For its 30th year, the annual free music festival saw artists from different genres come together to give life to the music festival’s Main Stage
MANILA, Philippines – It’s pretty normal to attend a music gig in hopes of hearing just one band play. You go there near the time the act is set to go up on stage, and you leave as soon as they perform their last song.
But what’s out of the ordinary is actually staying until the end of the whole show, and leaving with a ton of new songs to add to your playlist – all because you enjoyed way more than just the artist you originally came there for. That’s what Fête de la Musique PH 2024 was like.
Held aptly on World Music Day on June 21 at the Greenbelt 3 Park, Fête de la Musique PH 2024 was a celebration held purely for the love of music. For its 30th year, the annual music festival saw artists from different genres come together to give life to the music festival’s Main Stage – staying true to its advocacy of “[reveling] in the unifying and healing power of sound, culture, and art.”
A little bit of everything on one stage
Every performance was a different experience in and of itself.
It was up-and-coming artist SHANNi who officially kicked off the festivities for Fête de la Musique PH’s Main Stage. With her music shaped by several types of pop, the young artist treated festival-goers with her original songs, along with covers of well-loved tracks like Clairo’s “Bags.”
There were also collaboration stages, which saw pairs of music acts join forces to deliver the best of their respective genres. First up were Jason Dhakal and LUSTBASS – whose performances gave the crowd a taste of soulful R&B.
Together with LUSTBASS, R&B artist Jason Dhakal delivers a soulful rendition of his song “can’t get enough.” #FetePH30 | via @junoileanavr pic.twitter.com/I19kTcp838
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 21, 2024
While Dhakal and LUSTBASS’ set opener, “can’t get enough,” had already amped up the crowd’s energy early into the festival, it was the duo’s laidback rendition of “Awitin Mo, Isasayaw Ko” that really got the celebration started – reeling in both fans of the VST & Company classic and R&B listeners alike.
Young crooner Jose Miguel and band SinoSiKat? then took center stage for the ultimate jazz, soul, and funk experience.
SinoSikat? infuses even more jazz into the #FetePH30 main stage with “Magic,” one of the songs off their 2007 self-titled album. | via @junoileanavr pic.twitter.com/luE1WKbT6Y
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 21, 2024
Jewelmer Jazz Band capped off the jazz representation on the Fête main stage complete with a full horn section that’s integral to giving the genre life.
Fête de la Musique PH regulars Autotelic also infused its contagious pop-rock sound into the 2024 Main Stage, playing hits like “Gising,” “Laro,” and “Languyin” – cult favorites from their Papunta Pabalik album.
It had even been endearing to witness the audience start cheering as soon as they recognized each song’s distinct guitar-led introduction. The crowd was clearly there to enjoy Autotelic’s set as it was happening. One person from the audience even filmed the band’s set with their laptop, drawing laughs from the Autotelic members themselves.
Music from anywhere, for everyone
But the diversity at Fête de la Musique wasn’t just apparent in the artists’ music styles, though. It was also true for their origins – with bands and soloists coming from different parts of the Philippines (and the world, in C2C’s case!).
Hailing all the way from Bicol, singer-songwriter dwta colored her Main Stage set with her sweet vocals and acoustic guitar. She was a clear crowd favorite that night – proudly showcasing her Bicolana roots through her music!
Of course, it’s not a music festival without EDM, which Fête goers got to enjoy a long set of, thanks to Pfel and Greem from the French music group C2C. It was a fitting time for people to unwind on a Friday night.
Throughout the night, the host would ask random members of the audience which artist they came to watch. While most of them mentioned just one music act, the crowd never seemed to get smaller and actually just seemed to gradually grow in size.
Such was the case for Morobeats’ set. The Zamboanga-based collective was the lone hip-hop act that night, so they had big shoes to fill – and they did so successfully. Regardless of whether or not they were familiar with whatever song Morobeats was performing, the crowd jumped up and down the entire time the group was on stage.
At one point during “HUNGHANG,” the crowd became a part of the performance, energetically completing the lyrics to the song whenever Morobeats pointed their microphones toward them.
Morobeats gets the #FetePH30 crowd hyped with “HUNGHANG”! |
via @junoileanavr pic.twitter.com/HsmEmKYKCC— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 21, 2024
Good vibes and good tunes
As the Main Stage neared its end, Dilaw, the penultimate act of the night, made sure to keep the fun of the music festival going. The band’s frontman had even turned their performance into somewhat of a comedy set in between songs, whipping out quotable quotes like “Silence is a virtue” whenever he addressed the crowd.
The Baguio rock band had fittingly wrapped up their set with their top hit, “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat).” The crowd had even taken the reins during the song’s refrain.
The crowd at the Fête de la Musique 2024 Main Stage takes the lead during Baguio rock band Dilaw’s performance of “Uhaw (Tayong Lahat)”! | via @junoileanavr pic.twitter.com/fS61v5mIo4
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 21, 2024
Any Name’s Okay was the last band to take the Main Stage, tirelessly delivering back-to-back performances of fan-favorite songs like “Yugto,” “Vivid,” and the unreleased “Tabing Dagat.“
Any Name’s Okay, the last act of the night, kicks off its #FetePH30 main stage set with a powerful performance of “Yugto.” | via @junoileanavr pic.twitter.com/oNA39PM7OK
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 21, 2024
Any Name’s Okay’s upbeat sound was the perfect way to close out Fête de la Musique PH’s Main Stage – with the band literally ending the music festival on a high note, courtesy of their lead singer’s powerful vocals.
But the best part of Fête de la Musique PH 2024 is that it was free to watch for everyone, just as it has been for the past three decades. Whether you watched from a nearby restaurant, stopped to listen as you were walking by, or stayed for the whole thing in the audience area, Fête de la Musique PH 2024’s Main Stage really encouraged people to just let loose and enjoy the music.
While you may have gone there for a specific music act, each artist’s set had a unique flair of its own that made it such a joy to witness and stick around for.
Perhaps that’s exactly what keeps people coming back to the music festival each year. – Rappler.com