Rain or shine, no weather has stopped Filipino festival-goers from celebrating their freedom at “Fusion: The Philippine Music Festival” last November 11, 2023.
Held at the CCP Open Grounds, the Philippines’ official music festival saw homegrown artists and bands bring out their show-stopping talent that has paved the way for both their local and global success.
The festival kicked off with “Fusion Freejam: Battle of the Bands,” a pre-show where the next generation of artists competed and showcased their talent and creativity, as well as reigniting their passion for music, with the band PAU emerging as the competition’s winner.
A few hours later, the venue was filled with buzz and excitement as Filipino electropop rock band Gracenote officially opened the festival, performing their cover of Stevie B’s “When I Dream About You,” “TAONG ROBOT,” and “TIGIL.”
The show continued to hype up the crowd’s energy as soon as 6cyclemind stepped onto the stage and performed “Biglaan,” “Sige,” and “Sandalan.” They were then followed by the young OPM band HEY JUNE!, who performed “Lasik,” “Biglang Taob,” and “Panahon.”
Closing off the first act of the festival was the National University Dance Company who delivered their show-stopping moves to the “Fusion” stage.
The talent of our Filipino rappers also shined through as “Latina” hitmaker AL James, “Nadarang” singer Shanti Dope, and Filipino legend Gloc-9 took center stage.
Following the King of Hip-Hop was no other than renowned Filipino artists KZ Tandingan and Bamboo who showcased their global talent at the “Fusion” stage.
Rising new artist Denise Julia blazed her way through the stage with a performance of her hit songs, “NVMD,” “Butterflies,” and “B.A.D.”, making the crowd dance on their feet.
Asia’s Phoenix Morissette also graced the festival and showed off her musical prowess as she belted out the lyrics to “Trophy,” “Mirror,” and her version of Eraserheads’ “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”
The mood in the venue shifted from a zestful ambiance to a solemn one as singer-songwriter Adie serenaded the crowd with “Mahika,” “Dungaw,” “Kabado,” “Tahanan,” and “Paraluman.” This continued as Arthur Nery gave out a soulful performance of some of his tracks, including “Isa Lang,” “Happy with You,” “Higa,” “Rainbow,” and “Pagsamo.”
The celebration of “Fusion Freedom” didn’t stop there as Ben&Ben, one of the festival headliners, took center stage. Festival-goers sang on the top of their lungs as the band performed “Ride Home,” “Paninindigan Kita,” “Kathang-Isip,” “Araw-Araw,” and “Pagtingin.”
Capping off the night was no other than the men of the hour, SB19. Amidst the technical difficulty, the P-Pop act still lit the stage on fire with their electrifying performance. SB19 stole the hearts of many fans and curious festival-goers as they performed “Gento,” “I Want You,” “Ilaw,” “Freedom,” and “Crimzone.”
From start to finish, the “Fusion” festival gave festival-goers a night that they will truly remember as they celebrate “Fusion Freedom” with some of the best homegrown artists and bands.
ADVT
