JUNE 15, 2017, THURSDAY, AT THE MOA ARENA, MARKED A HISTORICAL EVENT IN THE PHILIPPINES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE BRITNEY FANS, AS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC AND LEGENDARY POP ARTISTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS PERFORMED LIVE IN FRONT OF THE FILIPINO CROWD!
ONE WORD: UNFORGETTABLE!
It was one of the best days in my life, the most magical for 2017! It was unbelievable, I have never thought in my entire life, that one day, it will be possible for me to see Britney live in Manila! Being a fan since 1998, I knew she has never been in the Philippines, maybe because, first, the Filipinos can’t afford her nor the organizers, and second, the concert venues in our country were relatively small compared to her large production in all of her concerts. She has rain, bungee jumping, moving platforms, raising bars and cages, huge wings and trees, large props in her concert that I imagine would never fit even in Araneta Colisuem, which was the biggest here back in the day.
But this year, everything has changed! Stars have lined up for us, the Filipino army, to see our one and only Pop Princess, Britney Spears!
My day started when I woke up early in the morning for class, I was excited, really, and never thought of anything but to just finish the day so I can go and start preparing for the concert. At school, I can’t focus, I was just too excited and I can’t even share it to anybody (I am an irregular student, so sadly no friends! Haha).
When my classes ended, I hurriedly went back home to change and prepare. I plugged my phone to our surround system to give me more hype! “My Prerogative” started playing and I’m super energized! I even took a video of me taking my “Britney Concert Ticket” out from a vault! Haha! I Wore a “somehow” Britney-inspired outfit, it was her dancer’s look from her music video “Till The World Ends”. I was wearing a leather jacket, sadly we are in a tropical country so I had to face the struggles of climate change in my country.
I arrived early for the concert, and of course, I’ve met my Britney Army friends, we took pictures and some of them were given a chance to be interviewed for the news. I was just
ecstatic and can’t belive in just a few hours the concert will start. The lobby of MOA Arena played “Slumber Party” over and over and added over my excitement! There were also a lot of fun activities before the concert. Bench had photobooths, where you have to stand in-line and wait for your turn to be shot at some Britney-inspired backdrops like “…Baby One More Time”‘s school hallway and “Oops!… I Did It Again”‘s Mars landing. Smart Communications also gave away some Britney posters to some concert-goers who were Smart subscribers. Luckily I got one ;).
Around 8am, people were already allowed to go inside the stadium. AND I WAS FREAKING OUT AS I SAW HER STAGE! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HUGE! There were also a lot of people. I saw a lot of celebrities and had the opportunity to take pictures with Bailey May. I also saw Sarah Lahabti, Richard and Raymond Gutierrez, Tim Yap, Phil Younghusband and Lovi Poe. Some of my friends saw Vice Ganda, KC Concepcion, Kisses Delavin and Dominic Roque. The house wasn’t full by 8am, but coming close to 8:30pm, as the concert started, we were jam-packed!
Lights went out all of a sudden, and music started, it was a remixed intro of “Work B**ch”. Of course I know! AND EVERYONE, INCLUDING ME, STARTED FREAKING OUT! THE DANCERS CAME OUT AND STARTED THEIR ROUTINE, IT WAS INTENSE! THEN THEY STOPPED AND LOOKED TO THEIR LEFT, LIGHTS WENT OUT AGAIN, AND HOLY SGRAFSJAS!!!! BRITNEY SPEARS SHOWED UP IN THE SPOTLIGHT! I WAS CRYING! TEARS WERE ROLLING DOWN MY FACE! I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAS SEEING THIS LEGENDARY PERFORMER IN FRONT OF ME! I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAS SINGING ALONG WITH HER! IT WAS OVERWHELMING! I’m still having tears in my eyes now, as I am typing, still having the same emotions as I saw her the first time. Truly magical, how I wished it never ended.
