Written by Jamie Ortega
Photos by Magic Liwanag Photography(www.magicliwanag.com)
Awesome music can inspire us to do anything: make friends, fall in love, change how we look at things.
What the music of New Wave sensations Tears For Fears and Per Sorensen of Fra Lippo Lippi did to Araneta Coliseum last August 11 2012 was fill the Big Dome from corner to corner with excited fans clapping, dancing, and waving their hands in the air to the bands’ greatest hits. It was as if a time machine descended over Araneta transporting everyone back to the ‘80s!
Let’s face it- it’s not easy being a front act- most of the time the audience is too busy waiting for the main act to even pay attention to the people performing onstage. That did not happen during this concert as the night’s front act, Per Sorensen, delighted the crowd with his enchanting performance, kicking off his set with the hit tune “Beauty And Madness.” Sorensen definitely had the audience in the palm of his hand as the crowd eagerly sang along to many of his hits like “Angel,” “Stitches and Burn,” “The Distance Between Us ” and “Every Time I See You.”
Adding fun and excitement to a night full of ‘80s induced nostalgia was when Sorensen revealed why the concert was extra special for him, too- his son Oskar Hollidorf was onstage! Per revealed that Oskar was his band’s keyboardist, and it was their first time to perform together! Judging by the reaction of the crowd towards Hollidorf, it would be safe to say that the good-looking and talented boy amassed quite a number of new fans that night.
After Sorensen’s set it was British gal and Tears For Fears’ back-up singer Karina Round’s turn to dazzle Manila. And dazzle she did! With a voice resembling singer Bjork, she mesmerized the audience with her amazing pipes while strumming the acoustic guitar. One would never guess that it was her first time to play in a big crowd, a bit of news Round casually dished out during her set.
After two opening acts, Tears For Fears finally hit the stage with their opening salvo, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” The band’s decision to start their half of the concert with a well-known song, followed by another popular tune, “Sowing The Seeds Of Love”, was indeed a good one as the crowd automatically stood up, sang, danced, and pumped their fists in the air. Whoever said that Pinoy concertgoers lack energy and don’t respond well at concerts was probably not at this one because every time the band played the opening bars of their popular songs like “Mad World” and “Change”, nearly everyone at the venue began to cheer, shriek, and wave their glow sticks in the air.
The duo made up of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith also shared funny stories with the audience, adding a dash of humor to a spectacular night. Orzabal even made the audience laugh as he talked about a time when he was recognized at a supermarket and asked, “Are you the guy from Tears For Fears?” The question was immediately followed up with, “What are you doing these days?” “ Google Tears For Fears in Manila,” quipped Orzabal, an answer which made the audience both cheer and laugh.
Not to be outdone, Curt got his fair share of cheers from the audience as well after dedicating “Advice For The Young At Heart” to all his twitter followers, revealing that he has more Filipino followers on Twitter than any other nationality.
Yet another surprise that night was the band’s slower, soulful cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. After performing Smith jovially quipped, “Now the people who were here yesterday (Aug. 10, the first day of their Manila leg) are going to be pissed we didn’t sing that.” As the show came to a close, the band capped the night with a Philippine flag-inspired shirt worn by Smith as the band performed their last two songs “Woman In Chains” and “Shout”. As the imaginary time machine brought everyone back to 2012, and people streamed out of Araneta Coliseum with smiles on their faces- one thing was immediately embedded in this writer’s mind- this fun romp down memory lane is a night Pinoy Tears For Fears fans will never forget!
To see more photos from Tears For Fears and Per Sorensen LIVE in Manila, visit Ovation Productions Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=122216637798623
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