BEYONCE EXPERIENCE in MANILA

[mykerz_19]

finally, they already have advertisements for the concert.. it will be held at Bonifacio Global City Open Field (same as Christina's venue)

from ticketworld.com.ph

THE FORT Open Field, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
November 7, 2007 at 7:00 PM

Ticket Prices: P20,600 (limited), P16480 (limited), P5665, P2575, P1030(limited) and P618 (all prices include 3% service charge). Senior citizens are entitled to 20% discount with proof of eligibility but not available in conjuction with any other promo or discount.

The Beyonce Experience is another live concert with MTV Philippines and is sponsored by Globe giving the Globe and TM subscribers pre-emptive rights to buy tickets for "the exclusive Best Seats Deal" from October 5 to October 11, 2007.

Please take note that the promo offers will NOT be available on the internet so ticket buyers must purchase their tickets at the outlets or by calling TicketWorld at +632-891-9999 or be e-mailing us at tickets@ticketworld.com.ph.

All Metrobank credit cardholders can avail of 10% discount if purchase is paid by Metrobank Credit Card.

Tickets will be available for the general public on Friday, October 12, 2007 at 10AM.

[Nadia]

Video report from the concert:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3f0e6_beyoncelive_blog

Great turn out!

[Nadia]

Wow 70,000 people turned out to her Manila gig, that's gotta be a record there:
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/13927/Saksi-70000-fans-watch-Beyonce-gig-at-The-Fort

[Nadia]

50,000 paid to see Beyonce
By Joanne Rae Ramirez
Friday, November 9, 2007

In a country where money has to be doled out for crowds to hear politicians speak or for protests to be mounted, over 50,000 people paid – from P600 to P20,000 – to watch pop sensation Beyonce in her first-ever Philippine concert Wednesday night, setting a record in local musical history.

Under a clear star-lit sky, Beyonce drew in as many people as there were stars in the sky to the Fort Bonifacio open field in Taguig City for her one-night only concert.

Southeast Asian royalty and showbiz blue-bloods mingled with over 50,000 Beyonce fans for what has become the most-well attended concert of a foreign artist produced by MTV Philippines, the country’s biggest concert promoter.

Wednesday’s concert, dubbed “The Beyonce Experience,” was presented by telecommunications giant Globe, which set up giant luminous balloons on the open field for that festive look.

Man and nature seemed to have conspired for the much-awaited concert, which was unmarred by rain — despite days of rain preceding the concert — and security mishaps.

“It was a perfect night,” said one businessman who accompanied his teenaged children to the concert.

From the moment the curtains rose on the 26-year-old Beyonce, clad in a clinging sequined gown whose skirt she later yanked off, to the time she bid the audience adieu, fans were feverishly clapping and swaying on top of their monobloc seats in what seemed part Mardi Gras, part EDSA rally and club party rolled into one.

At one point, the sexy-singer was wearing just thongs under a see-through wrap.

The audience went wild with such Beyonce hits as Crazy in Love, Irreplaceable, Cater to You, Beautiful Liar, Check on It, Ring the Alarm, Survivor and Independent Woman.

Beyonce was accompanied by an all-female band. She did not return to the stage for an encore after the two-hour concert.

Among those in the audience were Brunei Crown Prince al-Muhtadee Billah and his entourage of 14, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga and wife Kaye, movie and TV stars Kris Aquino and husband James Yap, Gretchen Barretto and daughter Dominique, Ruffa Gutierrez, Julianna Palermo, Diana Zubiri, Anne Curtis, Iza Calzado, Rufa Mae Quinto, Erik Santos, Sarah Geronimo, Janno Gibbs, Toni Gonzaga, Donita Rose, among many others.

Also seen were the leading lights of the newspaper world — STAR president Miguel Belmonte and editor-in-chief Isaac Belmonte; STAR director and People Asia president Kevin Belmonte; and the Philippine Daily Inquirer chairman Marixi Prieto and husband Alex; publisher Isagani Yambot and columnist Tessa Prieto-Valdes.

