Music Review: A last-minute thrill—Gym Class Heroes and Nelly Furtado

It can be said that Nelly Furtado and Gym Class Heroes came to Manila almost like thieves in the night. Their arrival was relatively silent, unheralded by endless TV ads, tireless promotion from big companies, or opposition from the Catholic Church.   Perhaps because Metro Manila was still cleaning up the mess caused by the previous week’s heavy rains and massive flooding, most people didn’t know the artists were coming until they were actually here, a mere day before their one night show at the Araneta Coliseum on August 16.   In a way, the unexpectedness of their show had an advantage. Though smaller than what is due such big (as in Grammy/VMA winning big) artists, the crowd’s energy was not bogged down by months-old expectations and over-anticipation.   Rather, those in attendance exuded sheer happiness, a kind of last-minute thrill at the fact that they were somewhere they probably didn’t expect to be on that Thursday night. The crowd, it has to be said, might be the best kind of people to catch a concert with.   The Gym Class Heroes family   After a rather relaxed opening act by talented young band Gracenote, American rap-rock group Gym Class Heroes bounded onstage, exploding with compelling irreverence with their first number, “Cookie Jar,” one of their hits from 2008.   It didn’t take long for frontman Travie McCoy (of “Billionaire” fame) to dive into the audience, rapping in the midst of adoring fans, where he stayed for quite a while before returning to the stage for “Cupid’s Chokehold.”   “Manila, this is our first time here, you’re definitely showing us a lot of love,” the rapper said some time into their set.   “Before you leave, we want to make sure that each and every one of you a member of the Gym Class Heroes family,” he continued.   “I’ve got four words for you Manila,” Travie said after the spectators gamely followed his directive to hug the people on either side of them. “Welcome to the family.”   It was a welcome to their family indeed—after that, Travie involved them in the show as much as he could, preceding each song with a short spiel that required the crowd to react in one way or another.

  Before “Stereo Hearts,” he requested the audience to form a heart shape with their hands. Prep to “Ass Back Home,” he asked the students in the crowd to reveal themselves and told them to kiss their parents when they get home, “’cos you only get two of them.”   After one round of “Billionaire,” he pointed the mic to the audience and let them have their way with the famous chorus.   But the highlight of the set was probably when they sang one of their more emotionally charged songs, “The Fighter.”   “This song goes out to Manny Pacquiao, to my friend who’s battling cancer, he’s a f*cking fighter. This song goes out to all of you with your hands in the air right now,” Travie said, before the band broke out in the song’s soaring introduction.   At the end of the set, the stage dimmed, though it was clear that the audience wanted more from them. Instead of an encore, however, the band bounced back on stage, asked the audience to raise their hands in the air, and posed for an Instagram photo op with their Filipino family.   Nelly: Grateful to be here Nelly’s set began like a jolt to the senses, a considerable wait after Gym Class Heroes took their exit.   At that point, the stage had turned pitch black and the audience—which grew considerably in between sets—was getting antsy.   Then like a flash of lighting, the stage lights burst along with the familiar opening drum beats of one of her more popular songs. The audience promptly screamed in recognition, and then Nelly came running on to the stage singing “Maneater.”   For her second song, “Big Hoops,” world champion hoop dancer Tony Duncan came out on stage clad in Native American garb and proceeded to work his magic on the hula hoops. Though seemingly random, Duncan added a great visual weight to the scene, and gave the audience a sense of wonderment besides.   What was notable with Nelly was the way she reworked her classic songs such that a song you probably heard a hundred times already before suddenly sounds new, and fresh.   For instance, “All good things come to an end,” was almost unrecognizable when it began with a flute solo by Duncan, and “Promiscuous” (which was changed to “Mysterious,” possibly for the sake of keeping things PG-13) found itself in a medley with a bunch of other songs.   But perhaps the best twist was her performance of arguably her most popular song, “Like A Bird.” This rendition, aside from being slower and more mellow than the 12-year old original, featured a Filipino translation of the chorus, sung by Gracenote’s lead singer, Eunice Jorge.   “Parang ibon, lilipad nalang. Di alam ang sarili. Di alam kung saan uuwi,” Eunice sang, as Nelly’s voice echoed the original words in perfect harmony. The blend of their voices and the palpable excitement of Eunice to be singing with Nelly was one of the more tender moments in the entire show.   Surprise guest performers seemed to be Nelly’s theme for the night—later on she asked two of her fans to come down and join her onstage.   “You’re a lovely audience,” Nelly said, in between songs. “I feel very at home here…a touch of home.”   Perhaps that’s why she proceeded to dedicate her next song, “Spirit Indestructible” to the victims of the Habagat floods. “Clearly, the Philippines has a Spirit Indestructible!” she said.   Nelly’s set ended on an upbeat note, her performances of “Hot n Fun,” and “Party Rock Anthem” making everyone get up off their seats and dance.   After the encore, she and her band exited to the guitar riff of Nirvana classic, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nelly’s guitarist, Sean Kelly. And just like that, the show was over.   As it turned out, the artists were the best kind to catch in concert as well—the kind who talk to the audience, flirt with them, notice the signs they make and their facial expressions. The kind who don’t let the barrier between stage and seats and the bouncers’ watchful eyes stop them from reaching out their hands.   It was this constant engagement with the audience and apparent eagerness to be in their presence that made up for the show’s apparent arbitrariness and lack of spectacle.   The artists’ and the audience’s mutual admiration and love for each other turned out to be all the glitter and confetti and trippy lighting that the show needed. — ELR, GMA News Photos by Magic Liwanag for Dayly Entertainment