October 6, 2012: The Smart Araneta Coliseum was abuzz as a full house of Foster Kids counted down the hours, minutes, seconds before they would see one of the most successful bands of the year, Foster the People.

As expected, the crowd let out their first wave of cheers as the lights dimmed and local act Techy Romantics took to the stage. The dancetronica music trio instantly had the crowd on their feet and dancing along to their unique beats. Towards the end of their set, lead singer Camille’s simple query quickly dissolved the dreamy aura that had begun to fill the air: “Are you ready for the main event?”

Needless to say, her question was the spark that reignited the torches (FTP reference intended) of excitement for the main event. There was hardly a moment’s silence in the time it took to set up the band’s equipment. Soon the crowd was once again plunged into darkness, transforming the vast crowd into a little galaxy of colored glow sticks and camera LCD’s.

The moderate buzz became a deafening roar as finally, Mark Foster, Cubbie Fink, and Mark Pontius joined the touring members onstage and launched into their first song of the night, “Miss You”, followed by “Life on the Nickel” and “Houdini”.

In between songs, frontman Mark Foster shared that he was by no means the first in his family to set foot in the Philippines. He was, in fact, the third generation of Fosters to do so as both his father and grandfather had been to and even lived in our country. “I’m older than they were when they were here,” he observed.

As the band made their way through their 13-song set list, the crowd of Foster Kids turned the audience area into one big dance floor. The fans even took it one step further, standing on their chairs to give an aerial viewer the impression of a dancing, glowing cornfield.

Aside from Foster the People’s electric energy onstage, we couldn’t help but note how beautifully complimented the performance was by the lighting design of the show. The unexpected combinations and shifts perfectly jived not only with the music, but also with the movement of the crowd, which was peppered with glowing torches of their own.

As the trio began to wrap up their set, they proceeded to thank Manila for their warm welcome, stating that it will not be long before they return to their Philippine home. The catchy rhythm of “Helena Beat” then filled the Big Dome, accompanied by the voices of the almost ten thousand singing, dancing, and cheering Foster Kids in attendance.

In a show of perfect solidarity, the crowd had barely given the band time to leave the stage when the whole coliseum was already reverberating with the chant “Pumped Up Kicks! Pumped Up Kicks!” Naturally, Foster the People was happy to oblige as they were given an even louder welcome back onstage (which we didn’t even think was possible!).

It would be a complete understatement to say that Foster the People live in Manila was a captivating experience. In almost every aspect of the show– technicals, performance, and even the fans energy– we can safely say that this production has definitely raised the bar for future concerts in Manila.

Foster the People live in Manila was made possible by Dayly Entertainment, Midas Promotions, and Karpos Multimedia.

Photos and review by Carla Barretto