Kanto Boys' Sinulog Treat

CEBU, Philippines - Rain poured and still, there was no stopping fans (ladies mostly) from witnessing the first-ever concert of the KANTO Boys at the Cebu International Convention Center last January 16.

By 8 pm, the lobby of CICC was jam-packed with people of all sorts; males, females, parents with kids in tow, screaming teens, single ladies and the young at hearts. And even before the concert began, cheers repeatedly roared throughout the concert hall as fans looked forward to seeing the Kanto Boys perform live.

It was John Lloyd Cruz, Billy Crawford, Vhong Navarro and Luis Manzano’s concert debut as the Kanto Boys, an event that formed part of the week-long celebration of the annual Sinulog Festival.

The group, together with guests Anne Curtis and comedian Pooh, filled CICC with laughs through effortless performances and entertainment that hit the mark. The hot men upped the festive mood of the season further as they took turns in bringing up onstage ladies from the audience to perform with them. Some fans even brought tarpaulins, most of which declaring love for John Lloyd Cruz. Various fan clubs were also seen cheering wildly for their favorite Kanto boy.

The Kanto Boys left the audience with an impression of being cute and funny. The group, which according to them started out as an experimental boy band, was established in a not-so-serious manner, so much so they did not expect to hit this big among mainstream audiences.

They did some of the productions they had famously performed at their Sunday show on ABS-CBN, “ASAP ’09,” where it all started for the group. These included riotous versions of the Spice Girls, the Sexbomb dancers and the Hotbabes. The spoofs on “Meteor Garden” with Anne Curtis being San Chai and on “Boys over Flowers” with Vhong being Go Jun Pyo and Pooh as the quirky Jan Di, both made the spectators laugh out of their seats.

For their individual performances, the multi-talented Billy Crawford serenaded the audience with his cool voice and hiphop grooves. The wacky Vhong Navarro showed off his dancing prowess in a showdown with Streetboys’ Danilo Barrios. Luis Manzano momentarily became a crooner by dishing out an OPM number. And the mere appearance of John Lloyd Cruz made everyone squeal with delight even before he could start his song performance of Rivermaya’s “You’ll be Safe Here”.

Guest artist Anne Curtis sizzled with her sexy renditions of Lady Gaga’s songs and later on, generously joked with the boys. Audiences also enjoyed Pooh’s punch lines and awesome song renditions.

Overall, the combination of wit and fun gave the concert a successful wrap. Not bad for a debut, indeed, for the Kanto Boys. A follow-up should not be far behind. (PR)