Despite the huge turnout, crowd control was impressive and the presence of security forces was obvious, but not obtrusive.

MTV big boss Francis Lumen, who was also behind the jampacked Josh Groban concert at the PICC just a month ago, said concerts like Groban’s and Beyonce’s are the best advertisement that Manila is a safe place to be, with appreciative audiences to boot.

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&se c=24&aid=2007110885

[mordacis]

own yourselves already? 50.000 is not 70.000 last time i heard....from now on, i´m not trusting any other source tahn billboard/soundscan since they work independently from Mathew Knowles

[Nadia]

own yourselves already? 50.000 is not 70.000 last time i heard....from now on, i´m not trusting any other source tahn billboard/soundscan since they work independently from Mathew Knowles

lol I think some of you give Matthew Knowles wayyyy too much credit. As for the numbers, it was said that MTV Philipines reported an estimated 50,000-70,000 attendance so it's not really a discrepancy there, by the same token there were reviews that said Christina's show had an 18,000 attendance but others said 30,000.

[Nadia]

Another review:
An irreplaceable night with an R&B superstar

By KRIS DANIELLE SUAREZ

abs-cbnNEWS.com

"Ladies and gentlemen… are you ready to be entertained?"

With this question Beyoncé Knowles, international R&B superstar, opened the Manila performance of her Beyoncé Experience World Tour at the Fort Open Field, Taguig Wednesday.

The audience, estimated to be between 50,000 and 70,000, answered the pop diva by standing up on their chairs, singing and dancing throughout the concert.

91 cities around the world
The Beyoncé Experience World Tour is her second major solo concert tour, launched in connection with her second studio album, B-day. Her world tour includes 91 stops in America, Europe, Australia, Middle East, and Asia. She started her tour last April in Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, and is scheduled to end her tour on November 12 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Manila is the third-to-the-last stop of her tour’s Asian leg. She proceeded to Manila from Shanghai, China on November 6, and then went next to Seoul, South Korea on November 8.

Beyoncé kicked off the concert wearing her now-famous sequined dress, shimmering in the lights that greeted her simple yet electrifying entrance. She opened her gig at around 8:30 p.m. with "Crazy in Love," one of her first hits from her first album Dangerously in Love. Her first set also included the songs "Freakum Dress" and "Green Light", both from her current album.

Knowles then sang her dance hits "Baby Boy" and "Naughty Girl." "Beautiful Liar," her collaboration with Shakira, featured the Latin bombshell singing her parts on the video walls while Beyoncé sang and danced live.

Beyoncé then switched to her soulful side when she sang "Me, Myself, and I" and "Dangerously in Love."

Destiny’s Child redux
She then switched back to her dance diva mode and transported the audience back in time with her medley of Destiny’s Child songs. From her former group’s list of hits she sang the songs "Independent Women Part I," "Bootylicious," "No, No, No," "Bug a Boo," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Cater To U," "Say My Name," "Jumpin, Jumpin," "Soldier," and "Survivor."

Next in her repertoire was introduced via a sexy jailhouse scenario, with dancers "confessing" to their "crimes of passion." The skit led to Beyoncé’s electrifying performance of "Ring the Alarm," "Suga Mama," "Check on It," and "Déjà Vu," which sent fans shrieking and dancing wildly at their spots.

The audience was then transported to Hollywood, the world of Beyoncé’s hit movie Dreamgirls. Beyoncé then emerged on stage, in her Dreamgirls-inspired gown, and then sang the Academy-Award nominated song "Listen."

"To the left, to the left"
Beyoncé’s final song for the night was, according to her, "one of her favorite songs" – the hit single "Irreplaceable." She prodded the audience to sing the first part of the song, and almost instantly the Fort Open Field reverberated with the now-famous line "to the left, to the left."

