Follow the tunnel, into the magical and mystical portals as Melanie Martinez becomes a four-eyed nymph creature that’s stuck between Earth and the afterlife.

Melanie Martinez, who is “back from the dead”, brought her fairyland “Portals Tour” to the World Trade Center last January 23, 2024, and for the first time, the multi-platinum artist performed in the Philippines—presented by LiveNation.

It had been a long time coming but she finally included the Philippines in her Asian leg for the tour, as Filipino Earthlings raised hand banners that said, “We’ve waited nine years for this!” And it was worth it as there were not enough words to easily describe her concert, truly one of a kind.

‘Littlebodybigheart’

Tangled in the spider-web of her indescribable gimmick, the ‘SOAP’ singer, successfully took Manila into her dimension and proved that she was not any other artist in the industry when she put on her fairy mask on stage and committed to it while performing her long-awaited setlist to the Manila stage. As concert-goers, we have seen artists from across the world, but there was no one like Melanie Martinez. She took the ethereal ambiance from the world she envisioned her fairy character lived in while she brought in her uniquely haunted tracks from her ‘Portals’ album and brought them to life on stage. It was a sight. It was a mesmerizing sight. Melanie is an effective storyteller and every song was well-thought-out on how it was going to translate in her theater.

Not only the artist but her band, and her dancers embodied and belonged in her void, as well as her fans. Fans always dress up during concerts; with cute outfits, or a themed colored dress code but the Philippine Earthlings, just like their mother nymph, did not JUST dress up. They came in with elven ears, some with incredible costumes and clothes that matched the Faerie Soiree ball.

The whole setlist brought in surprise after surprise, with visualization from the VCR that matched the songs; even the butterfly confetti that showered the crowd looked incredible. It was also a battle of the larynx with her fans as expected of the Filipino crowd to belt everything from the catalog of their favorite artist. ‘The Contortionist’ star professed her love to the crowd, as she said, “Manila, you’re the best! Thank you so much!”

Overall, the event was a distinctive experience, just like listening to her music which took a whole different direction from her previous works. All her Philippine fans now ask is for the Trilogy Tour, her fifth international tour so they can experience playing in her dollhouse.

Setlist:

• Death
• Void
• Tunnel Vision
• Faerie Soiree
• Light Shower
• Spider Web
• Battle of the Larynx
• The Contortionist
• Moon Cycle
• Nymphology
• Evil
• Womb

Encore

• Dollhouse
• Highschool Sweethearts
• Soap

Words and photos by Arielle Elep

Special thanks to Live Nation Philippines