Concert review Sponge Cola rocks at maximum capacity

MANILA, Philippines - Sponge Cola has been in the business for almost 15 years and the pop-rock band recently marked its anniversary in the industry via its very first major concert titled Maximum Capacity that happened at the Music Museum.

It has been 13 successful years for Sponge Cola, which is composed of Yael Yuzon on lead vocals and guitars, Armo Armovit on lead guitars, Gosh Dilay on bass and Ted Mark Cruz on drums. For the past 13 years, Sponge Cola has consistently produced a string of No. 1 chart-topping hits, received a Diamond Record award for the band’s mega hit EP Tambay which sold over 300,000 units, performed as the only Filipino artist ever to be featured at the iconic Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee and sang some of the most unforgettable theme songs of TV’s most loved series, to mention a few.

Maximum Capacity showcased the songs that document the inspiring journey of Sponge Cola to stardom: From the band’s early roots as a group of young, aspiring musicians from the Ateneo de Manila University, to Sponge Cola’s early years as an indie band, to the beginning of its mainstream popularity in the mid-2000s, to the current status of the band as one of the most powerful forces in contemporary OPM.

It was quite a challenge for Sponge Cola to mount an ambitious project like Maximum Capacity. Some would say that it’s a great and laborious challenge for any band to stage a major concert. The task was to show something new that was different from the usual gigs that the band does on a regular basis. Sponge Cola collaborated with concert director Paolo Valenciano whose credits include Gary Valenciano’s hit concert series On Higher Ground and Jericho Rosales’ And I Love Her.

Music Museum was transformed into an industrial musical Mecca of multi-layered metal platforms that took the audiences’ breaths away. The elaborate lighting, which some described as nothing short of spectacular, was provided by Sound Check. The unifying element of all the razzle and dazzle seen on stage was Sponge Cola — its hit songs which the band members wrote and arranged themselves and the band’s unmatched showmanship.

The hundreds of fans who flocked to Music Museum got what they wanted and found what they were looking for: The many hit songs of Sponge Cola which made up the concert’s 17-song repertoire. Of the 17 songs that the band performed, there were only two cover songs: Crazy For You and Nakapagtataka. The rest, as they say, were an impressive line-up of hit after hit such as Tambay, Tuliro, KLSP, 22 and Jeepney to mention a few.

Iza Calzado, who was one of the many celebrities who was present during the concert, couldn’t help but feel thrilled about the band’s performance. “The concert was so fun. Sponge Cola made me feel like I was in college again. Paolo Valenciano continues to amaze me with his innovative ideas for concerts,” said Iza.

Another celebrity concertgoer, Zsa Zsa Padilla, said, “It’s amazing how they sang all original songs except for the request portion of the show, of course. They have such a big catalogue of hit songs. I think it’s any artist’s dream.”

The band’s former drummer Chris Cantada provided a nostalgic segment in the show as he performed Gemini with Yael. Sponge Cola also performed a memorable number with Zia Quizon whose song Ako Na Lang kicked the band’s single Tambay out of the No. 1 spot on music channel MYX. Another highlight of the concert was the band’s production number with Gary Valenciano whom they recorded the hit single Ayt. Gary, who comes from La Salle, also performed Puso with the band, which was used as the official theme song of the Ateneo in the UAAP games. Ryan Bang provided comic relief when he performed XGF with the band.

RX 93.1’s DJ Gino Quillamor commented, “I like how it suddenly teleported everyone to the band’s humble beginnings. The show gave me a perspective on how a band like that start from something as simple as a school performance.”

Also present at the concert were Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, Kathleen Go of Universal Records, Audie Gemora, Julianne, RJ dela Fuente, Abby Asistio, AKA JAM, Karylle, Coleen Garcia, Isabella, Apple Salas of ASAP, Gretchen Ho, Robi Domingo, Khalil Kaimo, Timmy Pavino, Mike Carandang and Kiray Celis.

By the end of the concert, both fans and music lovers alike were left screaming for more…a clear testament that after 13 years, Sponge Cola’s reign as one of the driving forces in OPM is definitely far from over.