MANILA, PhilippinesIt seemed half of the citys youth population was at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday night for the Lifehouse concert.
The kids couldnt contain their excitement. High-decibel shrieks greeted the first few bars of a keyboard intro that accompanied the bands entrance.
What is it about Lifehouse that attracted so many young people, and which had its promoter ecstatic because some P1 million worth of tickets were reportedly sold on concert day alone?
The bands sound, dismissed by some critics as drab FM radio rock, connects because its straight-away simple but with steady, powerful guitar chords that propel front man Jason Wades personal lyrics.
At the gig, lead guitarist Ben Carey and Wade on rhythm struck a tight partnership that had minimal solos and lots of sustained riffs on the mostly downbeat numbers.
Roars from the crowd erupted each time Wade opened his mouth to sing. His vocals, resembling the Eddie Vedder school of grunge warbling, was indecipherable for those unfamiliar with the songs. But shouts of approval rang as Wade delivered some of the famliar and more penetrable phrases: Shine your light; I wouldnt change a thing; I'm still breathing, holding on
Sing-along session
Hanging by a Moment, the song that won for Lifehouse the 2001 Hot 100 Single of the Year Billboard Music Award has vague lines (Forgetting all Im lacking/Completely incomplete), but the chorus speaks volumes for the young: I dont know what Im diving into/Just hanging by a moment here with you So the Big Dome turned into a humongous karaoke joint with a live band.
In true grunge fashion, Wades rock star attire looked like an ukay-ukay find: a rumpled, off-white T-shirt that was nevertheless very interesting with a print of The Specials, a popular ska group.
Another hit, Blind, followed. It sounded very close to mellow rock except that the cranked-up volume of Careys riffs and Wades pained vocals made it more compelling.
Bassist Bryce Soderberg was given a spot number to sing, and the song had touches of Nirvana giving credence to a critics observation that Lifehouse thrives on post-grunge music. But its the kind of grunge that had less of Kurt Cobains punk rage.
In a song called Better Luck Next Time, Soderberg plucked his bass like a super-bad funkster, even as drummer Rick Woolstenhulmes beats stayed on a solid course. Again, as in most of the numbers, heavy riffing marked this songs climax.
TV exposure
Lifehouse never had to rely on selling millions of albums to get noticed, although a good number of its singles have entered the charts. What made it big was a constant and financially lucrative exposure on several TV series led by Smallville, which acquired many of Wades songs for its soundtracks. One of them, Whatever It Takes, illustrates another aspect of Wades knack for crafting tunes that are deceptive in their simplicity: It is emotionally wrenching.
When You and Me came on, the spectators practically leapt out of their seats.
One more hit, First Time, had the 28-year-old Wade unstrapping his guitar and singing to the gallery with his body lunging forward like a wholesome Johnny Rotten.
The band apparently enjoyed the gig. Wades voice cracked as he yelled, Philippines, we love you! It sounded like he meant every word, having thus confirmed that his fans here were legion. The show was actually a one-off gig, the only Asian date that served as a break from a long-running US tour.
The encore was intense but, like many of the other songs, constantly mid-tempo, like REM-type college rock
The shows success will surely spur promoters to book similar young acts with a solid local fan base.
