Concert Recap and Videos: BASIA LIVE IN MANILA (10-21-2009)

October 22, 2009

I have been thinking of watching this concert since I first saw its ad. Basia, the Polish singer-composer with the unpronounceable surname Trzetrzelewska, had been one of my favorite singers in the late 80s to early 90s. I did not even know she already had a mini-concert in Manila October 1990 at the Folk Arts Theater. I do not know how I could have not heard that one. She retired from the music scene in 1998, but luckily, she is now back and here live in Manila again for a comeback concert.

Her concert started at 9 pm already. Basia came out in a black and white suit and pants ensemble. She opened with her new song: "It's That Girl Again". She seems heftier than how I remember her back then, but that was so long ago. She already 55 now, but her trademark rich vocals and great syncopated singing styles were intact. It sounded so great live. You could just close your eyes and imbibe the warmth of her voice. 

She would then continue singing new and old hits from all her albums for her first set, like "Drunk on Love," "Blame It On Summer,"  my personal favorite "Reward," "Baby You're Mine," "How Dare You Talk to Me Like That," "A Gift" and a slowed down version of "Run for Cover."

Basia then took a break and yielded the spotlight to her twin back-up singers from Mauritius who both sang a Basia song each ("Astrid" for Veronique, and "From Now On" for Annique). I must say they sound very good indeed.

For her second set, Basia changed into a black shiny matronly frock, but that is beside the point. Her singing is the main focus of course, hehe. She launched into "Take Him Back Rachel", her Matt Bianco classic "Half A Minute," "Yearning," (VIDEO), "Cruising for Bruising" (another favorite in a different arrangement), "Miles Away" (which she called "a happy song"), and then the song that put her on the map "Time and Tide." 

She then introduced the members of the band, including her long-time collaborator since the Matt Bianco days, Danny White. She then closed the show with "a song about Poland" -- "Copernicus". After this song, she said her thanks and left the stage.

As expected, since there are obviously hits yet unsung, the audience clamored for more. Of course, Basia and the band took the stage again. For her encores, she sang her two most popular hits which most people sang along with: "New Day for You" and finally "Promises."

I guess because of age, she would sometimes waver on the sustaining of high notes, but I am not complaining. Her talent that brought her to fame is still very much there, so I am glad she had decided to record and tour again. Basia has one voice and singing style that is her own trademark, and tonight she clearly showed that she still fully owns it.

Concert Recap: LADY GAGA LIVE IN MANILA (08-11-2009)

August 11, 2009

The Araneta Coliseum was filled all the way up to the rafters of the General Admissions section tonight. It was standing room only in the upper sections as all seats were sold out. The concert started past 9pm already. The crowd grew wild as the lights dimmed and an introductory movie clip was being projected on the big white sheet covering the stage. The cheers grew louder as Lady GaGa's face appeared onscreen. When she said, "I am Lady GaGa, and this is my house!", the sheet was drawn down, and the real Lady GaGa was seen on stage surrounded by black-colored boards with mirrors glued on them held by her three male dancers. It was an electrifying first appearance of the dance diva, promising an extraordinary night ahead.

The audience immediately recognized the first notes of "Paparazzi", her opening song. She was wearing a gray shiny outfit adorned with a huge triangle on the breast part. She then segued to her second hit "Love Game". She had these really weird almost aimless dance steps that only she can pull off and not look stupid. In her spiel, she revealed that her best friend back in New York was from the Philippines, which of course elicited a lot of cheers of approval. She ended her first set with her breakthrough US club hit "Beautiful Dirty Rich".

She re-entered standing on a motorbike pushed onstage by her dancers, wearing a shiny black outfit. In this second set, she sang "The Fame," then "Money Honey", ending with "Boys Boys Boys". These are all very catchy dance tracks from her debut album which were very well received even though they have not yet hit the radio airwaves.

As she entered for her third set, she was wearing a white outfit with shades. The crowd went ballistic as the intro to her first big Number 1 hit "Just Dance" were played. That was an excellent performance, as expected. This was a followed by a sweet rendition of her reggae-ish track "Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)". I liked this set the best, and GaGa herself did not look too strange here.

Her next outfit was greeted by loud cheers when she walked onstage. It was a bizarre coat covered with clear balloons over a nude total body suit. She sat down in front of her clear plastic (?) piano, also bedecked with shiny Christmas balls. She struck several weird piano playing antics as she sang her ballad "Brown Eyes". These antics include squatting on the piano bench or putting her high-heeled feet on the keyboard! Quite funny as it was avant garde, as expected of her. She had a short spiel where she shared that she was just asked a very strange question, "Lady GaGa, do you have a d**k?" referring to the internet story that she was an hermaphrodite! That was a LOL moment! Haha! Too bad her answer was lost in the loud screams.

As we recognized the next ballad to actually be a slowed down version of her second Number 1 hit "Poker Face," she was already thanking the audience and blowing kisses to the crowd. She suddenly shifted gears to sing this song in the dance version that the audience again wildly savored. After an extended coda, this was indeed the last number of the concert. She did not come out anymore even as the crowd clamored for more. The whole concert lasted for more or less an hour only.

So there it was. Have we just seen the next Madonna, as Lady GaGa is usually billed? The thing about GaGa though, for me, without all her props, she is nondescript with a common indistinct face, unrecognizable on the streets. In this concert, her general look with the tousled platinum blond locks made her look like Marilyn Monroe, or Christina Aguilera, or Annie Lennox, or, yes, Madonna. That is why she has the need to create a persona with her outlandish hair and costumes. Her voice is really very strong though despite her very energetic dancing, and her piano playing and composing skills are there. Only the future can tell what her next incarnation will be, but we are very much satisfied with what we had seen in her live concert tonight, no matter how short it was.