Boyce Avenue: Kilig kings pack Araneta Coliseum
Investing in covers has done Boyce Avenue good.
In fact, its amazing effect was in full force on Valentine’s Day when the group played their first arena concert in the Philippines and packed Araneta Coliseum like a boss.
And who did we spy on the front row? None other than Vice Ganda, as prominent cheerleader perhaps.
Instant appeal
While brothers Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian Manzano have written their own tunes, they’ve had to compete with the instant appeal of bonafide hits—especially because they do such great covers.
As expected, the crowd reacted warmly upon hearing the boys provide their rendition of songs like Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” “Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” and Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.”
That’s one of the nice things about a Boyce Avenue live performance --- you’ll never really predict what’s going to be offered on the table. Thus, it came as a thrill when one of their encore songs turned out to be Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.”
Appreciative act
“We love you dearly Philippines. You’re such an amazing crowd,” said Alejandro, who does most of the vocal chores.
Brothers Daniel and Fabian are vocally competent as well, even if Alejandro’s voice alone is strong enough to carry the load.
And mind you, Alejandro wrote “Find Me,” which he sang and dedicated to a female fan who was chosen to come on stage and take a selfie with the group.
Song choices
“BA knows how to pick songs to play for their fans. They're simplistic in their approach and know how to tickle their audience. But most important, they're good musicians,” observed Vic Valenciano, former A&R at then Sony-BMG and now with Curve Entertainment,
And the concert producers gambled biggish—and won biggish—by booking Boyce Avenue at a humongous venue and timing the show on Valentine’s Day.
“You could have been anywhere else,” Alejandro pointed out meaningfully, “but you chose to be here.”
