I can feel all your heartbeats in the zone, yeah
Go mad, now that we got reconnected
We’ll forever be embedded in our hearts and souls
These lines from SB19’s latest single “WYAT (Where You At)” encapsulated what went down on Saturday, September 17 at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Manila stop kicks off the P-pop sensation’s biggest local and international tour yet – a feat that most A’TIN (both in the Philippines and abroad) have been wishing for a while. And now that it’s here, SB19 and A’TIN made sure it’s a milestone worth remembering.
Excitement was palpable even before entering the arena, especially with several fans organizing games and giving merchandise to fellow fans. There’s even a group of A’TIN who did a flash mob to “WYAT,” which earned them a compliment from member Josh.
There’s power in a good opening and SB19 set the tone with a powerful, back-to-back performance of “What?” and “MANA” – two of their (dare we say) most dynamic tracks in their discography.
While there’s no doubting the group’s impressively sharp choreography, they easily spice the show up with sentimental ballads “Hanggang sa Huli” and “Nyebe.”
SB19 also performed fan-favorites “Bazinga” and “Alab,” with the members even quipping before their performance that the song “Bazinga” is dedicated to their haters and doubters.
Perhaps what also caught the fans by surprise were the group’s covers for the night. The members put a sexy spin on Charlie Puth’s “Attention” for the first cover, and in a whiplash of emotion, they pulled out a 2022 version of Michael Pangilinan’s “Bakit Ba Ikaw.” The track has been one of the group’s staple covers from their early days, with members Pablo and Josh making it more special with their own rap verse.
In between their performances, the group’s wit and chemistry were on full display as they bantered during ments.
At one point, a five-minute video played, where the members opened up on their journey as a group. We know it by heart by now, but the group was almost close to disbanding until a clip of their dance practice went viral. From being an internet sensation, the quintet has become one of the trailblazers of the idol group concept in the Philippines.
“Maraming beses ko na naisip na mag-stop. Hindi dahil sa ayoko na, pero I feel like hindi ako para sa ganito (There were many times when I wanted to give up. Not because I didn’t want to anymore, but because I felt like I wasn’t cut out for this),” Pablo said in the video, adding that it was through A’TIN that he always found reasons to continue.
It wasn’t a smooth way up, and the members always shared their success with the people they’re working with. “Sila talaga ‘yung naglilift sa amin pataas (They’re really the ones lifting us up),” Stell said.
The group continued with performances of “MAPA,” “Tilahula,” “WYAT,” and even a collaboration stage of “Love Yours” with producer Ohwon Lee. Throughout these numbers, there was an A’TIN nanay in the VIP area who got emotional, while a boyfriend jokingly told his girlfriend that they now had to share her bias – member Ken.
Before they began with the latter part of their concert, Pablo, the pinuno, took the time to express his gratitude towards the members. “Pinakagusto kong pasalamatan ‘yung SB19 kasi before anyone else na naniwala sa amin, naniwala na kami sa isa’t-isa,” he said in the video. (I want to thank SB19 the most, because before anyone believed in us, we already believed in each other.)
Speaking to his members, he continued: “Nagkaroon man ng pandemic, hindi tayo tumigil. Nagtrabaho pa rin tayo, kahit matagal tayong hinintay ng A’TIN, talagang nagpursige tayo para ilabas itong ‘WYAT.’ I’m so proud of you, guys.” (Even the pandemic did not stop us. We continued working, and even if A’TIN waited a long time for us, we pushed through with releasing “WYAT.”)
The reconnection concept of “WYAT” might be cheesy for some, but SB19 – in their full creative and artistic glory – has perfected the idea of translating their emotions into every release.
“[We’re] trying to reconnect with this world. Pupuntahan namin kung nasaan man kayo para maramdaman ulit ang init ng inyong pagmamahal (We’ll be going wherever you are so we can feel again the warmth of your love),” Justin said during the concert.
After Manila, the group is set to hold shows in Cebu, Clark, and Davao, before flying to Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, and Singapore.
But even before these much-anticipated shows happen, fans from all over the world have sent in their well-wishes for the group. In a video compilation prepared by the fans themselves, A’TIN from La Union, Bohol, Canada, and New Zealand, among others, told the group: “The world is ready for you, SB19.”
As the group performed their last two songs, “Go Up” and “SLMT,” Ken’s comment – “Big deal ito sa akin. Hindi lahat ng group, ng tao nabibigyan ng ganitong kalaking chance (This is a big deal for me. Not every group or individual is given this huge opportunity) – still resonated with me. They’ve grown so far and achieved so much, but they still have so much to do.
And where are we when that happens? We’ll still be here, witnessing SB19 continue to make history.
– Rappler.com
