Stronger Than Music: February 2011

It's been a while since the last time I went out to watch a concert. 10.10.10 was the last concert I went to, which is Adam Lambert's "Glam Nation Tour" at the SM Mall of Asia open grounds. 4 months later, here I am again making a concert review to share my wonderful experience to all of STM's avid readers. And trust me, I enjoyed this one so much!

Manila was lucky enough to be part of Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" World Tour. After successful concerts in Singapore, South Korea and Japan, it's Manila's turn to witness Taylor Swift's explosive country extravaganza on Feb 19.

Chosen by Taylor Swift herself, Filipino talent, Sam Concepcion opened the concert at exactly 8pm with his version of Chris Brown's "Yeah Yeah Yeah". His second song was Kung Fu Panda's theme "Kung Fu Fighting", followed by his hit, "Even If". His last song was a rendition of Katy Perry's recent hit, "Firework" which delighted the audience.

Taylor's set did not start until 9pm. When the lights went down, it was Swift's opening song, "Sparks Fly". Audience went crazy! It was indeed the start of a magical night with country music's favorite princess. Here's the concert set list:

1. Sparks Fly

2. Mine

3. The Story of Us

4. Back to December/ Apologize/ You’re Not Sorry (medley)

5. Better Than Revenge

6. Speak Now

7. Fearless (Acoustic)/ I’m Yours (medley)

8. Fifteen

9. You Belong with Me

10. Dear John

11. Enchanted

12. Long Live

13. Love Story

I must admit that this is one of the best concerts I've ever been to. The crowd is awesome, singing all of the songs throughout the entire concert. Right from the start, you'll know that this is an audience full of energy and true enough, they never lost the energy until the concert ended. Even Taylor herself got amazed at how incredible the audience was and expressed her happiness through her Twitter account right after the show.

Of course, Taylor was as energetic as her audience, dancing, jumping and running throughout the entire concert which delighted the crowd. She was even uttering Filipino terms from time to time. I believe she said "Magandang Gabi" (Good Evening), "Salamat" (Thank You"), Mahal Ko Kayo" (I Love You) and "Kumusta" (How Are You) to which the audience responded with loud cheers. She also had a few costume changes: The sparkly gown on "Sparks Fly", the blue dress on "Speak Now", the shining gown on "Enchanted" and the white dress on "Love Story", which added excitement to the whole experience of watching Swift perform.

The moment Taylor appeared on stage, every person at the Big Dome instantly got mesmerized. There's something about this girl that captivates you. Like when you we're a child and obsessed with Barbie. Maybe because her songs are about experiences. Our personal experiences. We easily relate to every heartbreak and tear and happiness and boy crush that she has or had in the past. Not to mention the charismatic beauty this artist has and the heart of a down-to-earth person. Truly, it was enchanting to meet this artist in person and share with her, even for a night, all of the wonderful experiences of being a teen and being in love.

Below are pictures and videos during the show (credit to the original owners):