It was likely the first concert for a lot of young girls including boys in the crowd when In The Mix 2017, presented by MMI Live together with Smart and PLDT, kicked off at the MoA Arena on Thursday. Fans exploded and easily whipped into rabid frenzy.
The Twitter-trending indoor music festival returned this year with six of the hottest acts on the international music scene led by the Australian rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS).
Less than a year after they came to Manila for their Sounds Live Feels Live Tour, the Australian rock quartet showcased what kind of young rock ’n’ roll band they are, as evidenced by their show last Thursday night. 5SOS delivered the goods with their popular hits including crowd favorites “She Looks So Perfect,” “Amnesia,” “Don’t Stop,” “Hey Everybody!,” and “What I Like About You.”
But it was also the night of American dance-rock band DNCE fronted by singer and actor Joe Jonas. The band, which first introduced itself to audiences worldwide with the release of “Cake By The Ocean,” captured the hearts of the audience when its frontman waived the Philippine flag amid the raining confetti and while the giant speakers at the Arena was blasting the song “We are the Champion.”
Apart from performing its hits “Kissing Strangers” and Toothbrush,” DNCE was not short of any surprises. The band did an eclectic cover of Spice Girls “Wannabe” and Britney Spears’s “Oops!… I Did It Again.”
The hours-long spectacle was opened by American singer and Grammy winner, Grace Martine Tandon, who is better known by her stage name Daya. The teen singer performed her Billboard 100 chart-toppers “Hide Away,” and “Don’t Let Me Down,” a collaboration with EDM superstar The Chainsmokers.
Next to perform was Dua Lipa, a London-raised singer-songwriter and model of Albanian. Dua Lipa, who began her music career at 14, started recording covers for YouTube and Soundcloud, continuing those early rap and R&B influences by tackling tracks from artists like Chance The Rapper. During the concert, she made everyone jump to their feet with her hits “Be The One,” “Hotter Than Hell,” and her current single “Blow Your Mind (Mwah).”
Dua Lipa was then followed by DNCE and then by the Irish alt-indie favorite Two Door Cinema Club. The band, which is currently on tour for its third album, is behind the hit songs “Are We Ready? (Wreck),” “Bad Decisions,” and “Gameshow.” The band is composed of singer Alex Trimble, guitarist Sam Halliday, and bassist Kevin Baird.
Next big act to hit the MoA Arena stage was the 19-year-old Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson who trended on Twitter with 1.5 million tweets right after the concert.
“Thank you Manila. Thank you for cheering on and for giving me so much energy last night. I can’t wait to be back,” the singer twitted early morning on Friday.
Larsson gained national fame for winning the 2008 season of the Swedish version of Got Talent. She released her debut EP, “Introducing,” with the hit single “Uncover” in 2013. Thereafter she released the singles “She’s Not Me,” “Carry You Home,” and “Rooftop,” which all reached top 10 of all major music charts in Europe.
