PHOTOS: Manila Parties the Night Away With The Chainsmokers

It almost felt like the weekend.


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(SPOT.ph)Ā ProbablyĀ the most recognizableĀ young American EDM-pop act today, Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall of The ChainsmokersĀ first captivatedĀ the Philippines in June 2014. Two years later, they performed for a sold-out show at the Mall of Asia Arena. Now armed with a new album released in early 2017, their ongoing Memories… Do Not Open tour returned to the same MOA Arena stage on September 13.

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The Chainsmokers blur the lines between various musical genres from pop music to dance and hip hop, and their show was just that: A mish-mash of music meant to bring their audience to their feet. After the clock struck 12, the duo finallyĀ kickstared the party with their hit song, ā€œDon’t Let Me Downā€ followed by ā€œKanye,ā€ and ā€œThe One,ā€ with each heart-thumping bass drop accompanied with phenomenal light shows and animated backdrops thatĀ encompassed the entire stage.

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It's clear that that they're fully aware of the controversy—even intense dislike—that constantly surrounds them. Alex jumped on to the deck, shouting, ā€œManila, if you hate this stupid song, put your middle finger up in the air right now!ā€ before launching into a remix of ā€œ#Selfieā€ to the delight of the crowd. The stage turned neon pink, yellow, and green, as a backdrop of a smiley emojiĀ with two hands for eyes flipped the haters off.

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They also remixed popular songs into their set, people couldn’t get a minute to catch their breath between covers of 2 Chainz’s ā€œ4amā€ and Cascade’s ā€œEverytime We Touchā€, which turned everyone into rave bunnies, swaying and clapping along to the beat.

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AĀ lot of the songs on their Memories album will be in your head for days after you listen, but seeing the tracks being perfomed live is another experience altogether. A prime example is ā€œUntil You Were Gone,ā€ a collaboration with Tritonal featuring Emily Warren, where the live bass gives the song an entirely new dimension.

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After performing their double-platinum hit ā€œRozes,ā€ Andrew took his place on the podium while Alex took over the DJ booth. They quickly segued into ā€œYoung,ā€ followed by Daft Punk’s ā€œOne More Time," then Andrew took a few minutes to address the audience.

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ā€œTo be honest, the Philippines was the first country in Asia that ever gave a shit about The Chainsmokers, so we got nothing but respect for you guys, and we look forward to every time we can come back,ā€ he said candidly.

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Andrew returned to the DJ booth to surprise the crowd with a few more interesting song choices, including a remix ofĀ Queen’s foot-stomping ā€œWe Will Rock You,ā€ Gaika’s ā€œ3Dā€, and after the drop, Calvin Harris’ ā€œHow Deep Is Your Love.ā€ He then slowed it back down to sing ā€œBreak Up Every Night,ā€ which Alex mixed with Hüsker Dü’s ā€œUp In The Air." The bass drop came with a spectacular pyrotechnic show that had the audience pulling out their phones to capture the moment.

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Slowing down the pace again, Andrew asked the audience to sing the first verse of their chart-topping pop song, ā€œParis,ā€ before segueing into the Lion King’s ā€œCircle of Life,ā€ and then back to ā€œWelcome to the Jungle.ā€ You’d think they’d never put a Disney song onĀ their set list, but it surprisingly worked.

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ā€œYo, this was the first arena we played in our entire lives, honestly.ā€ admitted Andrew to an excited crowd. ā€œThe Philippines last year was the biggest Chainsmokers' show we’ve ever done of all time. It’s crazy. So last year, we just came out with this song, and the first time I got a crowd singing along with me to it was right here. Right here. You guys ready?ā€ He quickly launched into an a capella performance of ā€œCloser,ā€ making the audience go wild. The song ended with Alex shouting, ā€œManila, show the rest of Asia what the f*ck is up when you sing this song!ā€

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One of the show's highlights was an extended remix of ā€œSomething Just Like This," a collaboration with Coldplay. Probaly the longest song of the night, the effects team held nothing back, from the visually stunning lights to the pyrotechnics and smoke machines on full blast. Andrew also asked the audience to turn their special giveaway flashlights on for a mellow cover of Coldplay’s ā€œYellow." They ended their set with a remix of Sia's ā€œDon’t Bring Me Downā€ and Papa Roach’s ā€œLast Resort."

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Everyone walked out of the venue still on a high, excitedly chatting about their favorite parts of the concert. (Hint: Everything that had to do with Chris Martin.) It didn't matter thatĀ it was way past everyone's bedtime and tomorrow was a workday; as far as the crowd was concerned, it felt like an epic weekend.

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Photos by Jericho San Miguel

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