Beyoncé picked it up from the chorus, singing her single with all her heart.

Knowles, touched by the warm reception she received from her Filipino fans, thanked the crowd and then proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to those celebrating their "B-days" on that date. She then exited the stage, waving and thanking the crowd several times before she disappeared backstage.

Side performances
There were only three male performers onstage throughout the concert. She was backed by three backup singers and a ten-member all-girl band, "Suga Mama", whose members she selected via a nationwide audition according to her official website.

During her costume changes, her band, back-up singers and dancers wowed the crowd with their own mini-performances within the show, which only heightened the audience’s excitement and energy levels.Cont...

[Nadia]

(Cont..)
Audience reaction
Throughout the show, the hard-to-please Filipino crowd was highly energized, singing and dancing throughout the show – with those on the VIP and Patron A sections dancing and singing on top of their seats!

From the moment the 26-year-old superstar entered the stage, everyone was on their feet, dancing, singing along, and capturing the moment with their nifty digital cameras and camera phones.

The crowd clamored for more when she exited the stage for the last time. Even if Beyoncé wasn’t able to perform an encore, the fans were more than pleased with her exhilarating concert, which lasted almost two hours.

Her one-night-only performance was one thrilling night of dancing and singing, and the multitude of people who came to the concert could only say one thing: this was one irreplaceable night.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=98678

[Nadia]

Review #3
Manila can’t get enough of ‘The Beyoncé Experience’
By Isah V. Red

TRAFFIC was heavy in the metropolis Wednesday night as people raced to watch Beyoncé, a former member of Destiny’s Child, perform at the open field of The Fort.

The show, The Beyoncé Experience, was the international RnB superstar’s first in Manila, and it did not disappoint her.

The pretty star of the recent Hollywood hit Dreamgirls—the film version of the 1970s musical of the same name based on the story of The Supremes, the group that gave rise to the first African American pop diva, Diana Ross—was pleased with the reception the Filipinos (some 50,000 of them, according to MTV Philippines) gave her in that fenced in and tightly guarded area in the rising commercial and residential development in Taguig.

Whatever she did on stage was met with shrieks, screams, and applause.

Before her Manila gig, Beyoncé was in Mumbai, India, where, according to reports, the pop diva had a great time with the Indians. According to the show’s promoters in the Manila leg of the Asian swing of her world tour, she had expected the Filipinos to be even warmer than the Indians.

Her expectations were met as the audience gave her the loudest screams ever for an American pop act performing in Manila—next only to Michael Jackson—as she opened the show with “Crazy in Love,” from her first album Beyoncé.

She appeared on stage in a gold gown followed by a platoon of dancers—male and female—all gyrating to the beat of the song and their movements synchronized in an eye-popping choreography.

From her first number down to her finale, the crowd—some of them had been waiting for the star since 4 p.m.—was spellbound, and no one left the venue. The show started at 8:15 p.m. (the time on the tickets said 7 p.m.), but by 9 p.m. many people, probably held up in traffic on their way to The Fort, were still streaming in, disappointed that they had already missed several numbers.

And since the place near the stage was packed, the latecomers had to content themselves watching the show on giant television monitors mounted on both sides of the stage.

Unlike Filipino pop acts, Beyoncé’s was pure performance. No ruminations on a lonely childhood or some miserable experience as a starting singer. She knew she had to entertain the crowd that night, and that was what she did.

Her energy was undiminished in the two hours she was on stage. She sang every note perfectly and danced with her dancers, and she stunned her audience with her power despite the humidity.

She elicited oohs and aahs each time she re-appeared from the backstage in a new outfit. She must have changed her costume a dozen times, and each one had a dramatic twist. One was a gown that, after one performance, had transformed into leotards accentuated on the bodice and lower back by a glittery lace panel.

She had the men in the audience feeling giddy as she danced in a very revealing outfit for over 10 minutes, and then changed to another costume that looked like some lingerie.

