"I'm gonna take a leave off work tomorrow," someone at the next table told her friend in an All Time Low shirt as they slurped noodles at a ramen bar behind the Mall of Asia Arena. Her friend laughed and replied, "Oh my God, ako rin!"
It was a Monday (15/08), the perfect day to raise a finger to The Man and celebrate the power of punk rock with All Time Low and PULP Live World. Their audience, mostly kids-at-heart-who've already said goodbye to the halls and the classes and now deal with a job and the taxes, are ready more than ever to return to the world of concerts.
Before the show kicked off, a fan-made video compiled by All Time Low Philippines played on the screen behind the stage. Fans who grew up listening to the 'Six Feet Under the Stars' act poured their hearts out to share what All Time Low meant to them, how the band was their lullaby and their sanctuary. It was a sweet clip, proving how much All Time Low have been there for them through the toughest and darkest days.
Chicosci hit the stage to open the night of head-banging and good times. They were just the right band to warm up the stage as they jumped and spun all over the floor, delivering hit after hit while the crowd chanted their lyrics back at them.
And of course, it wouldn't be an All Time Low concert without the band making a bang right at the start. With their opening number 'Lost in Stereo', ribbons of confetti launched up into the air, blessing the crowd below with racing heart rates that may trigger their smartwatches with alerts to calm down.
"I cannot believe there are so many people here right now," frontman Alex Gaskarth cried several times during the show. It'd been a while since the Bazooka Rocks II alums performed a show in Asia, what with the ongoing pandemic and all, but they still managed to deliver a tight performance without skipping a beat.
"We’re gonna play an old song. If you know this song that means you’re old too! We’re old," guitarist Jack Barakat quipped.
"Those old bones still wear that skin suit pretty well," Gaskarth joked back before they performed 'Weightless'. The show carried on with All Time Low playing crowd favourites 'Backseat Serenade', 'Life of the Party', and 'Dirty Laundry'.
If anything, the night brought out the thrill and excitement punk rock fans held on to over the past two and half years, as they waited indoors for the live music scene to wake up again. "We're a long way from 2018—oh, 2017?" Gaskarth said, clearly still in disbelief about being back onstage in the Philippines, as he recalled their last Manila concert. "We’ve been through a whole lot lately. It’s moments like these and nights like tonight that remind me why we stick around. We are one beautiful thing," he added.
"May pasok pa ko bukas!" A young woman (who might be a tiny bit more responsible than the girls from the ramen bar) in the VIP area screamed when the lights went out and the band hit backstage for a quick break.
"All Time Low! All Time Low!" the crowd chanted until their words transitioned to "Therapy! Therapy! Therapy!" Those unfamiliar with the Nothing Personal track would probably think their audience was simply demanding for actual therapy with All Time Low as their doctors. The band gave in, of course, despite how unprepared they were. They asked for the crowd's help to back them up as they played 'Therapy' before closing the evening with 'Dear Maria, Count Me In'.
As All Time Low made their exit from the stage, AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' played through the venue speakers as the soundtrack for these 20 and 30-somethings who have work the next day. But it's all good. After a night of good fun, everyone was all set to be the responsible adults they are now.
ALL TIME LOW MANILA SETLIST
Lost in Stereo
Dark Side of Your Room
Sleeping In
Some Kind of Disaster
Weightless
Once in a Lifetime
Backseat Serenade
Life of the Party
Dirty Laundry
Missing You
Good Times
Something's Gotta Give
Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)
Blinding Lights (The Weeknd cover)
Monsters
Encore:
PMA
Therapy
Dear Maria, Count Me In
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