Cup of Joe confronts stages of grief in ‘Silakbo’ concert
MANILA, Philippines — Cup of Joe integrated in their storytelling the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance (known as DABDA) — at their recently concluded “Silakbo” concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The STAR was able to attend the second night of their recent two-day gig, presented by VIVA Live, Inc.
Complemented with video elements of smoke effects, rain and rumbling thunder sounds, the pop-rock musicians from Baguio launched their set with the highly charged performance of Bagyo.
The art cover of their sophomore album “Silakbo” appeared on the screen video as a background, red stage lighting powered on, lead vocalists Gian Bernardino and Raphael Ridao, lead guitar Gabriel Fernandez, rhythm guitar CJ Fernandez, keyboards Xen Gareza, popped up on stage in red and black outfits. They were accompanied by a string band and a choir in staging ‘Wag Na Lang and Patutunguhan.
The pack welcomed their fans, collectively known as Joewahs.
“What’s up Araneta?” exclaimed Gian who was in disbelief that they were holding their concert at The Big Dome. “When we were in Grade 12, when we were formed, pangarap lang namin ‘to. To be able to scream, ‘What’s up, Araneta?’ feels like a dream.”
Raphael, meanwhile, shared that the first time they were in the same venue was when they received an award for Nag-Iisang Muli years ago. It came as a full-circle moment for the group to be staging their second solo concert there.
A voiceover explaining the emotions one experiences in each phase of grief was heard as an intro in playing some of the tracks, such as Bagyo and the eternally aching Wine under the denial stage.
The next part tackled the intense feeling of anger, which was encapsulated in their ditties, Kanelang Mata and Bubog.
“The vulnerability and the longing for someone, for something that you know wouldn’t come back. Each of us experiences difficulties that we couldn’t hide. Tonight, let’s understand all our emotions,” mused Raphael.
“We should face our emotions,” added Gian. “What I’ve learned from the past year, being in a very dark place, the anger that you felt, you shouldn’t hide it. Hindi (mo) kinakahiya because we all go through that stage kung saan sa sarili natin tayo pinaka-nagagalit. And for me, that’s the worst, scariest and most painful form of anger.”
The audience, along with Cup of Joe, screamed their hearts out in Bubog as the two vocalists faced the mirror props that were placed on stage.
Before crooning Siping and Pahina as anthems of the bargaining stage, Gian pointed out that most of their members could well resonate with the bargaining stage, especially CJ.
“This is the part where you’re trying to make deals or seek ways to avoid or lessen the pain of loss. Mapapasabi ka na lang dito na sana bumalik siya, even just for a moment.”
After which, they confronted “the most difficult stage” of grief which was depression. The feeling of despair was conveyed through the sentiments of Multo, Nag-Iisang Muli, and Di Maari.
A gloomy, melancholic atmosphere was set on the scene. There was a bonfire effect on stage, against the backdrop of pine trees, under the night sky full of stars as they sang those emotive melodies.
“Feel this moment and think of that person or that moment that led you to be at the rock bottom sa buhay mo. And for the next songs, we want you to scream his or her name. Isigaw niyo, damdamin niyo hanggang sa umiyak kayong lahat,” Gian told Joewahs.
Finally, the acceptance stage came. “It all leads us to acceptance. It’s about the art of letting go. This is the point where we understood why it happened. Tanggap na rin natin na some good things never last,” said Gian.
They then hit the stage with the mid-tempo ballad Sagada and Hinga.
Moreover, Cup of Joe made sure to pay homage to their roots in the City of Pines. It was evident in their costumes and stage setup, apart from their musicality.
It was also a night of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) artists lending support to each other. The quintet thanked their sponsors, musical director Paolo Valenciano, family and friends who attended their concert, including BINI Maloi, Jhoanna, Rob Deniel, Arthur Nery, their idol group Ben&Ben, among others.
Speaking of OPM artists, Keanna Mag joined the band on stage in Lahat Ng Bukas, but a technical glitch marred her performance.
Janine Teñoso also showed up to render their music collaboration Tingin. “This song is really one of the turning points in our career and I’m very glad na itinadhana na makatrabaho ka namin sa song na ‘to,” Gian told Janine.
A flashback of their modest beginnings in Baguio and their career achievements was shown in a series of video snippets. They founded Cup of Joe when they were in Grade 12 in 2018.
It was Raphael and Gab who originally formed Pink Soda. Pink Penoy Club — an old-school OPM band composed of Xen, CJ and Gian — teamed up with the two and would go on to become the core members of Cup of Joe.
The Pink Penoy Club members, in their rockstar outfits, dominated the stage with Eraserheads medley, Alapaap, Pare Ko and Huling El Bimbo.
The duo Pink Soda, on the other hand, surprised the crowd when Maki appeared on stage to deliver an energetic performance of 5 Seconds of Summer’s She Looks So Perfect and his hit track Namumula.
“For me, sobrang golden ang mga moments na ganito where OPM artists help each other. I’m so happy. Thank you,” Maki beamed.
Raphael and Gian came down from the stage, roamed around the venue, went up to an elevated platform to sing the tune for the “risk-takers,” Tataya, in the middle of the audience. It was a special moment captured by a drone with fans forming a crowd wave.
Midway through their Misteryoso act, Gian approached Jhoanna and hugged her, a heartwarming gesture that sent the fans gushing.
“This concert will end but one thing is for sure, this is just the beginning of something more beautiful, bigger, not just for us, but for all of us,” declared Gian. The band then announced their upcoming tours in Davao, Cebu and Iloilo, as well as international gigs in the US and Canada.
Cup of Joe then rocked the stage with Silakbo, and the event-goers shouted, “Isa pa.” The band returned for their encore, Mananatili.
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