Let me back track. I discovered SB19 that same night they blew up on Twitter with the dance practice for Go Up. It was the first time for me to see a Filipino group dance so in sync, to a song that despite being in Tagalog, did not sound cringy at all. Little did I know that night would become a historical moment in OPM, a date you can argue to be the birth of PPOP!

Fast forward to October 1, 2022 – I finally got to see SB19 perform live! There have been so many chances before and after the pandemic that I’ve let slip because I didn’t really make an effort. In fact, even for this concert, nothing was planned until 2 days prior, when I decided to go home to Cebu. I booked the concert ticket right after I booked my flight and everything just fell in to place! I also managed to convince two of my friends to accompany me! Mhealler, who was a non-believer at first, and Hannah, who has never attended a concert in her life, ever!

It was quite a long queue when we got there, which was around 30 minutes before the start of the event. We walked all the way from IT Park to Waterfront (the venue) thus the big beads of sweat on my forehead! It felt so weird seeing all the young kids because you could consider our generation *old* for this event but that’s OK, we had masks on, no one would recognize us! Haha.

And then the concert started with KAIA! I really hope they become as successful as SB19 because they’re very talented! I loved their energy and how stable their singing is despite the complex dance steps.

Then followed Josue, who is also an amazing songwriter & rapper! He is Pablo’s brother and the talent these guys have is just crazy. I wished Josue sang my favorite song, Akala, but that’s fine. He did Agos and we were all grooving to it!

And then, the main event!

It’s hard to put the experience into words. Let’s just say that being a *low key* A’TIN – I memorized almost all of the songs’ lyrics by heart. So I was practically singing my lungs out, jumping around, waving my hands – I felt the music and the words down to my core! HAHA. Big words! But really, I was just having the time of my life! And SB19 – they delivered! I knew they were talented, but seeing them performing in person still blew my mind! My friends became A’TIN after that night!

Also shout out to my bias STELL because those vocals are just on point!

That said, here are some snaps from my phone. We were at the Gen Ad section but because the venue isn’t that big, we were actually still quite close to the stage! I guess it’s better to watch concerts in Cebu versus in Manila in terms of bang for your buck!

Then they changed for the next set of songs…

And this is their third look – WYAT era!

Finally, the encore stage with SLMT, one of my fave songs!

It was a really great experience. Photos can’t do justice so I’m including the mini-vlog I posted on YouTube below! Feel the energy from your screen! Haha.

That’s it! If you haven’t listened to SB19 ever, please do try! They’ll also be touring internationally (yes, global domination!!!), so go watch them if they are in your neighborhood – even if you’re not a fan. If you’re Filipino, show your support! They’re the first Filipino group to ever really make it this big globally and they’re paving the way for other PPOP groups as well. So yeah, check them out, share their music, and support PPOP!