That was all part of Beyoncé’s act—the reason she’s now America’s hottest performer in the live circuit. The Asian swing of her world tour was bringing the singer to places she had never been before including Manila. And she was charmed.

At the close of the show, she sang perhaps one of her biggest hits in Manila—”Irreplaceable”—and added Manila to the last verse, singing “Manila, you’re irreplaceable” over and over again.

This made the audience delirious, and as they all left for their cars parked everywhere, they didn’t mind walking or sitting through the traffic crawling out of The Fort. Indeed, they might have been singing “Say My Name” over and over till they got home.

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news5_nov9_2007

[Nadia]

Review #4:
Beyoncé concert: What an experience!

Walden Sadiri

The Fort Open Field, Onifacio Global City - November 7, 2007 - The road to the Beyoncé Experience wasn’t easy last Wednesday night especially when you’re a journalist meeting your deadlines, and you just left work an hour before the supposedly scheduled start of the concert at 7:00 p.m.

Travel time, because of heavy traffic, was more than two hours. The only parking area available was at a muddy vacant lot somewhere at the Fort. Trekking to the concert venue itself was challenging because of the barricades and influx of people and cars. If you don’t know where your seats were located that would cost you precious minutes because you would have to walk to the other side. Good thing, MTV Philippines, provided a map just outside the venue.

Unfortunately, the map’s usefullness didn’t prevent us from being late. Beyonce jump started the crowd with her "Crazy in Love." The result, finding our seats was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Everyone was on their feet gyrating, dancing, clapping and shouting Beyonce’s name. The pool of people drowned all the seats’ locations.

When me and my wife Cathy finally found our seats thanks to the concert’s able and amiable ushers, Beyonce was already singing her third song for the night, and there wasn’t much use for our seats because we, like the rest of the crowd were on our feet dancing and enjoying her songs!

What we realized though when we finally got our seats was the superb production of the show. The stage’s design, the lights, LCD video screens were all fit for a concert queen - no other than the Mega-Diva herself, Beyonce Knowles!

It was also interesting to note that Beyonce’s band was composed of female musicians from her drummer, keyboardists, percussionist, horn section, bass and guitarist were all female. Beyonce’s back-up singers too were all female as well as her dancers. The men in her entourage were composed of three dancers.

The R&B Mega-Diva also shared the limelight with her band by letting each of them shine everytime the segment of her concert ends. They didn’t just showcase their musicality but entertained the Filipino audience as well. Even the dancers were given their moment to shine with breathtaking choreography and showmanship!(Cont...)

[Nadia]

(Cont...)
Now back to Beyoncé.

Beyonce from start to finish was dazzling not just with vocal prowess but especially with her dance moves. She showed her belly dancing skills as she belted out "Beautiful Liar" while clad in a green belly dancing outfit that also highlighted her well toned physique. It was also in that same outfit that she sang "Naughty Girl" and before the end of the song, her vocal skills was pitted against a saxophonist.

Beyonce’s soul was also revealed in songs like "Me, Myself and I" from her "Dangerously In Love" album and "Listen" from the movie "Dreamgirls" where she belted out why she is an R&B Mega Diva!

On stage she was a force to be reckoned with as her presence was even larger than the stage itself. Everything that happened on the stage, the lights, the special effects, the videos simpy remained a background as she was relentless in giving more than 100% in every song and and dance step.

Whether it was a ballad or her dance hits like "Baby Boy" her level of intensity never dwindled. If anything it seemed that her energy in the show kept increasing in every song she renders.

Another interesting facet of Beyonce was how she was constantly glamorous on stage. She really knows how to be a Mega Diva on stage. For example she looked very dramatic and sexy everytime she stays put at the center of the stage, with wind blowing her hair back. It was very Hollywood-ish and was reminiscent of the late Marilyn Monroe’s popular pose! In one of her numbers, she even wore a skin colored body suit which simply revealed how fit she was and her dnacers on stage.

