SB19 in Singapore: A multi-layered show that turns up the heat

August 28 ------ The last time SB19 performed in Singapore was in 2022. It was in a hotel in Sentosa with a capacity of about a thousand people. Their dedicated legion of fans (or A’TIN) grew massively since then, with the crowd filling out the concert venue in their return three years later.

Three months after kicking off their “Simula at Wakas” tour in Bulacan, the quintet—composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin—has since expanded the stops of their world tour and its venues, slowly and surely increasing the capacity of its concert venue depending on the demand of their fans.

Their Singapore leg, held on Sunday, August 24, at the Arena @ Expo, is one of their most ambitious stops yet, as it is one of their biggest venues outside their home country. Yet it is somehow fitting, as it matched one of the most piercing lines in their comeback, “paano pa higitan ang sagad na.”

In the hours leading up to the concert, A’TIN from different countries gathered together to exchange freebies, fangirl over their biases, and connect face-to-face, as many of them had established friendships through digital spaces. After all, the concert was attended by fans from Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Dubai, and other parts of the world.

As soon as the ornate hourglass flashed onscreen, cheers thundered through the venue. Yet the booming energy was undeniable when Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin stepped onstage with their signature swagger. Bringing out the energy early on, they pumped out one bombastic number after another, as seen in “What?”, “Mana” (with Josh already performing shirtless in one of its choruses), “Mana,” and their smash hit “Gento.”

The high-energy chapter smoothly transitioned into a sultrier set, with the members flipping into a more seductive tone with “Moonlight,” “I Want You,” “Golden Hour,” and “WYAT (Where You At).” In a switch-up from their past legs, their rendition of “I Want You” featured the appearance of Singaporean singer Benjamin Kheng, matching the sexiness of the track’s R&B vibe.

The quintet then changed tune, taking on rebellious and grittier personas with “DUNGKA! (with Justin keeping up with the tradition of using mundane yet fitting objects as his pamalo)”, “Bazinga (with the members noticeably switching each other’s parts)”, “8TonBall,” and “Crimzone.” Another chapter marked the switch of “characters,” taking on a more solemn tone with “Nyebe,” “Time,” “Quit,” and “Mapa,” the latter of which features the appearance of Aruma, where they performed the Indonesian version of the hit song for the first time.

From the beginning, the “Simula at Wakas” concert was framed as a multi-chaptered book that covers the phases of SB19’s story. Instead of the members doing a mere performance of each song, they intentionally distributed their tracks into their respective chapters, allowing them to fully portray the needed persona. Thus, they take away chunks of their usual concert gimmicks, including their talking segments, calling of their respective houses, and flirtatious moments between the members.

Source: inquirer.net