AMERICAN indie-pop band LANY recently held not just one, but two sold-out shows at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on April 5 and 6.
Considered a milestone of the band’s three-year career, those back-to-back concerts were the group’s first-ever performance in an arena as large as the “Big Dome.”
With Paul Jason Klein on lead vocals, Jake Clifford Goss on drums and Les Priest on guitars, Manila’s first glimpse of the band happened last year at the Wanderland Music and Arts Festival.
Not really a household name for mainstream music listeners at that time, LANY had the opportunity to play in the event and were grateful for the warm reception they have received.The members said that even though they shared the limelight with other groups, their 2017 show then was their biggest.
The raw lyrics accompanied by catchy tunes and relaxed vocals make the band’s songs relatable to their young Filipino audience. Each of their tracks touches on the struggles and heartbreaks of young adults—topics that millennials could definitely relate to, since they are at the point in their lives when they mostly experience challenges.
Locals love LANY
DUE to the positive audience response, LANY came back for a series of mall shows five months later—to the delight of their growing followers. They were able to gather a big crowd in perhaps one of the most successful series of free shows held in Manila that set them apart as one of the sought-after acts of the present day.
Just like the marketing of The 1975 and The Vamps to young audiences, the Internet went crazy and the next thing we knew, the band was set to stage their first-ever concert in the country. Late last year, it was announced that LANY would come back a third time for their breakthrough arena tour. Originally, it was only a one-night show, but tickets were sold out in an instant that forced the hand of the producers to add another engagement the next day.
It was no surprise that second-night tickets were gone in just a few hours. Manila clearly just couldn’t get enough of the trio. It fell more deeply in love with LANY as the group serenaded them with their emotional, relatable and heart-wrenching songs in their local concerts.
The crowd went crazy as they saw the members emerge on stage one-by-one. Klein proceeded to sing Dumb Stuff to start the night. Then, it was a series of screams and sing-alongs all throughout as the band members obviously loved the Filipino fans’ knowledge of their lyrics by heart.
They dished out more of their hits, such as 4EVER!; Yea, Babe, No Way; Flowers On The Floor, Good Girls, Made In Hollywood, and It Was Love.
Every now and then, Klein came forward to reach out to the fans. He roamed around the sections reachable to him and made sure that everyone could see him. Call it “fan service”—but for the audience, it was a brief but meaningful connection that they will surely remember.
The group surprised the fans as they approached the ones at the back and appeared at a small stage in the middle of the arena while they performed an acoustic version of 13.
After an intermission, Klien went behind the grand piano for a slow set. He started off with The Breakup, followed by a cover of the Harry Styles ditty The Sign of the Times, crowd favorite Current Location, and then Pink Skies. He closed the set by playing Hericane with powerful, heartfelt emotions. The mood picked up again as they did one of their biggest hits, Super Far, while the whole venue sung with them without missing any of the song’s lyrics.
The bandleader thanked the fans who came and made the show a success before they performed their last song. He reiterated that it was the best night of his life and declared, “This is our first arena show ever!”
LANY wrapped everything up with the original version of ILYSB, the song considered as the one that propelled them to mainstream popularity.
Eager anticipation
“SEE you in 2019!” Klein screamed before they completely disappeared from the stage. After two nights of good music, the cravings heightened. Excitement pervaded among the fans, evident in their screams that told of their eager anticipation for a comeback. Klein expressed his gratitude to his Filipino fans further in a clip of the concert in his personal Instagram account with a caption: “Best fans in the world. Best night of my life. Sorry for ugly crying.”
Other parts of Asia caught up with the LANY fever quite fast. Before their Manila stop, the band went to neighboring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia for jam-packed concerts. Next was in Seoul, South Korea and then to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan that completed their Asian tour. In April, the group finally played in Coachella, the biggest arts-and-music festival in California, which was another first for LANY.
Image credits: Clarisse Secades