Smash Project 2012 Concert Review

The highly anticipated Smash Project 2012 is one of the best concerts we’ve had this year at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with multiple acts that we can never imagine to be on stage in one big event.  The 5-hour event top billed by four international bands like The Cab, Cobra Starship, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional and The Used were joined by our top local bands Typecast, Urbandub, Slapshock and Chicosci plus a performance from Malaysian band One Buck Short.

Front Acts
 

 

Local band Typecast opened the show and played one of their best songs Boston Drama. The band proved once again their reputation as one of the most unique local bands. Second on stage was Urbandub, they performed First of Summer and Soul Searching. Chicosci hit on stage with their songs Paris and Diamond Shotgun. After kicking the show with 3 local bands, One Buck Short took the stage with their rock version of Katy Perry’s #1 hit Last Friday Night. Slapshock was the last band to perform and gave a performance that made the crowd wild.

The Cab

 

A 15-minute break was given to The Cab to prepare for their set. The excitement of the audience particularly at the lower box section was insane. They’re shouting the name of Alex, (vocalist of The Cab) who has Filipino roots. It’s very obvious that the band knew how to entertain the crowd. There were a lot of banters after almost each song. They delivered a 40-minute set of punk/pop music including Angel With A Shotgun, Bad, Intoxicated and their massive hit Bounce.

 

Cobra Starship

Before the second band hit the stage, the crowd was shouting “Cobra, Cobra, Cobra!” The punk mode totally shifted to party when Cobra Starship took the stage. The main man of the band Gabe Saporta was not able to show up during meet and greet at the SM North and before the show due to his bad condition. His professionalism made them like fully charged batteries. The band had everything needed for a fun performance and great show. Everyone was dancing and singing throughout the 50-minute set including their hits like Good Girls Gone Bad, Hot Mess, Guilty Pleasure and Way You Make Me Feel. Gabe Saporta also showed his appreciation to all the fans especially those who went to see them during their first visit in Manila 2 years ago. He even mentioned Ferjiperj, who’s one of their supporters in the crowd. They left the stage while the audience was shouting more, even though they didn’t come back, I can say that everyone was happy and enjoyed themselves partying with the crowd.

Dashboard Confessional

After the party performance of Cobra Starship, it was just Chris Carrabba and his acoustic guitar.   He said “I don’t have my band tonight. You’ll be my band and let’s see how this goes.” But his passionate performances and amazing range got me. I can say that Chris Carrabba did a great connection with the audience.  He made sure that we’re having a great time. The set list was full of Dashboard classics like Get Me Right, Stolen, Vindicated, Screaming Infedelities, Belle of the Boulevard and Hands Down. Everybody was singing and cheering that at one point Chris gave us the verse part of my favorite Vindicated.  It was like watching MTV unplugged. He didn’t disappoint us by performing Hands Down wherein I had goose bumps and left us satisfied even without having his band.

The Used

Finally, the last band of the night came out with great amount of energy. It’s almost 1AM and I can say that it was definitely worth the wait. Bert of The Used jumped around on stage and the audience immediately went crazy.  The entire band was in great form when they hit the stage. They’re loud and talked to the crowd a lot. The audience was rocking out to every song. Some of their performances were The Taste of Ink, The Bird and the Worm, Blue and Yellow, I Caught Fire and collaboration with Chris Carabba on A Box Full of Sharp to round out the night full of great and diverse music. The 1 hour set of The Used left a great mark to us and I can say that I wasn’t the only one feeling sorry that The Used ended their set.

The 9 bands were well prepared and got setup on stage in a reasonable time. Securities and organizer managed the 5-hour event without a single incident. Smash Project by Dayly Entertainment was a great concert and worth more than the price of the ticket!

Dayly Entertainment‘s upcoming shows:

Avenged Sevenfold live in Manila on April 26, 2012

Lifehouse live in Manila on May 26, 2012

More Photos at the Philippine Concerts Gallery

Written by: Cen Sulit

Photos by: Glenn Michael Tan