that it wasn't. I don't know if those seats weren't sold or if the so called VIPs just didn't bother coming.

And also hate to say that "Filipino time" was very evident again last night. I really think they were just waiting for the VIPs as it wouldn't be good to have the center seats empty. Then I noticed one VP who was there early, an old lady with a few British (?) ladies with her. I was maybe 10 feet away and I could hear her complain to the usher, asking why they were already running 15 mins late. She said that if it doesn't start soon, "we will go now." And just maybe 30 seconds later, strains of the UK national anthem could be heard and the show was starting.

There were people coming in while the performance was ongoing! I was a bit annoyed. If there's anything I learned from my music teacher in grade school, it's that once the performance starts, no one is allowed in (and out I think) until the intermission. I was sitting by the aisle and there were people walking up to their seats and blocking my view.

I saw a few vacant seats in the middle section. I was sooo tempted to grab my friend and transfer seats. We were seated three people apart since she bought her ticket a few days after I did. Someone in our line brought a toddler to the concert. My friend was sitting right beside the kid and the mom. She was annoyed because the kid was making noises.

During the M&G afterwards this girl in front of me was video recording her time at the line. When she came to Ben she asked him to say "Mahal kita Mia" and Ben smiled and said it perfectly in one take. His facial expression was priceless. He looked so excited and proud he was able to say it in one take. Does anybody know who that girl is? Haha, I would like to see that video. Hahaha!

[Nikki178]

I'm not sure if anybody brought this up yet, but do you think Libera will record "Himig ng Pasko"? If they do, I wonder if that will be another version of the Christmas Album. I got goosebumps everytime they sang the "para bang hulog na ng langit" line.

[Yorkie]

But the baritone voices were still heard rising above the tenor.

I wonder whose voice(s) the author meant.

To be honest I read that and thought they had no idea what they were talking about - I'm not 100% sure what range those boys at the back sing in but I don't think any are baritones. I'm not 100% certain they are all in the normal Tenor range.