After a 16 year absence, Irish rock band The Cranberries found themselves back on Philippine soil for the Manila stop of the Roses tour. The Cranberries performed for an almost-full house on Tuesday evening with 90-minute set full of  memories.

Karpos Multimedia and Midas Promotions worked together to bring in the popular 90′s band famous for such hits as “Linger”, “Promises”, “Dreams”, and the crowd favorite,”Zombie”

An estimated crowd of ten thousand flocked to the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 10th, eager to relive the decade of cassette tapes, pixie cut hairstyles and hanging t-shirts.

In a bold yet refreshing move, The Cranberries opted not to have a front act, proving that they are indeed a group that needs no introduction. As the group went onstage one by one, the cheers grew to a roar that filled the Big Dome with the crowd’s energy.

The band began their set with the 1992 hit, “Dreams”, easing into another chart topping hit, “Linger”. In between songs,  frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan shared that it was the birthday of her youngest daughter, soon answered by the fans with screams of birthday wishes for her 7-year-old.

The Cranberries rocked out song after song from their 19-track set list. While the Hogan brothers Noel and Mike (guitarist and bassist) seemed a little low on energy (jet lag perhaps?), vocalist Dolores had moves to rival the infamous Mick Jagger. Throughout the concert she showed no lack of dance moves, fist pumps, skips and jumps as she worked the stage in true rockstar fashion. Drummer Fergal Lawler also had a noteworthy performance; surrounded by an extensively complete drumset, he was barely visible as his beats and uncommon syncopation gave the songs their upbeat flavor.

Another element of the show that was truly of note was the work done by the lighting designers. The band seemed connected to the colorful lights as the timing of the light changes, movements and blackouts worked in perfect sync with the highs and lows of the songs.

When at last the time came for the big finale song, every fan present was up on their feet, yelling back the lyrics of the 1994 number one hit, “Zombie”.

Once The Cranberries said their goodbyes and left the stage, the venue was once again filled with non-stop cheers from the fans, demanding an encore. There was not a silent moment of hesitation from the crowd until the band returned to the stage to perform three more songs, “Conduct”, “Losing My Mind” and “Salvation”.

There were certain points of the show wherein it was slightly difficult to hear the vocals, but the sound issue was eventually resolved. Some of the best received songs by the fans were “Zombie”, “Linger”, “Dreams”, and “Ode To My Family”. Overall, The Cranberries Roses tour was a smashing success, giving Manila an amazing set that was a good balance of old and new. The show was a great strong production from start to end, showing the Manila crowd that like fine wine, some things just get better with age.

The Cranberries live in Manila was made possible by Karpos Multimedia and Midas Promotions. Stay tuned for their next show, We Are The In Crowd, Set Your Goals, and This Century live in Manila on June 3, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Cranberries live in Manila was made possible by Karpos Multimedia and Midas Promotions. Stay tuned for their next show, We Are The In Crowd, Set Your Goals, and This Century live in Manila!

More Photos at the Philippine Concerts Gallery

Photos and write up by Carla Barretto