Four years late and still enthusiastic

It’s been a week since Vertical Horizon visited Manila for their first concert in Asia, and up to now the folks are reeling over their much-anticipated concert. Never mind that publicity was almost nil until two weeks before the concert, held last 7 December. Never mind the fact that the band has long since disappeared from the radar, after the 2003 release of their last album Go. For some reason, this concert epitomized what is considered as the perfect one – good music, and better crowd.

Also tagging along was Rivermaya, long proclaimed as the “banda ng bayan“, in their first major performance with their new vocalist Jayson Fernandez. Providing comic relief (and, admittedly, a little more risque) is stand-up comedian Jamie Kennedy.

And if anything turned out as a surprise in this concert, it’s the simple fact that, as the band genuinely put it, the crowd was beyond receptive. You’ll actually notice if a band is just saying the obligatory “you guys are great” line – in this one, it felt so real.