She then next performed some of her songs, “Womanizer”, “Me Against The Music” and “Gimme More”. I’m just amazed at how she can quickly change costumes, like, “Girl, do you just take off your bra and quickly wear a new one in front of your staff?” Like how
does she do it! I’m so amazed! People went insane when she performed a medley of “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again”, of course, these songs have a cult following and they stapled her to her legendary status today. She also performed her new songs from her recent album, “Glory”, such as “Do You Wanna Come Over”, “Make Me…” and “Slumber Party”. She also did amazing performances of some fan favorites like “I’m A Slave 4 U”, “If U Seek Amy”, and “Piece of Me” where everyone, with all their energy, screamed the line “SNEAK AWAY INTO THE PHILIPPINES”!
One lucky fan was also invited to get up the stage to play with Britney during her “Freakshow” performance. She does this to her every tour, as well in her Vegas residency. She always gives a signed shirt to her fans who joined her, including this one who joined her in her Manila Tour. Sadly, there were rumors that the freakshow guy lost the shirt Britney gave her, I would kill just to have that shirt and he unbelievably lost it.
It also gives me chills and warm sensation when I remember Britney saying “what’s up Manila?” most of the tour! I love it when she says my City! Makes it feel more real! My friends say she gets more energized and hyped when we cheer for her! “Toxic” and her medley of “Crazy” and “Stronger” had the loudest cheers. It also means the concert was coming to an end, I can’t believe how fast it was! She said her thanks and her goodbyes to us and all the lights went off. We thought it already ended. But then the crowd cheered “Britney! Britney!”, and it was once of the best moments of the concert. The Philippines wanted more! And, of course, I knew she was still coming out with one final song, but it was just a great feeling to play along with crowd. And when she went out saying “Do you want more, Manila?” and started performing a medley of “Till The World Ends” and “Work B**ch”, I knew it was ending, so I enjoyed the final song with all my energy and all my heart. My friends said she was teary eyed as it was ending. Her dancers even mentioned that the Philippines was their best audience ever since their shows begun! I’M SO AMAZED! IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE! I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS!
I’m not ashamed that I am getting emotional while typing this, because it is true, she’s a big part of my life and I just wished her show never ended. She’s not just a performer, but an inspiration to me and to many people. We grew up with her. When everybody went out of the stadium, everyone was singing along with some of her songs like “Lucky”, “Sometimes” and “…Baby One More Time”, truly an ICON! People will say, Britney is over and a has-been, but I say to them, no other artist has ever been appreciated by the Filipino crowd like this! A has-been will never have a sold out concert and will never have fans wanting for more!
The concert has ended but my love for her will remain, forever. I may never see her again. Who knows, she might retire, or might just focus on her American audience, I
don’t know. But one thing’s for sure, one item has been checked off my bucket list, and I am very much happy and contented. Everytime I watch the videos I captured during the concert, I still cry and get emotional. You can’t blame me, I’m a fan. And she’s not just some random singer, she’s been through a lot and showed the people she can rise despite all the struggles, a true example to her peers and to her fans. She’s a survivor, a phoenix who rose from the ashes. A waste of money? No I don’t think so. It was all worth it. Seeing her breakdown in public and now making it back in her best form, was totally worth the wait and the price. Oops! I guess she did it again, making an impact to a lot of people and leaving behind an inspiration to never stop dreaming and that dreams do come true. 🙂
My short vlog about the concert:
TODAY MARKS ANOTHER HISTORICAL EVENT, NOT JUST FOR THE PHILIPPINES BUT FOR THE WHOLE BRITNEY ARMY!
And kids will normally sing this song of hers or (You Drive Me) Crazy, teen girls will then sing Sometimes or Born To Make You Happy. She became an institution, an emerging pop culture to teenagers by the end of the 90s. I grew up knowing her and following her acts. We weren’t rich so MTV wasn’t always my option. The channel Vid-ok (Araw Gabi, Sing-along Party), the predecessor of Myx, was my go-to channel to watch Britney videos as they always have her in their countdown. All her videos are always number one, the music was boring when she isn’t featured.
2000 was a turning point for her and for me as a fan. Her fame was bigger than ever, hits after hits. Then 2001 VMAs came, she was draped with a snake. I fell more in love with her. She was beautiful, talented and fierce. No one understood me. When you are a Britney fan, people tagged you as gay, corny, baduy or no taste. People started to dislike her because she turned to have a sexy image at a young age. But I didn’t stop, because she is very very interesting. The first CD that I had was her “Oops!… I Did It Again” album, but when we moved it got lost. So my mom bought me another, her 3rd album “Britney”, but a pirated version, since this era had a rampant issue on piracy. I would play this CD all day and never got tired of it.