Beyonce also rendered a medley of Destiny’s Child (her former singing group) hits which included "Independent Women Part I," "Say My Name," "Bootylicious," "Soldier" and "Survivor." Other songs in her concert were "Deja Vu" and "Welcome To Hollywood" which was more of a video display snippet of Beyonce’s life in the limelight and her warm affection towards her fans.

She ended the show with her popular song "Irreplacable" which had a special arrangement for her concert. Just how popular Beyonce was in Manila? This song was proof as everyone was singing it to Beyonce’s delight!

And when she bid her goodbye and thanked her Filipino fans for their support, the crowd stayed on and shouted "more!" We stayed on hoping for a dramatic encore to no avail.

Despite that, the "Beyonce Experience" was truly a memorable concert that would linger on the minds of the Filipinos who braved the traffic, the long walk and the thousands of pesos just to savor Beyonce’s performance. To say that it was just entertaining could be an understatement because it was more than that - it was an experience!

And we have to thank MTV Philippines, Concertus and Globe for their bold venture in bringing the "Beyonce Experience" to Manila. As the country’s Concert King Martin Nieverra expressed breathlessly about Beyonce, "She really gave herself to us!"

http://www.mb.com.ph/ENTR20071109108078.html

[angel_ex]

lol I think some of you give Matthew Knowles wayyyy too much credit. As for the numbers, it was said that MTV Philipines reported an estimated 50,000-70,000 attendance so it's not really a discrepancy there, by the same token there were reviews that said Christina's show had an 18,000 attendance but others said 30,000.

way back before the concert, mtv estimated she will sell 18,000 tickets but after the concert, it was 30,000 tickets.. that is not like the issue in the beyonce concert, after the concert, they were stating different figures.. :hah:

[Nadia]

way back before the concert, mtv estimated she will sell 18,000 tickets but after the concert, it was 30,000 tickets.. that is not like the issue in the beyonce concert, after the concert, they were stating different figures.. :hah:
.......
Christina Aguilera, reportedly in the early months of pregnancy, performed tirelessly in a one-night concert on Friday at the Fort Bonifacio Global City Open Field in Taguig. Although there were empty seats in the VIP section and a wider, unfilled space at the back, the organizers (Globe Telecom and MTV) said the gig drew about 18,000 people.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=75519

[Nadia]

Review #5:
My Beyoncé experience

By Mark Bonifacio
Inquirer

Last updated 07:40pm (Mla time) 11/13/2007

MANILA, Philippines―When I found out that Beyoncé was confirmed to come to Manila for a concert, I couldn’t help but be giddy with excitement. Who would have thought another big name in music would agree to perform in our shores, so soon after Christina Aguilera and Josh Groban?

Besides her to-die-for curves and bootylicious dance moves, Beyoncé has sold over 50 million records as one-third of the trio Destiny’s Child. Her 2003 solo debut “Dangerously In Love” earned her five 2004 Grammy Awards including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song (“Crazy In Love”).

With her five-in-one-year Grammy win, Beyoncé tied the record with Norah Jones for the most Grammys to be won in a single year by a female artist. Beyoncé’s second solo album, “B’Day,” released in time for her birthday, closed out 2006 as one of the year’s most successful albums, coming in at No. 7 on Billboard’s US Top 10 Best-selling Albums chart. It has sold over 4 million copies around the world.

Likewise she has appeared in movies like “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” “The Fighting Temptations,” “The Pink Panther,” and the film version of the smash Broadway musical “Dreamgirls.”

Having watched some clips of her concerts on TV and Youtube, I knew Beyoncé would be a total performer and her night in town would be spectacular.

Come that magical evening, the venue was packed early with people, from stars and students to office workers, kids and foreigners.

