Alejandro Manzano and his brothers Fabian, and Daniel, collectively known as Boyce Avenue are back in the Philippines like they never left at all.
“A lot of things happened the last three years since we’ve been here but coming back and seeing all of these amazing support and love. It’s amazing. We never take it for granted. And as long as you are willing to support us, we’ll come back and keep playing for you,” Alejandro told the sellout crowd at the Araneta Coliseum on the first of their three shows in the country.
Like some of the popular artists today, Boyce Avenue achieved their success through online media. The trio’s eclectic covers’ solid numbers - more than 5.5 billion views on YouTube and counting - are not pure luck. Theirs were no straight-up covers but remake versions. They had the distinct Boyce Avenue sound strewn into them that people enjoyed singing along to.
Take for instance their version of Adele’s “Easy on Me” and The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights” which they converted into country rock numbers. Their covers drew out the originals’ complexities in a way we never would have noticed before.
Along with originals, the show’s set list included rock classics “iris” (Goo Goo Dolls), “Wonderwall” (Oasis), “Every Breath You Take” (Sting), “Yellow” (Coldplay) and “Freen Falling (Tom Petty).
Fan favorites and swoon-worthy numbers “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “Stand By Me” and “Unchained Melody” along with hearty ballads “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” were also thrown into the mix.
Boyce Avenue is scheduled to perform in Cebu on Feb. 12 and Davao on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. (Contributed by Andres Requintina)