BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

SB19, the top P-pop boy band in the country, seems to have Midas’ touch. #SB19atCCP Binurda trended last night on Twitter with more than 100k tweets, most of them praising the boys for their professionalism because despite the unexpected downpour at the CCP Lawn yesternight, Dec. 15, where the event was held, they just sang and danced with full energy as if nothing monumental was happening.

Wearing leatherette and mostly black ensembles which reminds one of ninja-yoroi, or ninja armor, their first number was ‘What?’, which is a great choice for Binurda, CCP’s Christmas show and building facade lighting. The song was described by Apple Music as “patriotic OPM pop that hits hard enough to start a street party.” True enough, if not for the formalistic venue, most likely, people would be gyrating to the hard-hitting beats as SB19 rocked the stage.

These performances served as the end of the First Suite, called ‘Tanglaw ng Hiraya’. “Each suite features varying music genres that encompass different periods and milieu,” said a portion of the event’s press release. The First Suite seeks to transport spectators to the dream weaver’s motherland in southern Philippines.

SB19 returned with ‘Mapa’ towards the first part of the Fourth (final) Suite, which centers on Filipino family dynamics. As the stage remained bathed in electric blue lighting thanks to acclaimed designer John Batalla, Bayanihan dancers spun around holding branch-like props with lighting akin to fireflies, and Pablo, Stell, Justin, Josh, and Ken made their way to the front. 

With vocal backup from The Madrigal Singers, the performers wearing grayish piña jusi modern barong vests worn over white polos with black ties delivered their heart-rending song about a child’s love for a mother, telling her to put everything down and rest. The song can be interpreted two ways, either literally, for the mom to catch up on the sleep she hadn’t had for so many years taking care of her child, or as an eternal rest, with the child telling her that the efforts she put into raising this individual will not be in vain.

The vests were embroidered in a gold shade and corresponds to the main theme of the show. The piña jusi textile’s embroidery is called callado, which is the image formed on the CCP Main Building Facade. This is “the intricate embroidery and needlework with Sampaguita detailing,” said the CCP website.

After the Fourth Suite, the facade was finally lit with predominantly signature Batalla colors: purple, lemon as well canary yellow, harlequin green, and fire brick red. SB19 comes back for the finale performance medley starting off with ‘Ligaya’, with lead dancer and Tiktok favorite Stell delivering the first few lines.

By this time, the raindrops have gotten more conspicuous. It’s obvious even if you were not at the actual event and was just watching it via livestream. “The show must go on,” they say, so the performance was finished with no interruptions. They closed the show with the rest of the performers singing ‘Pasko na Namang Muli’. The boys even stayed for a few more minutes’ despite being really soaked, so they can show appreciation for their beloved A’tins, the name of SB19’s official fan club.

The performers, aside from the above mentioned, were The Nightingales and The Male Ensemble of the Philippines (MEP). The event was open to the public and registration was done via Eventbrite less than 24 hours after the event proper. 

Spotted in the VIP area were CCP Associated Artistic Director Dennis Marasigan as well as CCP President Margarita “Margie” Moran-Floreindo.

The lighting embellishments at CCP’s exterior can be viewed by the public until January 2023.

The livestream of the event is currently up on the ‘Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Facebook page. One would know it is the correct one because it has gained about 64,000 followers since it has been created 10 years ago. You may also follow them on their Youtube channel with the same name, with 20,000 plus followers and created 12 years ago, around the time Pewdiepie started Youtube.

*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo from Showbiz Beat Media