P-pop group Alamat concluded their first-ever solo concert with a thundering applause and a standing ovation from the audience last Friday night at New Frontier Theater in Quezon City.
The multiethnic and multilingual boy band, consisting of Taneo, Mo, Jao, Tomas, R-Ji, and Alas, delivered powerhouse performances and stunning outfits parading Philippine cultures.
To celebrate this historic moment for the group, here’s everything that went down at the Dagundong Solo Concert.
Opening acts
Viva artist Michael Keith opened the Dagundong concert with his upbeat rendition of Jung Kook’s Seven, followed by his own single, Drowning.
As part of the concert surprise, Viva Records launched its newest boy group Xerenade, composed of Migo, Martin, and Gami.
The trio serenaded the audience as they performed three cover songs during the event.
In his Twitter post, Director Jason Paul Laxamana revealed that the new Viva x Ninuno group is the brother group of Alamat, which will mainly focus on the ballad and R&B genres.
Gami was a member of Alamat before he left the group in March 2022.
Meanwhile, Migo gained publicity after debuting in 2021 with his single ah sarado. He also appeared in the official music video of Alamat’s Maharani.
The main event
At approximately quarter to nine of the evening, the six Alamat members lit up the stage, appearing in stunning techno fiesta-themed outfits as they kicked off the event with kasmala, a song from their first EP, Pasulong.
This was immediately followed by Hala before chanting their ever-famous multilingual group introduction.
To further lift the concert mood, Alamat performed their upbeat and uplifting songs ABKD, known for tackling the issue of colorism; and Sandigan, which served as the theme song for the Anitu comic book series.
A video playback appeared on the screen right after, showing the group’s journey from their audition videos and training days to their official debut in 2021.
The video signaled a hint to their next performance featuring their debut single kbye, written in seven Philippine local languages.
The outfits in this performance were apparently a reworked and repurposed version of the original outfits the members wore in kbye official music video.
Solo performances
Despite being in a group, the members still embrace and celebrate their individuality, as shown in their diverse solo stages during the concert.
Youngest member Jao once again proved that he deserved the title of main dancer with his solo performance, showcasing his breathtaking dance moves while singing Oh Na Na by John Roa and Karl Wine.
As the main vocalist, Tomas charmed the fans with his soulful rendition of Araw-Gabi. He also flaunted his skills in playing flute at the last part of his performance as part of his branding.
Meanwhile, the group leader and main dancer Taneo delivered a jaw-dropping performance of Dahan by Jae K and Just Hush, displaying his smooth, sexy dance moves.
For lead rapper Alas, there’s no better way to flex his exceptional rapping skills than by singing a well-written rap song in their first major concert in full red suits and red hair.
Main rapper and vocalist Mo displayed powerful vocal and rapping skills in his Please You performance while dancing in a gray chromatic outfit.
Lead vocalist R-Ji surprised the audience by playing an electric guitar at the beginning of his act before singing his rendition of Sarah Geronimo’s Duyan, proving how great he was at serenading people.
A culmination of 3 years of hard work
Midway through the concert, the members took a performance break by talking about how the event was a historic moment for them.
Alas, for instance, was so grateful that he got to achieve his dream of performing live in a concert and hoped that Magiliws would continue to support Alamat.
R-ji also mentioned how proud he was of himself and other members for having come this far in the music industry.
The members also shared that they were on the verge of crying backstage before performing kasmala as they realized that their three years’ worth of hard work would finally pay off with this concert.
Afterward, they finally performed three songs off the Isapuso Album: Day and Night, Dayang, and Walang Hanggan.
The group also performed their famous acoustic cover of porque and serenaded six lucky Magiliws in their Sa Panaginip Na Lang performance.
As a dedication to their parents, who were also part of the audience, Alamat sang the heart-rending song ILY ILY.
The stage atmosphere suddenly turned creepy as Alamat performed Gayuma and Aswang continuously and then shifted back to a vibrant vibe during the Noli and Say U Love Me stages.
The sextet performed the rest of their songs in the Isapuso album, including Dagundong, Manila Dreams, Multo, and Dong-Dong-Ay.
Alamat capped off their first solo concert by performing their all-time hit song, Maharani.
Support from fellow P-pop artists, celebrities
Some celebrities and P-pop artists were also spotted attending the concert to show support for Alamat.
Among these are the boy band group The Juans, Bini’s Maloi and Mikha, Dione’s Joyden and Ella, and Bilib’s JMAC.
Also present at the event are some cast members of Penduko, led by actor Matteo Guidicelli, to promote their film in the upcoming 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
The cast appeared on stage during the live performance of Dagundong, the official theme song for the MMFF entry, Penduko.
