Bakal Bakal Bakal, political tirades, live-action Fruit Ninja, ey, music, powder session, insults, Hulas Cam, arnis, free whole roast chicken, X-Men Theme Song, Pamura, impromptu spoken poetry and just laughter all over — these were only a few of the many references that were tossed around the air during KoolPals’ Block Party – 5th Anniversary Celebration on May 11 at 123 Block, Mandaluyong. The sold-out event was a crazy mishmash of stand-up comedy and music, with splits of inside jokes and happenings that were as unpredictable as the weather.

The KoolPals Podcast, with 643 episodes on Spotify, is currently one of the top podcasts on Spotify Philippines. The main cast, composed of GB Labrador, James Caraan, Nonong Ballinan, Ryan Rems and Muman Reyes, are seasoned stand-up comedians and occasional actors. As the story goes, their first podcast in 2019 was recorded in GB Labrador’s bedroom while they were drinking San Mig Gin Premium and eating spicy hotdogs.

Every podcast episode they record is full of random conversations about anything under the sun – current events, pop culture, their neighbors’ quirks – and they put their wacky spin into them until everything spirals out of control. Their humor, which appeals to a wide demographic of people from all walks of life (albeit many of which are 80s and 90s kids), has earned them a steady fanbase that has grown into a community over the years.

That’s precisely what the Block Party was about – a celebration of the KoolPals community. The fans who attended the event were on the same wavelength and mostly from closely woven generations. With the humid summer heat, the audience came prepared (as people of their age usually do). Although 123 Block was designed to be a standing-only venue, 80% brought their portable chairs plus their battery-operated portable fans and double wall vacuum-insulated tumblers, all for the sake of keeping themselves comfortable while watching the show which lasted for almost 7 hours. They patiently stayed in what felt like 40°C – sweating it out and visibly uncomfortable. They endured all that for hours just to see the KoolPals in person and to laugh it all out like it was nothing. Was it worth it? Definitely.

Like a true party, KoolPals’ colleagues and friends also had plenty of special appearances that evening. Some of them performed while some just came by to say hi.

We’ll give you some of the event’s highlights in photos.

Photo#1: The KoolPals with Pinunong Pudz and Roger Naldo who are both comedians who had appeared in their podcasts. The two hashed it out with a battle of arnis which turned into a live-action Fruit Ninja session.

Photo#2: Chino Liao, known for his Class Clown Podcast, made a short cameo wearing baby clothes on stage.

Photo#3: Dubbed the “Busking Queen” by KoolPals, singer-songwriter Eloisa was the first musical act for the event. She shared that one of her songs was written after she tasted Mr. Chips for the first time.

Photo#4: Rap-reggae band Lion and the Scouts turned up the volume when they performed.

Photo#5: Making his way to the back part of the crowd, Johnoy Danao treated the crowd to an acoustic set which included his rendition of Eraserheads’ “Pare Ko” at “Ikaw at Ako”. When he asked for song requests, some suggested BINI’s “Pantropiko”. He didn’t do it that time, but he said he’ll try. (Let’s see if he does it.)

Photo#6: The spotlight was on Kween Yasmin as she performed a medley of Gloc 9’s “Upuan” and “Sirena” wherein she did both the rap parts and the chorus all by herself. She also performed an impromptu spoken poetry about asteroids.

Photo#7: Kween Yasmin struck a pose with the KoolPals after her set.

Photo#8: Laugh Laban contest grand winner Marvin Tumon and runner-up Emil Buenaventura also did their solo stand-up sets during the event.

Photo#9: Yael Yuzon, who was part of the crowd that evening, received the cooling powder treatment. Earlier, it was revealed that the KoolPals will be ambassadors for Kuchi Kuchi. They premiered the video ad as well. Living up to their roles, they had their friends and colleagues sample their product on the dot. Other guests who shared the same fate included Jun Sabayton / Bayaw, historian Xiao Chua and KoolPals’ social media manager Masahiro Niioka.

Photo#10: Tanya Markova colored the stage with their quirky songs and their witty anecdotes. They played “Linda Blair”, “Picture Picture” and “Disney”.

Photo#11: Tanya Markova’s Iwa Motors playing with his bubble machine on stage.

He said that ever since they started guesting in the KoolPals Podcast, their band has been getting more attention from new fans.

Photo#12: In another random turn of events, the KoolPals gave away packs of Chooks to Go whole roast chicken to the audience.

Photo#13: It was past 11:00 PM when the final act took the stage. Dilaw woke the crowd with loud riffs and growls.

In between their riotous jokes, the KoolPals repeatedly thanked the crowd for coming to the show and they apologized as much for the discomfort that the heat had brought. They were very happy that within 5 years, their community had grown as much. It was something they could not have imagined when they started recording in 2019. In the future, they hope to make their celebrations bigger and better.

To put it simply, the KoolPals Block Party was fun – so much so that we didn’t mind the sweltering heat around the venue. Stand-up comedy is best experienced live, with an audience that is open to the idea of just appreciating humor. The popularity of the KoolPals proves that something as simple as a joke can go a long way. It can brighten the lingering darkness of daily life. It can create 600+ episodes of podcasts that resonate with a nation. It can even unite a community.

Special thanks to GNN Productions!

by Sandra Mae Laureano