Even at the impressive point they’ve reached in their careers, the band made sure to honor the moments and places that got them to where they are now, making the ‘Silakbo’ concert a joy to witness
MANILA, Philippines – Cup of Joe started out as a high school band in Baguio in 2018. When they were just starting out, the stages they’d set foot on were much smaller. The five-piece band would often play at school events.
Their first gig outside of that was at a charity event. It was held at a small cafe along Session Road. Then, in 2019, they would play what they call their first-ever major gig: the MOR Pinoy Music Awards at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Heading into Cup of Joe’s “Silakbo” concert On February 9 and 10 at the same venue six years later, then, it was a clear full-circle moment for members Gian Bernardino, Rapha Ridao, Xen Gareza, CJ Fernandez, and Gabriel Fernandez.
“To be able to scream, ‘What’s up Araneta?’ feels like a fever dream,” Gian said in between songs.
The whole show was an homage to their beginnings. Even at the impressive point they’ve reached in their careers, the band honored the moments and places that got them to where they are now, making the “Silakbo” concert a joy to witness.
The first thing you will notice when you look at how the “Silakbo” stage was set are the little pine trees surrounding the members. It almost seemed symbolic — a visualization that no matter how big the band’s show venues get over time, they’ll always be proud to be from Baguio, where it all started.
And in the middle of the concert, the band split up and staged special performances as Pink Penoy Club (Gian, Xen, and CJ), and Pink Soda (Rapha and Gab) — a series of quick throwback moments referencing their beginnings.
Pink Penoy Club performed Eraserheads hits like “Alapaap,” “Pare Ko,” and “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” striking a chord with the classic OPM fans in the crowd who had grown up listening to these iconic tracks. Gian, Xen, and CJ, apart from being roommates as college freshmen, were also the last members to complete Cup of Joe’s lineup.
Pink Soda, meanwhile, catered to an entirely different demographic: those whose teenage years were founded on the music of pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. Rapha and Gab first performed “Heartbreak Girl,” and while that alone was already a treat to hear live, they leveled it up by bringing OPM soloist Maki out on stage.
Together, they sang “She Looks So Perfect,” and to cap it off, they performed Maki’s “Namumula.”
Rapha shared that Pink Soda was the band he and Gab started when they were in 11th grade. And while they didn’t come out as winners when they joined a battle of the bands competition, they got something even greater out of it anyway: the eventual formation of Cup of Joe.
Other than Maki, singer-songwriter Keanna Mag also took the stage with Cup of Joe for their 2024 hit song, “Lahat Ng Bukas.” Keanna’s appearance was yet another full-circle moment, as it had been exactly a year since the song’s release at that point.
They also brought another one of their collaborators on stage: Janine, who sang “Tingin” with them — another hit song that’s well on its way to racking up over 200 million streams now.
Special guests and full-circle moments aside, the larger storytelling behind weaved throughout the concert to chart the five stages of grief through the band’s Silakbo album was also among the show’s greatest highlights.
The songs from the 2025 record were all arranged to correspond to a specific stage of grief — with “Bagyo” and “Wine,” for instance, fitting into denial, the first stage. Even when Cup of Joe would weave some of their older songs into the setlist between the stages of grief, the storytelling still made sense. Somehow, these past releases fit perfectly into whatever stage of grief the band performed it at.
Case in point: “Sagada.” The 2020 track was played towards the end, during the acceptance stage, as it’s all about the art of letting go.
Even “Mananatili,” perhaps the most awaited track of the night, was the most fitting way to end the show. After all, the track describes what it’s like to live in the moment — a crucial aspect of acceptance. It’s this kind of storytelling, both sonically and metaphorically, that draws so many listeners to Cup of Joe.
And as the band takes on even bigger stages, like their newly announced US and Canada tours, they’ll be sure to showcase their roots there, too. – Rappler.com