The Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer or fondly known as 5SOS took Manila by surprise as they performed an intimate acoustic show for their fans at the New Frontier Theater on July 11. The show, organized by MCA Music, was one that required luck, lots of it. Tickets were given out via raffle for the fans who streamed their single “Easier” and registered online. A staggering count of 38,000 people joined, but only 300 were lucky enough to be part of it.

Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin were thrilled to perform for the their fans who were just as ecstatic to see them.

5SOS performed stripped back versions of their tracks including ” Want You Back”, “Who Do You Love”, “Jet Black Heart”, “Easier” and “Youngblood”.

Having staged a sold-out solo show at the MOA Arena in 2016, 5SOS’ fanbase does not seem to be slowing down. The Filipino crowd’s appreciation for the band was palpable during the show as the 300 fans cheered and sang with them in the same volume and intensity as a full-house theater. More notably, a lot of fans who were unable to get tickets were seen waiting outside the venue, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the boys.

As a bonus for the exclusive Manila show, a few fans were able to ask the band questions. From the Q&A session, we were able to deduce these bits of info:
– They had tried adobo and they enjoyed riding a jeepney.
– If they didn’t become musicians, they would still try to become musicians.
– They want to collaborate with Miley Cyrus.
– If their fans could remember one thing about them, it would be that they remained true to themselves throughout their career.
– Being in a band was their dream from the beginning.

To cap off the Q&A session, the fans pulled a surprise for Luke and Ashton whose birthdays were on July. A cake was prepared for each of them and the fans sang “Happy Birthday” as they blew their candles.

“A lot of you have followed this group for a long time. Thank you for evolving with us! (…) You are beautiful, young, smart people. As a band, I’d like to say ‘thank you’ for us. You are an incredible fandom. Thank you for your time. Thank you for signing up. I know around 40,000 people wanted to come to the show ,” Ashton said before playing “Jet Black Heart”.

“We hope to continue coming back here to play,” Michael added.

Special thanks to MCA Music!

by Sandra Mae Laureano