ONE OK ROCK LIVE IN MANILA
Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK held its first concert in the Philippines on Tuesday (January 19) at the Mall of Asia Arena as part of their 35xxv album Asia tour this 2016.
LIGHTS ON. Lights on the center stage signal the start of the performance of One OK Rock band.
Filipino fans welcomed the band’s four members: Takahiro “Taka” Moriuchi, vocalist; Toru Yamashita, guitarist; Ryota Kohama, bassist; and Tomoya Kanki, drummer, in high spirits and loud cheers when the concert started at 8 p.m.
READY FOR ROCK. Fans wait for their favorite Japanese rock band as they fall in line outside the arena.
In 2012, ONE OK ROCK’s music was heard in the Philippines nationwide through the movie adaptation of Japanese manga series Rurouni Kenshin and its official soundtrack “The Beginning.” It was followed by two movie sequels in which the band also recorded both soundtracks including “Mighty Long Fall” and “Heartache.”
GETTING READY FOR ROCK N ROLL. One OK Rock band does their opening salvo for the concert as fans sing along with them.
One year and a few months later, Filipino fans were given a chance to see ONE OK ROCK and hear their favorite soundtracks live. They also got to hear songs from the band’s current album 35xxv as well as songs from other past albums: Niche Syndrome, Zankyou Reference, and JinseixBoku.
TAKA FOR THE WIN. Taka impresses the crowd as he sings crowd-favorite songs during the concert.
During the concert, Taka’s powerful vocal performance hyped up the crowd as they sing together one song to another. The band seemed to be taken aback that the fans can sing along even to the Japanese lyrics and seemed to be greatly impressed so they encouraged the fans to sing an entire verse.
ONE OK ROCK’s first concert in the Philippines was a blast with the band’s powerful performance, the fans’ active participation, and the arena’s awesome lighting arrangements.
MEET THE ONE OK ROCK BAND. Members Taka, Toru, Tomoya, and Ryota left their fans a concert to remember as they wowed the audience with their impressive performance all throughout the night.
The concert ended with one of the members shouting “Mahal Kita” and a promise to “See you next time!”
Article and photos by Paulene San Miguel
