Paradise Found
Have the music gods blessed us with our own ‘Coachella’?
Armed with an ambitious production team and a roster of heavy-hitters, Paradise International Music Festival just might be the yearly summer festival Filipino music fans have been waiting for.
The show’s marquee artist, Kanye West, performed in the Philippines for the first time at the Aseana open grounds in Parañaque, Manila, on April 9, 2016. He costarred with Wiz Khalifa, Dutch DJ Afrojack, and our very own Up Dharma Down.
West, also hailed by many as “Yeezy,” played cuts from his latest album, the gospel-infused “The Life of Pablo.” His performance felt less like a concert than a religious congregation as we lost our minds in front of this charismatic, if over-the-top, preacher-slash-hip-hop superstar.
He surfaced with a rectangular wall of lights hanging over his head. Mayhem ensued when he opened with “Stronger,” one of his radio-acclaimed hits. His face was covered with a bandana that later revealed “Jesus Nazareno” all over it. It felt like a well-scripted, symbolic shout-out to his legion of Filipino followers.
West’s idiosyncrasies, for better or worse, are the reason he’s the massive star that he is. He’s known to express what he feels in the moment — whether through Twitter, awards shows, or through his music, of which we got a first-hand experience. Once, he tweeted, “I jog in Lanvin,” to which I eventually learned was a luxurious French clothing line. Of course. Just flexing riches (and arrogance) on the internet.
And boy were we treated to just that.
Among his shining moments was when he had the production lights tilted toward us. We were trying to keep up with his singing and rapping, as all of the lights shone on both performer and spectator.
He performed his then latest single, “Famous,” three times in a row, just because he loved how we responded to a song he played live for the first time. “It’s really overwhelming for me to perform the song for the first time and for y’all to react to it in that way,” he said. Oh, and it wasn’t a Yeezy gig without the sentimental musings, right? The two-hour sonicscape was peppered with just that, with one leaving a mark on me:
“And I want to show you how you all look like beautiful stars tonight.”
West then proceeded to a couple of notes on the synthesizer. Then followed by the familiar Rick James to segue into “Runaway,” my personal favorite. He did it several times — as if to avoid sounding too mushy with the crowd.
Opening for West was Wiz Khalifa. To say that he sparked things up for the main act would be putting it mildly. The 28-year-old American rapper made up for his lack of lyrical ability with an uninhibited spirit. He busted out regular guy dance moves us non-dancers could only dream of doing in front of the mirror, much less before a live audience. His energy was infectious.
His lanky frame, his hair — in all its dreadlocked glory — and his beach polo shirt all harmoniously swayed with the wind. He performed his hits “Black and Yellow,” “Young, Wild and Free,” and “See You Again” to our delight.
Coachella potential?
The sheer star power of the festival made enough (sound) waves abroad to reach the ears of other foreign acts who could be warmed up to the idea of coming to the Philippines in the summer of 2017. One of Paradise’s producers, Vian Serranilla, noted that being able to shuttle Kanye to Manila banked on plain luck.
“It was an arduous courtship but it was all worth it. If we had a do-over, we wouldn’t change a thing and still pursue Kanye,” he said.
“We were lucky enough he also wanted to do the festival. Working with him and his team was magical, we’ve learned a lot from him,” he added.
“Our goal has always been to put the Philippines [on the map] as a music festival destination. Even before April 9, we were planning already for our second year and the years to come,” he added.
To many of the people I mingled with, Paradise felt like it had more rave reviews than a Christopher Nolan film. Local ensemble Up Dharma Down, before ending their set, even sent a shout-out to the event organizers for a relatively punctual and smooth event flow.
“I’m here for Kanye, and Kanye alone,” said Gelo, a Filipino photographer for an online publication. He was wearing a yellow Kanye West sweatshirt he bought after queuing for nearly three hours at the event. Asked if “Paradise” had the “Coachella” potential he said, “It depends on the quality of their lineup. If it’s as big as this, for sure (it can live up to the potential).”
Peter Adewale, a Nigerian businessman, was already jockeying for a spot close to the main stage six hours before West’s performance. He was alone that night, but was still pumped up. “Filipinos are nice, generally. I’m sure I’m gonna make some good friends here,” he told me.
He shared that he peddles hospital equipment. He listens to hip-hop, and to my amusement, country music (Carrie Underwood for Paradise 2017?!). He was adamant, though, about the idea of Paradise being able to bring in more big names in the future. We found out we were both Drake fans, and we both gushed at the idea of him being performing in the next edition. “That’ll be crazy, that’ll be crazy,” he said.
For the duration of Yeezy’s set, I was beside a group of friends from Guam, who were all riled up while proudly raising their country’s flag. The diversity and communal fandom at Paradise was foreign to me, and I’ll definitely come back for more next year.
Oh, and if Drake comes, I’ll be ready to break the bank!
