The biggest music festival in the Philippines is back this time at Clark Global City in Angeles City, Pampanga for an impressive two-day event that gathered the greatest Original Pilipino Music (OPM) artists of their time.
The Aurora Music Festival is the largest touring music festival in the Philippines for two years straight. Produced by Epic Events, Aurora Festival tours Clark City, Cebu, and Davao every year and brings the country’s biggest OPM acts complimented with a hot air balloon display.
Held on April 6, the first day of the Clark Aurora Music Festival drew a passionate crowd consisting of more than 70,000 attendees from all over the country to witness the live performances of their idols belonging to the OPM scene.
Most, if not all of the headliners during Day 1 are current OPM sensations that resonate with the Gen Z crowd. It’s no surprise then that the concertgoers are noticeably more youthful and energetic.
Clark Global City’s open ground was the ideal place to stage the biggest music festival of the year. The main single stage faced the SVIP crowd and there were only two massive LED screens on both sides of the stage.
The hot air balloon display situated on the left side of the grounds was lit up at night, right after the beautiful orange-yellow sunset. There were hot air balloons of different shapes and sizes, such as a dog, a cat, and a spaceship.
Apart from the concert, there were plenty of stalls to buy snacks and drinks to keep oneself energized while waiting for their favorite acts.
Right before the main acts’ performance, DJ Kat De Jesus, also known as KATDJ, and DJ Kafa hyped the crowd in their joint set and played nostalgic songs, such as Usher’s “DJ Got Us Falling In Love,” Soulja Boy’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” and Zedd’s “Clarity,” yet mashed up with the sickest beats. The smooth transitions and flow of songs got the crowd dancing and jumping to their feet continuously.
At 6 p.m., six-piece alternative-pop band Cup of Joe (COJ) from Baguio City lit up the stage with “Mananatili.” The unmatched energy that COJ brought to the stage was spectacular as the confetti blasted the crowd to the beat of their song.
Watching the eclectic band’s live performance for the first time was a delight as the energies of vocalists Gian Bernardino and Raphaell Ridao are infectious as they encourage the crowd to sing along to their songs “Estranghero,” “Patutunguhan,” “Lahat ng Bukas,” and their viral song “Tingin” which currently has more than 83 million streams on Spotify.
Next up was singer-songwriter Adie whose a frequent performer at the Aurora Music Festival. Adie, accompanied by his electric guitar, opened his set with his new song “Sawa Na,” which is a vulnerable and honest shout to the world that he’s fed up with being alone.
The crowd swooned over Adie’s soft demeanor as he serenaded the crowd with his familiar and melodic songs, such as “Mahika,” “Tahanan,” and “Paraluman,” coupled with his sweet smiles. He also sang “Hoy!” from his latest album Senaryo under O/C Records.
Following Adie was juan karlos, who is a singer, songwriter, and actor who starred in Senior High. juan karlos, or JK, started his set with a contradicting vibrant intro of “Sad Songs and Bullshit” pertaining to his album titled Sad Songs and Bullshit Part 1.
Leading to that was JK’s sad love songs such as “Demonyo,” the once-viral “Buwan,” “Manhid,” and the iconic “Ere.” Witnessing JK’s live performance of his other songs besides “Ere” was an experience; his ability to stir the crowd with his vigor standing almost six-foot-tall and belting out to sad songs is a must-see than streaming.
Singer-songwriter Moira dela Torre graced the Clark Aurora stage with a thrilling intro of “Paubaya.” As Moira belted out the lyrics “Ako ang kailangan, pero ‘di ang mahal,” it’s easy to understand that she’s more than an angelic pretty face but a voice that demands to be interpreted deeply.
The soft-spoken Moira disappeared when she sang the rock version “Ang Iwasan.” Moira said this was the first time she performed on the Aurora stage and gave it all when she sang “Tagu-taguan,” and “Babalik Sa’yo” as she went down the stage and immersed herself with the crowd taking pictures and letting them sing along.
Wrapping up her set, Moira sang a sadder version of “Tagpuan” following the break-up with her husband Jason Hernandez. The sharp pain lingers as she belted out, “At nakita kita sa tagpuan ng iba, may kinang sa mata na hindi ko mabura..” Moira bid to the crowd on a positive note with “Kumpas.”
Second to the last of performers was the alternative-rock band December Avenue, a staple band in the Aurora music fest. The band rocked the stage with their heartbreaking song, “Kahit Di Mo Na Alam.”
December Avenue started as a band in 2008, and 16 years later, they did not lose the hold they have over people with their ability to deliver a solid performance. They played earlier songs, such as “Eroplanong Papel” and “Sleep Tonight” from their self-titled album, and shared the stage with Moira for the fourth time to sing their song “Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw.”
The band ended their set with more painful songs, such as “Huling Sandali” and “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig” as the crowd lit up the open grounds with their mobile phones.
Finally, the most-awaited act for the night was the trailblazer P-pop boy band SB-19. Most of the attendees of Clark Aurora were their fans called A’TIN, who mostly came from the provinces and had been to the venue camping out before the gates opened.
Pablo, Stell, Ken, Josh, and Justin stunned the crowd with a powerful performance of their chart-topping “GENTO” and dance in sync with one another. Even the attendees who were not fans of the boy group were converted to A’TINs.
SB19 also performed the bold and sultry R&B song “I WANT YOU” which had the fans screaming and losing their minds. Adding depth and meaning to their set, the boys also sang “Liham” and “MAPA” melodiously in chorus.
SB19’s performance concluded with the high-energy “CRIMZONE” as fireworks shot up and lit the skies signifying a successful music festival that will surely be remembered. All photos by Reine Juvierre S. Alberto/BM
Image credits: Reine Juvierre S. Alberto