The BEP farewell concert
MANILA, Philippines - The crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds was in for a good night last October 25 courtesy of multi-racial supergroup The Black Eyed Peas, who were in Manila for their “Where Is The Love? This is the Love” show.
“I wanna rock right now,” Will.I.Am’s voice blared out of the speakers. Laser beams shot up into the sky, dancers in android costumes appeared. The stage lit up in all its futuristic smoky glory, Will, Fergie, Taboo and Appl.De.Ap materialized, and the crowd exploded.
The show fulfilled every diehard BEP fans’ dream. The Peas performed their hits including Imma Be, Shut Up, Where Is The Love, and Meet Me Halfway. The three male Peas did a rendition of Joints and Jam, a hit from the pre-Fergie era. Will.I.Am did a DJ set midway, tossing out everything from Usher to Nirvana, while perched on a silver elevated platform. The audience roared as he asked, “Gusto mo ng party?” Resident bombshell Fergie led the crowd in a sing-along to her solo hit Big Girls Don’t Cry in her sparkly pink Galaxy Dress.
Apl.De.Ap performed his Filipino-inspired hits Bebot, Mare, and The Apl Song, and the anthem of his foundation We Can Be Anything.
The Peas were pumped up for the encore of Boom Boom Pow, The Time (Dirty Bit), and their ultimate closer I Gotta Feeling. They got teary-eyed in the latter while Fergie belted out a few lines from U2’s With Or Without You.
The BEP are undoubtedly the most prolific party anthem generators of the new millennium. This show will be their last for the meantime, as the group has announced an indefinite hiatus. But tonight, the Black Eyed Peas gave the fans the time of their lives.
