Michael Learns To Rock tonight at the Big Dome

MANILA, Philippines - Michael Learns To Rock has been around for more than a quarter of a century now and its presence remains very much felt, what with its brand of soft rock still resonating with fans all over.

During a presscon last weekend wherein the Danish band’s singer/keyboardist Jascha Richter, drummer Kare Wanscher and guitarist Mikkel Lentz managed to swing by Manila en route to a show in Papua New Guinea, they were touched when longtime fans showed up, that in the middle of the Q&A they called one to come forward who then presented a gift handmade by a niece. The thrill of performing truly never gets old, especially if you have fans who stay true and faithful all these years.

“It feels great to still have these wonderful fans and we can see that the fans of the old days are still following us,” Jascha said. “And we have fans from two generations, parents and kids, coming to our concerts. It’s amazing to have these fans.”

“Yes, the fans are the main reason we are still here,” added Mikkel.

It seems that Michael Learns To Rock has a soft spot for their Asian fans, especially Filipinos. The band, which boasts of global record sales of 11 million physical albums since their 1991 debut, is back for their fourth concert in the country tonight. They were last here seven years ago.

Mikkel said, “It’s really wonderful that we have a very long history with Filipino fans actually. They first invited us here back in the ‘90s and they still do. And we can see that our Facebook page has many fans, especially from the Philippines. Maybe the Philippines is the country where we have the most Facebook fans. And it’s very nice to have dialogue and contact with these people. We couldn’t do that 10 years ago.”

The band members fondly recalled they’ve had memorable concerts in the Philippines. Mikkel laughingly shared that he actually had an onstage accident here. “Back in 1994 or 1995, I had an accident. It was memorable. I slipped in front of the stage and just fell down. I hurt my legs. Actually, we have it on video, but not on Internet.”

More importantly, they remembered their concerts as huge sing-along sessions.

Kare said, “We clearly remember how the Filipinos are good in singing.”

That’s what Pinoy fans are going to expect tonight at their Big Dome performance as the band plays music to promote their latest album 25: The Complete Singles. The set list, which is specially made for the ongoing Asian tour, will include their biggest hits like Paint My Love, Sleeping Child, 25 Minutes, The Actor, among others.  

“We love to make people sing,” Mikkel said. “We will play songs that people have come to hear, and we will play songs that we wanna hear and play.”

Asked if they ever thought about reinventing their music as a means to remain relevant, Kare was quick to answer, “No.”

After all, when they started recording and touring after winning a local competition in the late ’80s, wherein the then no-name band “hastily” called themselves Michael Learns To Rock after the hottest pop act at that time, Michael Jackson, they didn’t make music to pander to the trends of the day, or even tried to sit down and planned what kind of music they were going to create. Making music was and will always be an organic, “very natural” process that when “we go to the studio and it ends up being in the album.”

They revealed that they’re currently recording original material that’s slated for release later this year. And Jascha joked that it’s been quite a challenge writing lyrics for new music. “We’re beginning to have some problems with the lyrics. We (have) used I love you, you love me, and I don’t love you, you don’t love me. It’s hard to come up with something new. Maybe next time it will be about environmental problems or something.”

When asked if they’re open to remakes of their songs, Mikkel said that they would definitely feel honored.

The three guys are also proud family men who have 11 children between them. “We have enough kids to form a big band actually,” Kare said.

It wouldn’t be surprised if some of them will follow in their footsteps.”

“They have music in their life, they enjoy playing music,” the band said. “They’re very used to coming with us on the road.”