THE SOUL BROTHERS CONCERT:

MY PERSONAL REVIEW 

The concert was one hour late! 

Thirty minutes is understandable but one hour of waiting will test your patience.

Some artists I have seen in time before the concert; Gary V., Tom Rodriguez, Carla Abellana, Jed Madela, Coleen Garcia, and Vice Ganda. 

I rarely watch concerts of all sorts, it is not actually my cup of tea, unless it is a concert of Mr. Pure Energy Gary V. or a concert of that Lady called Ms. Saigon, Leah Salonga. It just happened that a friend of mine bought two tickets to watch the JayR, Billy Crawford and Kris Lawrence concert last night (Sept. 15, 2017) and to my surprise, they are soul brothers indeed!

Their voices is out of the question. The Soul Brothers can really, really sing! Only with few hard to hear missed riffs and runs and sharp notes, nevertheless the "brothers" kept it going. JayR and Kris are two serious RNB artists and Billy is a doze of fun, a mix of talents which made the concert flows like a tide, with highs and lows. I noticed that their spiels are impromptu, that is why I sensed some dead air. They are also looking at one another on who's next to do a part of the song.

Kris almost missed his shoe in the early part of the concert, is it? Or is it because of the great lightings on the stage that made my eyes see things?  I also noticed Kris, there are times that he is distant from the two on stage, but I can tell he truly treasures his daughter and his Mom. JayR is an epitome of pitch perfect, like a real brother he catches Kris' sharp note on that medley they are doing when Kris was about to make a transition. Maybe he was suddenly disoriented because before he hit that note in about 20 seconds, Billy whispered something to him.

To those who watched and listened carefully Billy's wireless mic malfunctioned three times.

When it comes to dancing, Billy has an edge because he was trained to do it. But if the 3 brothers danced freely on stage, I mean dancing without looking at each other and still turned synchronized, it will be perfect!

The entire stage production is commendable, the lights are awesome. 

Their medley with Jay Durias, the Southborder "Legend" or the "Godfather of Soul" as they called him on stage seemed not well rehearsed. Doing the song Kahit Kailan pre-ends with a high-soaring note. We all know that most Filipinos loved belting and if a vocalist cannot duplicate that, the Filipino audience will sense it. Aside from that 'good to the ear' Southborder medley, I just wished they did more songs in a capella, because they sounded good when they are blending, it will allow their souls to carry those tunes up in mid-air.

The Soul Brothers in the middle of their OPM Medley asked Gary V. to participate. Gary's voice is one of a kind, it puts a mark, it has identity. Singing two lines from his own songs, one can hear that Mr. Pure Energy sings from his heart and soul. Hitting the first notes, the crowd went hysterical. And so am I.

Is JayR aware that he said "Filipino kasi KAYO" (refering that most Filipinos like karaoke), or is it because his Tagalog words comes on installment basis?

The choreography and the dancers are good enough, but to be honest I cannot feel them. I am not saying that I did not appreciate their efforts but aside from their well-toned bodies, which I am envious. G-Force needs a little more of that "feeling" when they dance. I am not a dancer, but in every endeavor there must be a purpose. Dancing is like singing, a viewer must feel and experience the pain and the joy of what dancing brings, not just moves pushed by choreography, to be honest they need more grace and more flexibility. 

Punchlines like MMDA, Burger King, Billy the Bully, elevator shoes, naka-trench coat ka pa, etc... are good ones, but Belo is out of context since Cathy Valencia was one of their major sponsors. 

Bench was one of their sponsors, but I certainly believe it did not cover their costumes on stage. Those things they wore last night seemed like an array of the artists individual decisions that is why they looked mismatched. Next time they need a wardrobe stylist.

Filipino songs are the best. I am a fan of well-crafted lyrics. Singing Filipino songs is like reciting a poetry in all forms, in this concert, Gloc-9 helped the Soul Brothers to amplify soul through his raps. My favorite song of Gloc-9 is Upuan. One of the most relative, political satire songs I used in my dissertation at UP Diliman.  

I am not writing this because someone gave me a free ticket. We bought those tickets, we sat at orchestra, right side, row 21 seat nos. 12 & 13. I am writing this at free will, because I enjoyed the concert, stating that, the two and a half hour concert of the Soul Brothers is not boring. Good thing!!

Now about the venue before I end this.

KIA Theater is a disappointment when it comes to seats, from the place where we are seated there are no leg rooms and from seat to seat the distance is too narrow and tight. 

By the way, a piece of something I have noticed when it comes to audience. Most of the people you had last night were listeners, and when we listen, we keep quiet. I think people came to hear your soulful voices, meaning we are not there to squeal or thump our feet. The set of audience last night is to appreciate in a truthful manner by not faking. Sometimes silence shows more of deeper appreciation.

In the last concert of Pentatonix at the Big Dome (Sept. 24, 2016), we were so disappointed because the youth crowd was so annoying and shouting in-between songs, it was earsplitting. Even the Pentatonix beg to have some silence because they are an a capella group. The people do not understand that they need silence to get their proper keys before each songs. The rowdy crowd kept on going with their misbehavior, that concert became less than what we paid for. 

To JayR, Billy and Kris, Congratulations for a job well done. See you soon on your next concert.

Copyright
drjohniecuison.blogspot.com Writings 2017 #07
cuisonjohnie@gmail.com

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