While I was on my way to the Black Eyed Peas concert on a rainy Wednesday night, I had a feeling it was going to be a “good, good night.” Well, the hip-hop group, made up of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and J. Rey Soul, didn’t disappoint, as they had the crowd bopping and singing along to their adrenaline-pumping hits all night. They also expressed deep affection for their Filipino fans, whom they said have played a significant role in their music career despite everything the group has gone through.
will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo set the party mood at the SM Mall of Asia Arena with Let’s Get It Started, followed by Boom Boom Pow, where Filipino-American singer J. Rey joined the trio on stage unleashing her sultry style and soaring vocals.
The intense, energetic vibe continued as the audience clapped and raised their hands in the air along with the group during their high-octane performance of Rock That Body and RITMO (Bad Boys for Life), complementing the lyrics of the latter and encapsulating the fiery “rhythm of the night.”
The gig came out as a “full circle moment” for J. Rey, a former “The Voice Philippines” contestant under the tutelage of apl.de.ap.
Born Jessica Reynoso from San Pedro, Laguna, J. Rey replaced Fergie in 2018 to become a Black Eyed Peas member.
“And that moment changed my life because of this man right here (pointing to apl.de.ap)… from Laguna and (now) touring around the world with the Black Eyed Peas. Make some noise for apl.de.ap,” she told the eventgoers and then launched into Mamacita, a song she dedicated to all the “beautiful mamacitas” out there.
For Taboo’s solo set, he paid homage to his hometown with a bouncy performance of East LA and In the Air.
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“I’m from the city of Los Angeles. We called it the city of angels. We bring positivity, strength and pamilya. If you know about family, we know about connection. I wanna tell you about my city, East LA. The city that I was born in is East LA, it is the representation that I have for the Philippines, it’s all about family.”
Against a video backdrop of Mayon Volcano, apl.de.ap entered the scene wearing a Barong Tagalog in the colors of the Philippine flag, complemented by a blue cap embroidered with the flag as well. He then delivered The APL Song, a piece rich with Tagalog lyrics and as a tribute to his Filipino roots.
Sandara Park and apl.de.ap perform their collaboration song, 2 Proud.
“Maraming, maraming salamat for coming tonight and supporting the Black Eyed Peas. I’m so excited right now. I’m lost for words but I’m so proud to be back home to the country I love. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!,” he said and thanked his team and loved ones.
A surprise number followed as Sandara Park appeared on stage to sing and dance with apl.de.ap for their collaboration, 2 Proud.
Another source of Filipino pride, EZ Mil, also clad in Barong Tagalog, indulged the
audience when he joined apl.de.ap for the Bebot set, highlighting their shared Filipino heritage. EZ Mil earlier opened the act for the group with Up Down (Step & Walk) and Panalo.
EZ Mil made it a point to express his gratitude to the Black Eyed Peas. “And most of all, maraming, maraming salamat kay Kuya apl. Peace you!”
For will.i.am’s solo part, he took the center stage with electrifying performances of Scream and Shout and OMG. He quipped, “I know how to speak Tagalog. Apl taught me the best words, P*tang *na mo.”
Prior to that, will.i.am
showed his appreciation to his best friend apl.de.ap who changed his life.
The two crossed paths when apl.de.ap’s adoptive American family brought him to the US at the age of 14. They later formed what is now known as the Black Eyed Peas.
“If it wasn’t for apl’s mom, who took a hard choice to send apl to America, my mom (was) his caretaker when he was enrolled in school, I never would have met this guy (if it weren’t for them),” will.i.am fondly recalled their journey together.
“And so, I wanna thank Allan Pineda Lindo, from Angeles (Pampanga). Thank you so much for being my best friend. When I get sick, I go to a hospital… When I see Filipino nurses, (I would tell them) I know apl.de.ap. Swear to God, all you have to do is say that and you have the best premium care.”
After a short pause, the Black Eyed Peas resumed the party with a blast, setting the stage on fire with Pump It, Don’t Stop the Party and The Time (Dirty Bit). The dramatic flame effects made us feel the heat on the ground.
What came next was a powerful segment in which the group offered an honest reflection on the world’s current state, channeled through the sentiments of their next song.
“This song is about family. The song is about thinking about what’s happening with the world,” will.i.am pointed out. “If you ever question what’s going on, why people do that, watching the world, it breaks your heart to see people suffering… To see people on the other end of justice, cruelty, and greed.
“And you’re like, ‘Look at the world and you love and you care and you wanted to try your best to help someone out.’ And what you saw was a beating heart and that beating heart sounded like this…”
The track is, of course, the familiar tune we all know and love, Where Is the Love?. The hard-hitting lyrics just struck a chord, “People killin’ people dyin’/ Children hurtin’, I hear them cryin’/ Can you practice what you preachin’?/ Would you turn the other cheek again?/ Mama, mama, mama, tell us what the hell is goin’ on…” and so on.
The arena illuminated in a sea of light as the crowd raised their phones, waving them while chanting with will.i.am, “Love, love, love. I love the Philippines!”
apl.de.ap echoed in, “Sa mga kapwa tao na naapektuhan sa mga giyera sa ibang mundo. This song is dedicated to all the farmers na nahihirapan. Farmers should be rockstars. We should support our farmers. I have a project coming up. I wanna (bring) a hundred million coconut trees to the Philippines. Help our farmers.”
And once again, he thanked the Filipinos for always supporting the music group that he had founded. “Simula hanggang sa dulo, maraming salamat. In all the changes that occurred with the Black Eyed Peas, you, guys, are still there. I just wanna say maraming maraming salamat and we love you, guys.”
Beyond music, apl.de.ap’s “mission is to make a better Philippines whether (through) education, technology and farming.”
He asked the audience to support his cause and said, “Spread the word, spread the love.”
will.i.am attested to how apl.de.ap is a proud farmer himself.
“We went to apl’s neighborhood, province and he’s still living in the same village after all our success. He showed us his chickens and the pigs.
“apl came to America to be an engineer or a nurse. But then he met me. And he was like, I wanna rap. And he said (these) words, ‘Will, we’re here.’ We overcame all obstacles because we were best friends. We never had a fight with each other,” continued will.i.am.
Taboo chipped in, saying they had a family feast when they went to Pampanga and ate sinigang, hipon and chicken adobo.
Speaking of family, the show turned out to be a family affair as apl.de.ap and will.i.am brought their respective moms on stage to pay tribute to them.
apl.de.ap’s relatives were also in the audience, standing next to us. They had traveled from Pampanga and back just to see him perform.
The music event ended with a “good, good night” as they rocked the stage with I Gotta Feeling, Meet Me Halfway and Just Can’t Get Enough, culminating in a burst of confetti and a euphoric celebration of Filipino pride.
The Black Eyed Peas bowed to the crowd and displayed the Philippine flag on stage while apl.de.ap wrapped the flag around his shoulders, symbolizing a proud moment of his Filipino identity.
apl.de.ap announced at the concert, presented by Wilbros Live, that they have a new single coming up called Sagittarius.
