She candidly admitted she was afraid that nobody knew about her in the Philippines, but when LiSA got to see firsthand the almost-full Samsung Hall at SM Aura, she knew she was pleasantly wrong as a throng of fans and supporters turned up to watch her perform at her first-ever concert in Manila.
It’s not often that we get to have high-caliber Japanese performers come to the country for a concert, and yet this year we are graced with a tremendous opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the best new artists in recent times. LiSA, one of Japan’s most watched up-and-coming singers, came to the Philippines for the first time, and it was definitely an experience those in attendance won’t soon forget.
Helping us out was our Coverage Partner Jillian, who herself got to enjoy the experience with the fans.
Excitement about the famous Anisong singer has been tremendous since it was first announced, with local fans either in total shock or disbelief. It reached fever pitch the day of the concert itself, with fans lining up as soon as the venue opened in the hopes of getting the best possible seats closest to the stage.
Her staff were reluctant about selling her merchandise, but once they did they were surprised to have sold out very quickly. There were so many fans that they filled the lobby, with some more trickling in as the door opened at 5pm, all being constantly reminded by the organizers and staff that any form of photography and videography were strictly prohibited, even for the media.
Attendees were led to their places, with almost all seats in the premier and balcony being filled. Everyone was barely holding in their excitement, waiting for their idol to finally make her appearance. When 6pm came, the host appeared and welcomed everyone, then urged the audience to call LiSA out on stage. With their impassioned voices, LiSA obliged the crowd and skipped to the center of the stage with a huge smile on her face. Addressing her fans and greeting them with Filipino phrases she had learned and asking them if they’re ready to have fun, LiSA had the audience instantly engaged in her performance.
The audience went absolutely crazy when LiSA started off right away with Crossing Field from Sword Art Online, one of her most popular songs among fans here, followed by Oath Sign from Fate/Zero, another crowd favorite. She got to perform 10 songs during the almost-hour-and-a-half concert. She never held back anything for her Filipino audience. She had some help from her guitarist, Co-K-san, who was equally eager and entertaining and was instantly popular with the crowd.
She was a solid performer: passionately singing and dancing while continuously engaging the crowd. Her voice was powerful and expressive, so much so that her feelings shine through despite the language barrier. Her talent was the real deal, and the audience knew that she was indeed worthy of the praise and adulation given to her by fans in her native Japan as well as her admirers all over the world. She had the audience shouting, screaming, singing, even dancing, with light sticks being waved all throughout. It was undoubtedly a moving experience, one that left a huge impression on everyone who got to witness her live on stage.
With the break somewhere in the middle of the concert, she got to answer random questions from the audience, like what things she liked about the Philippines, to which she answered bananas, mango, and halo-halo. Asked what type of guys she would like to date, she said she would want a kind person. Asked what anime with songs she had sung were her favorites, she answered Nisekoi for the characters and Fate/Zero for the story. Asked who she thought was the most influential person to her career, she said Avril Lavigne has had a huge impact on her and had really wanted to be like her.
She said goodbye to the audience after her last song and exited the stage. The fans started chanting, almost immediately, “Encore! Encore! Encore!” After some minutes, LiSA reappeared on stage to oblige her fans, singing Crow Song from Angel Beats. That song was her last for her first Philippine concert, and although the audience wanted more, they knew it was the conclusion of this rare performance. She told everyone that she wants to go back to perform again here in the Philippines, and probably the next time around she’ll be performing with her full band.
Ending sometime after 6:30pm, the audience was told that there was the meet-and-greet session where fans got to shake Lisa’s hand and receive an autographed poster from her.
Outside the hall, the lobby was still buzzing with activity from fans who stayed around, still high with euphoria and adrenaline from getting to watch, hear and meet LiSA perform live. They took pictures of each otherwhile still being giddy from all that excitement.
Later after the handshake session, LiSA peeked out from behind the hall door to say her final goodbye to her fans who were faithfully waiting for even the faintest chance that she’ll show up afterwards. She did, and we got lucky to have this footage of her:
[youtube id=”utcO4c8wlWM”]
With the good attendance at the concert, LiSA – Another Great Day in Manila was a great success, exceeding everyone’s expectations. Congratulations to the organizers who made the almost impossible happen of bringing LiSA to Manila. We earnestly hope that this will pave the way for other talented Japanese artists to consider performing in Manila. Many thanks as well to cosplay.ph for accommodating us for our coverage and for this great opportunity. Photos from the concert proper and inside the hall taken from Lisa’s blog.
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