LANY to outdo previous Manila visits with 5-day concert

MANILA, Philippines — LANY is doing not one, not two and not even three shows, which the American band did in their last visit, but five concerts when they return to the Philippines this month.

Formerly a trio, the now-duo of Paul Klein and Jake Goss will take over the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena stage on Nov. 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 for the Manila stop of their A November To Remember Tour.

The first time LANY came here was in 2017. The following year, 2018, they did jam-packed shows at the Big Dome. In 2019, their three successive shows at MOA Arena sold out.

Ahead of their anticipated return, Paul told The STAR in a small-group Zoom chat arranged by concert promoter Live Nation Philippines: “I remember like we put three nights on sale, then we were holding like a fourth. And then, the fourth one sold out so we went ahead (with the fifth one). I mean Manila is our last stop this year so I guess, we could have technically played as many nights as we needed to do.”

As of writing, four out of five shows have been sold out, while 80 percent of the tickets for the final day have been purchased, a fact that is still surprising for LANY despite their track record here. The most shows they’ve done in other parts of the world are two per country or city, like most recently in Mexico City. But “five is pretty astronomical,” Paul said. “I was shocked!”

He stressed that he’s humbled by the continued patronage of Filipino fans of their songs and he looks at their multiple shows as a way of “making up for lost time.”

“You know, it’s been three years since we’ve been to the Philippines. So, it feels like we’re making up for lost time for sure. And I’m very humbled and very honored that the Filipino people still care about us,” he said.

“And I’m just so excited! I mean, Filipino fans, it’s no secret that they are some of the best in the whole world. No matter where I go, whether it’s South America, North America, Australia, I’m always so excited to invite people to sing along and to get involved in our show. And that’s my favorite crowd to play for — the ones that get involved and sing the words and are excited to be there. And no one really sings louder and goes harder than Filipinos so I’m excited.”

For their Manila concerts, LANY will perform an “even setlist” of fan favorites and personal choices spanning all of their albums, including the last two records released over the pandemic — mama’s boy and gg bb xx.

The former debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Alternative Album charts with over three million streams to date, while the latter signaled a return to a more pop sound, as the group collaborated with notable songwriters and producers like Andrew Goldstein (Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Lauv), John Ryan (Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Harry Styles, David Hodges (Ed Sheeran, 5SOS, Blink 182), Tobias Jesso Jr. (Adele, Sia), among others.

Paul teased, “I want to give everyone an equally great show. So, I think we’ve prepared a set list that we believe is our best show and our best setlist yet. But we are right now exploring a couple of options (featuring) some special guests, maybe one night or two nights, so we’ll see if we can make that happen.”

When asked why he believes Filipino fans love LANY’s music, he said, “You know, I’m not exactly sure. But I am incredibly thankful. I mean, this is what you dream of as an artist. And when you’re in the studio, making music and making an album is a lot like going and buying a gift and writing a card for someone that you love. Like you want them to like the gift and you want them to know that this is why you got it for them. And that this is what you were thinking and you were incredibly thoughtful and careful with the gift that you’ve got and the words that you said. “

Paul continued, “That’s a lot like making an album for fans. You want to do your best and you want to do stuff with artistic integrity and something that you really believe in. But ultimately, the main thing you hope for is that it connects with people on a deep level. And so, the fact that it’s connected in such a way in the Philippines, it’s just a gift in return.”

(Check out ticket prices and other details at www.smtickets.com and www.livenation.ph.)