When the intro began to play on the giant screens, people who just arrived, or who had gone to the food stalls or the restrooms, immediately dashed back to their seats. Everybody stood up and screamed for Beyoncé.

Woman power

The concert started with Beyoncé in a shiny gown opening the show with her first solo hit “Crazy In Love.” Backed up by an all-female band, she unleashed a display of woman power as she performed her hits from “Dangerously In Love” and “B’Day.” Noteworthy numbers were “Beautiful Liar” (with Shakira on the wide screen and a dancer doing her belly-dancing part), “Baby Boy,” “Get Me Bodied” and the soulful “Dangerously In Love.”

Beyoncé never forgot her roots as she included hits from her Destiny’s Child days: “Independent Woman,” “Survivor,” “No No No,” “Bootylicious,” “Bug A Boo,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Say My Name” and “Jumpin‘ Jumpin‘” among others. Of course it wouldn’t have been complete without her belting out “Listen” from the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack. She closed the show with her current big hit from the “B’Day” album, “Irreplaceable.”

There might not have been grand props, but the stage, lighting, screen visuals and Beyoncé’s several costume changes were a thrill to watch. But it was really Beyoncé’s performance that carried the show. Despite two hours of dancing and belting, she sang with indefatigable energy and power right up to the last song.

The audience stood up and danced to Beyoncé’s songs, which was so unlike the Christina Aguilera concert where security people treated the audience like grade-school students, motioning for them to sit every time somebody dared to stand up and dance.

What an unforgettable experience―something you’d never get tired of watching again and again.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/vidvibe/view_article.php?article_id=100689

[Nadia]

Review #6:
REVIEW
Bewitching Beyonce


By Pocholo Concepcion
Inquirer
Last updated 02:40am (Mla time) 11/11/2007


MANILA, Philippines - Besotted fans screamed their hearts out, while most of the audience were awestruck at the Beyonce concert Wednesday night at the Open Field of Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The screaming erupted as soon as Beyonce, flaunting her “bootylicious” body, appeared on stage to greet the crowd and signal her band to pump up the music.

Spectacle

Opening with “Crazy in Love,” the big hit that established her as a major solo artist following the dissolution of Destiny’s Child, Beyonce struck a bewitching presence with vocals that matched the lusty appeal of her dance moves.

On the second number, “Freakum Dress” from her current “B’Day” CD, the spectacle that Beyonce prepared for this tour came to fore: two drummers, two keyboardists, three horn players, three backup singers, a percussionist, a bass player wearing dreadlocks and a lead guitarist donning an Afro—all women by the way—and complemented by six more female and four male dancers.

The musicians auditioned before the tour kicked off in April this year. Beyonce’s requirement was that each of them must play a one-minute blazing solo. At the concert, these skills were seen via short exhibitions, highlighted by the drummers—one banging out while drinking from a bottled water, the other striking the skins while blindfolded.

Beyonce’s voice emitted a combined earthy and honey-like quality, charged with an energy that simulated horn sounds in one moment, and possessed with a sensitivity like a torch singer in another instance.

But it was her body-pumping moves that drew wild reaction. She showed how well-toned abs looked good while grooving on a reggae break; and that she could dance like a belly dancer on “Beautiful Liar.”

The emphasis on woman power was evident throughout the gig. A number of Beyonce’s songs were about survival, independence and self-identity, and there was a part where each of her dancers lip-synched how they had to end bad relationships.

Some 24 songs were performed, although most of these were just snippets. Beyonce was quite busy changing costumes which left us wondering whether she could really do a straight, no-frills concert on her own.

But all was forgiven when an acoustic guitar accompanied “Irreplaceable” — in which Beyonce asked everyone to “think about the person who took you for granted” — the perfect soundtrack to affirm woman power.

We thought this was old news since Aretha Franklin first covered “Respect” in 1967. But then again, feminism never sounded so good—with a voice and body like Beyonce’s.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=100188

[sofia22]

thanks for sharing