Years passed, then Toxic came out. People loved her again as it had a very out of this world video, the music was ahead of its time and it was Britney Spears like no one has seen her before. She was edgy, she was on point, she was on fire! Her music and her face was all over the world again and she was stapled to be a household name. Around 2004-2005, I remember my mom wanted me to work for her, for a summer job, at her Travel Agency office and she will pay me. And guess what, I bought original Britney CDs when I got the money! A DVD, VCD and cassettes, and that’s not all, I wanted to complete all her albums so I bought “…Baby One More Time”, “Oops!… I Did it Again”, “B in the Mix: The Remixes” and “In The Zone”. I was a happy kid. It was a perfect moment for me.
she was tough. Despite all the challenges, she chose to release an album and the singles “Gimme More”, “Piece of me” and “Break the Ice”. That’s when she sang “sneak away into the Philippines”, and that’s when I had hope for her. I saw that she wanted to make more music, and in 2008, she made a proper comeback with her album “Circus”. She promoted first in Europe and I saw that fire again in her eyes. I cried while she was performing “Womanizer” in X Factor UK. THE BRITNEY I GREW UP WITH IS BACK. I saw again a future of her staying relevant across many generations, as an inspiration and as a performer.
As a Britney fan, I felt I was the only one loving her, the only one who followed her. Then I stumbled upon a group of people in PinoyExchange.com who have similar interests with me, Britney Spears! The camaraderie grew and we formed “Pinoys Heart Britney”, a group of Filipino Britney fans who devoted themselves to Britney, and wished she would sneak away into the Philippines! It was fun! Every year. we would gather and 
celebrate the icon that is Britney. We would share to everyone our collection, our frustrations about her and our wishes of seeing her performing live. When I was in hard times and had to sell my Collection due to financial problems, PHB helped me and some members bought my CDs, I know they went to good hands. We were not just friends, we’re a family. And from PHB came two more Britney groups, Team Britney Philippines and Britney Philippines.
Britney also taught me to watch shows and movies that are unfamiliar, but because of her name, I can somehow say, they became relevant. Ranging from the movies like Austin Powers: Goldmemeber to tv shows like Will & Grace, How I Met Your Mother, Jane
The Virgin and Glee, I never knew any of these, and I only watched Britney’s parts. But hey, thanks to Britney, she gave them their highest ratings. She also managed to be a judge at X Factor US, a reality talent show, and she became the highest paid judge of all time, for a reality talent search! She was also featured countless times here in the TV shows of my country, such as ASAP, Party Pilipinas, and most recently, Your Face Sounds Familiar where celebrities will become a certain artist and perform like them. She was featured 3 times in this show and was really exciting! Truly a legend!
In 2011, our first grand event for Britney happened here in the Philippines, the release of her 7th album, “Femme Fatale”! It happened in SM Megamall, and I was one of the ushers. I was so excited. It was a gathering of Britney fans around the country! We felt like it was a mini Britney concert, less Britney. We had fun and we were hopeful that in our next events, Britney would come or rather, will be performing live. And it didn’t stop there. in 2013, when she released her 8th album, “Britney Jean”, we didn’t want to miss this and had another gathering, this time in TriNoma, and we were featured in a TV show in TV5. Another milestone for the Pinoy Britney fans! In October 2016, we also had a gathering for the relese of her most recent album “Glory”.
I’ve come a long way, and we Britney fans, at last, are seeing her perform live. We never thought that this day will come, we thought that we will remain just part of her song, but now she is here, she has sneaked away to the Philippines and will perform for us. People will say it is a waste of money, that she will just lip, that she is a has-been. People will always call her names, We’ve been through that for years and we don’t care. We love her not just as a performer but, also, as a person. The fact that she is here, still performing, is already a dream come true. Tonight, at the MOA arena, there will be a lot of shouting and dancing to her songs, definitely there will be crying, too, we will be seizing the moment, it may not happen again, we never know, but we will make sure we will make the most out of this once in a lifetime event.
here in my country just brings tears in my eyes. I’m very happy and I can not contain the excitement and the emotions I have now. I’ve waited for years and now it is happening. I may say it over and over, but I will never get tired of it. I am excited, and can’t wait to see her. This is a historical day, totally should be marked the BRITNEY DAY of the Philippines! As she always say, “never ever lose your passion to dream”, because who knows, it might come true one day!
