MANILA, Philippines — Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade was in awe of the Filipino audience present at his first-ever show that was a fully acoustic set.
Wade performed several of Lifehouse's greatest hits plus some of his own last June 1 in New Frontier Theater in collaboration with Playback Music Festival, almost a decade since the band was last in the Philippines.
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"Manila how are you? It's so good to be here," Wade began before starting the night with "Something In Between" and "First Time."
The artist was joined by his colleague Steve Stout, who was celebrating his birthday, on another guitar with whom they've discussed doing an acoustic set for long time.
Prior to the concert, Wade told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview he had not done a show in nearly three years, and onstage he wanted to make the atmosphere akin to a large living room or a bonfire.
The duo then carried on with "Halfway Gone" and "Sick Cycle Carousel," the latter Wade called "a very old song" and yet the Filipino crowd still gave it a low chant.
"Philippines, you sing so in tune, you're more than welcome to the campfire," praised Wade, joking that other audiences weren't as good.
Wade then sang "You Belong To Me" from the first "Shrek" movie and "Take Me Away" before quipping about Manila traffic in comparison to Los Angeles.
The theater lights opened for a while and both artists on stage couldn't believe how many people showed up to see them.
They then sang "Where You Are" and "Broken," the latter having the audience chant again, before bantering about how much better the seafood was here in the Philippines than in Nashville.
The Lifehouse vocalist talked about his 18-month-old daughter and wife and writing songs for them like "All Of My Life" and the work he and Stout have done together such as "A Place In The Sand."
The two singers did covers of the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" and Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds (Everything's Gonna Be Alright)" followed by "Between the Raindrops" and "Falling In."
Wade noticed a couple in front had gotten married recently, so as a gift, he gave them a guitar pick and sparkling water before continuing with "Breathing" and "Whatever It Takes."
The New Frontier Theater watchers were surprised when Wade and Stout performed an excerpt of Jimmy Bondoc's "Let Me Be The One," which had everyone in unison, leaving Wade to praise once more: "You guys sing really well!"
After a medley that included "Come Back Down" and "Spin," Wade ended the main set with "Everything," which earned cheers and chants.
For the encore, Wade invited everyone to stand for arguable Lifehouse's most popular song "You and Me," letting the audience sing one chorus on their one and reiterating how beautiful everyone sounded.
Wade let the crowd sing half of "Blind," which gave him chills, then ended the concert with Lifehouse's first-ever hit "Hanging By A Moment."
"Hope to see you soon, peace, love!" Wade said after giving his thanks, and the crowd were still chanting "Hanging By A Moment" as they exited the theater.
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