CEBU, Philippines — While the Fusion x Cebu Music Festival on October 5 was equipped for a rain-or-shine scenario, the inclement weather earlier that afternoon didn’t carry over to the evening, allowing spectators to enjoy the show at City Di Mare sans muddy footwear.
It was an answered prayer for Maki, one of the festival’s headliners, who made sure he had lots of energy to perform for his fans that night.
“I am thrilled to be here today because I love Cebu. I want to make sure we enjoy the festival safely and I pray for better weather,” the “Dilaw” hitmaker said during a press conference earlier in the day at Radisson Blu Cebu.
As “Fusion: The Philippine Music Festival” celebrates its tenth anniversary next year, the iconic music festival brought its show from Metro Manila to Cebu for the first time. Joining Maki as headliners were December Avenue, Zack Tabudlo, girl group KAIA, and Cebuano singers Francis Alinsonorin, Jovie Loon, and Nica Jañola.
Actress Nadine Lustre made a brief appearance as the brand ambassador of online casino company BigWin29, which helped Fusion bring the show here.
“It’s nice to be back in Cebu. It’s been a while,” remarked Lustre, whose last public appearance here was in 2019 to promote her film “Indak.” “Among the ambassadors they have, they chose me to be here. It’s an honor to be working with a brand that has the core value of entertaining the Filipino.”
Lustre joined Maki, Alinsonorin, Loon, and Jañola in a flashy, energetic dance number where they all wore purple, the brand color of BigWin29.
“I am so happy because this is one of the opportunities for Cebuano singers to perform with big artists like Maki and Nadine Lustre. We can show that we can all be as one,” said Alinsonorin, who flew to Finland immediately after the event to represent the Philippines at the Karaoke World Championship.
Jañola, a Sinulog Idol 15 finalist, told The FREEMAN: “The chance to perform with some of the most well-known artists in the Philippines made that night even more surreal. I’m still in shock that it actually happened. I feel so lucky and thankful for the opportunity.”
Loon, a Sinulog Idol 14 first runner-up, added, “It was my dream to watch a concert. Now, I’m part of the lineup. I’m so proud to represent Cebu and showcase how much talent we have.”
Explaining why an online gaming company would sponsor a music festival in Cebu, BigWin29’s Head of Brand and Communications Menard Medina said, “We all love music, and what better way to translate that to our audience than to give them something they would enjoy. We value our players so much. It’s not just gaming, it’s also about being entertained.”
Fusion x Cebu show
After the opening acts, Maki took to the stage to perform a half-hour set that included his Billboard Philippines No. 1 hit “Dilaw” and his latest single “Namumula.” The Star Music artist also had a few surprises: he brought his friend and labelmate Angela Ken for their duet of “Sikulo.” He altered the lyrics of “Saan?”, asking the audience to sing “Sa QC, sa UP, sa kalsada ng Cebu City,” swapping the original “BGC.”
Up next was Tabudlo, whose set included a mix of hits and fan favorites like “Nangangamba” and “Habang Buhay.” When it seemed his performance had ended as the lights were dimmed, Tabudlo surprised the fans with an encore performance of “Binibini.”
December Avenue followed with the longest set that night. During the press conference earlier, frontman Zel Bautista mentioned how they practiced harder for this gig, acknowledging that “Cebuanos are hard to please.”
Though the band’s set tested the patience of a few SVIP spectators (with one person, holding an alcoholic drink, yelling at the band to “play something good”), the majority enthusiastically sang along to their songs like “Huling Sandali” and “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig.”
As expected, they sang “Kung ‘Di Rin Lang Ikaw” – the theme song to the anticipated Kathryn Bernardo-Alden Richards film “Hello Love, Again” which will hit cinemas next month.
The final headliner was KAIA, a P-pop girl group that dazzled the crowd with their energetic performances of “YOU DID IT” and “KAYA.” Their synchronized dance routines and explosive stage presence were complemented by a more intimate performance of “Dalawa,” before wrapping up their set with the high-energy “Walang Biruan,” complete with fireworks to close the show on a high note.
Throughout the event, DJ Via Chan, Matt, and Victor Jao took turns at the DJ booth.
Keeping it OPM
With tickets priced from P300 for general admission to P1,500 for SVIP, Praxis, the company behind music-branded events such as Tanduay First Five and Coke Studio, wanted to make sure they give spectators top-quality shows at reasonable prices.
“We cannot charge concertgoers huge amounts of money just to get tickets, especially for an outdoor event,” said Praxis CEO Gladys Basinillo. “But we also don’t want to compromise the experience. We need top-notch production, brand support, and a setup that ensures everyone can enjoy the show.”
Praxis tapped actor-turned-concert-director John Prats to helm the Fusion x Cebu show. He has previously directed concerts in Cebu, the recent one being Asia’s Diamond Soul Siren’s “Only Nina Cebu” concert in February.
“Cebuanos have a specific taste. There have been some events that didn’t live up to their expectations. That’s a challenge for all of us, especially for Direk John,” Basinillo admitted. “Since we are called Fusion, he wants the line-up to be a good mix of emerging artists to the KWC finalists like Francis, Jovie, and Nica. It’s carefully crafted and we had to consult with him because we want different genres: KAIA with P-pop, Zack and December Avenue as top artists, Maki as an emerging artist,” added Basinillo.
Basinillo added, “We want it fun. That’s the treatment from Direk John. He is very particular with the transitions, the timings, lots of effects and confetti, all the way to the fireworks. It’s a total experience.”
While many music festivals in the Philippines would feature foreign artists as part of the headliners, Fusion wants to keep theirs consisting exclusively of Filipino artists which they have done since their inaugural show in 2015. They are maintaining this patriotic spirit for its tenth anniversary show in March 2025 in Manila.
“The music industry has evolved a lot since we started Fusion, and the artists themselves are a testament to that. While it would be exciting to bring in foreign artists, I want to continue focusing on OPM because our local talent is truly world-class,” Basinillo said. — (FREEMAN)