Words can’t express how excited I am to attend tomorrow’s concert! June 15, 2017 at the MOA Arena is definitely a historical event! Life-changing in all aspects! Britney, for the first time ever, will perform in front of thousands of Filipinos who have waited for her for almost 2 decades!
On June 15, 2017, at the MOA Arena, Britney Spears will, at last, perform in front of the Filipino crowd, for the first time ever! And I’m very much excited I keep on talking about her for the past few days! I still can’t believe it, the announcement was just made months ago and now, I’m just two days away from her concert! Forgive me, but I am just so much thrilled and overwhelmed!
AND YES, THE MOMENT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR IS FINALLY HAPPENING HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES! If I may say it, Britney will finally SNEAK AWAY INTO THE PHILIPPINES (Piece of Me, 2007)!!! It will never be just a lyric in her 2007 hit, but it will be, at last, happening in 3 days!
to cross from Ali Mall and I decided to go directly inside SM Cubao. Around 9:55, there were a lot of people with me inside, waiting for the mall to open. I was unsuspecting and thought they were just mall goers, but when the guards blew their whistles, they ran! I ran with them, we were pushing each other to get first in the escalator, it was shocking! It was my first time to experience this! And while running, one asked me if I was buying Britney tickets, and that’s when I knew she was still a sensation and people will still die to see her! Arriving in the ticket booth, I saw my friends there, I guess their path was faster than mine. THEY WERE FIRST IN LINE! And guess what, in 10 minutes, the SVIP section was sold out. And after 30 minutes, all sections were sold out! ICONIC!
Totally unforgettable, but it was exciting! I can’t believe that in 3 days, I will see her, singing and dancing in front of thousands of Filipinos! It’s been years, me and my co-Britney army can’t wait! And while her concert is days away, let me share to you ASAP’s performance of some of her songs yesterday to promote the concert, as well as some throwback performances from the show! Enjoy!
of Duty: Infinite Warfare, but when I turned on my PS4, it asked mo to setup a lot of things, and yes, internet is required, I was doomed. Our internet connection is badly slower than a snail. Well, I already expected that, of course, my friends have it. So I just followed the prompts and led me to a mandatory update, which was good for 6 hours. Fast forward evening, I was already bored, then the update finished. It didn’t stop there, and told me that I couldn’t enjoy more features if I don’t sign up for a Sony Play Station account. I find that cool, however upon signing up, there was no Philippines in the list. Bummer. So searching the internet, it wasn’t really a big deal and my cousin instructed me to put Singapore instead. Unless I’m gonna be buying something from the Play Station store, then it’s gonna be a big deal. Moments after, I was finished setting up, I even made some user accounts for personalization. It was cool. Then it was my time to play games!
If I have one complaint about PS4, it’s that the games keep on updating, I can still play while updating, but the though if it updating is just annoying. I remember those days when I just turn on my PS, put the CD and play. It was as simple as that. But as they say, LEVEL UP! That’s the disadvantage when I skip from PS1 to PS4 haha. But all in all, this experience I have with PS4 is very amazing. PS4 is the very reminder that there is nothing constant in this world, but change. We change for the better, we change to become developed and innovative, and that’s what they showed. With my PS4, I have everything, I get to play surreal games, use wireless controllers that have speakers on them, I get to surf the internet and play YouTube videos with it, and the best part is, the graphics are so wicked! There’s nothing more I can ask from this PS4, it has all that I need. Sony, please don’t release PS5 yet, it will kill the fun.
The lights in my room were weak and dying. I suffered for so many months trying to cope with the lights in my room. I thought I could make it, that I can manage. But in reality I can’t. So when it was time to move on, when there was a chance to change the lights, I grabbed it. Then my life was changed, it was never the same. A little overacting, but it’s true. With a brighter light, I discovered a lot of things in my room, how dirty it was and how it needs to be cleaned. That’s when I realized that, I, myself, needs a change in my own light to have a different perspective in life.