Libera "The Friendship Tour" (Philippines 2019)

[dani]

Just fall on some old videos of Libera singing in TV music shows in the Philippines.
2010 : Bayan Ko
2011 : Carols of the Bells
2013 : Joy to the World

I have no remind about a performance in a Philippino TV show during the other tours, in 2009 and 2016, but perhaps I'm wrong (?)

It will be fun if they can enlighten another TV show during this 2019 tour

Hi Patrick! Thanks for trying to help me recover my old account here on Libera Dreams yesterday. I already saw you during the past tours here but was shy to approach. I didn't know you were friendly. It surely is a pleasure meeting you!

You got that right, no Philippine tv appearances in 2009 & 2016. This morning they were on CNN Philippines:

This was nice to see, a little uncertain at times which is why they probably prefer to normally have a older boy in the mix but they came across as very endearing.

Cassius joined when he was 6 that’s impressive.

[dani]

Amazing Grace will be on the set list for tomorrow concert.

[maartendas]

You got that right, no Philippine tv appearances in 2009 & 2016. This morning they were on CNN Philippines:

The same three boys as for the Q&A at yesterday's Meet and Greet.
I liked Cassius' smart wit when he said it was too early for them to sing Good to also see Tadgh take more centre stage - he's been pretty outgoing and well spoken during the signings I attended last year so to me it feels natural that he should take on this role. Daniel has been a talented spokesperson from early on and he seems perfectly used to this role now. Proud of these young men! Hopefully they touched a few hearts and made some people decide to buy tickets.

[Surpinto]

Hi Patrick! Thanks for trying to help me recover my old account here on Libera Dreams yesterday. I already saw you during the past tours here but was shy to approach. I didn't know you were friendly. It surely is a pleasure meeting you!

He is very nice and friendly, yes. But just as importantly, welcome (back) to Libera Dreams. It would be great to hear your impressions of the concert!

The same three boys as for the Q&A at yesterday's Meet and Greet.
I liked Cassius' smart wit when he said it was too early for them to sing Good to also see Tadgh take more centre stage - he's been pretty outgoing and well spoken during the signings I attended last year so to me it feels natural that he should take on this role. Daniel has been a talented spokesperson from early on and he seems perfectly used to this role now. Proud of these young men! Hopefully they touched a few hearts and made some people decide to buy tickets.

They did a very nice job and chose some good representatives for the group; though I agree with Dani that probably one of the older ones should have been on there too.

[maartendas]

They did a very nice job and chose some good representatives for the group; though I agree with Dani that probably one of the older ones should have been on there too.

It's funny that you should say that because I consider Tadgh to be one of the 'bigger' boys, though for some reason he looks a bit younger now than I remember him.
Then again, he seems to still be growing into his role, also on stage as a soloist. Beautiful to watch him blossom!

[bachmahlerfan]

I thought the CNN interview went pretty well. The only problem I had with it was when one of the boys revealed where they would be recreating later that day. I thought that was something they try not to do in order to prevent people from following them around. As for doing some Christmas music in the concert, I'm fine with it. If the Filipinos love Christmas celebrations so much, I doubt they'll complain about some off-season Christmas music. If Lent had already started, it might be a bad idea, but it doesn't start until March this year.

[hiskeys]

As Maartendas mentioned above, Daniel seems to be well-spoken and confident.

Which made me think - perhaps we should start a thread (unless it's already been done) for who we think have been some of the better speakers over the years, in interviews and promotion videos, etc. I know that's not what Libera's known for, but it is part of their 'mystique', that they get to do (almost) all of the talking, without camera-shy Robert around.

[Surpinto]

They did a very nice job and chose some good representatives for the group; though I agree with Dani that probably one of the older ones should have been on there too.

It's funny that you should say that because I consider Tadgh to be one of the 'bigger' boys, though for some reason he looks a bit younger now than I remember him.
Then again, he seems to still be growing into his role, also on stage as a soloist. Beautiful to watch him blossom!

Right! Tadhg did a good job and has been with them a good while; I suppose I meant it in terms of a representative sample of the choir. But the interview was quite short and surface-level enough that it wasn't important.

Which made me think - perhaps we should start a thread (unless it's already been done) for who we think have been some of the better speakers over the years, in interviews and promotion videos, etc. I know that's not what Libera's known for, but it is part of their 'mystique', that they get to do (almost) all of the talking, without camera-shy Robert around.

Not aware of any thread in that regard so please go ahead and start it! It is good to hear from them directly in these interviews about their opinions on the music and such. Additionally, it's a great life experience for the choristers themselves to participate in professional interviews with the media; a great lesson in public speaking.

Though I must disagree with you about Robert. He may be camera shy insofar that he does not like having his photograph taken, but in a formal interview he is well spoken and poised; and I find that I enjoy his insights in the longer form interviews he has participated in over the years. Having said that, he seems to have a habit of taking little to none of the credit for Libera and instead allowing the boys to take the spotlight in every regard - this is probably what you meant.

[dani]

So let the rumours begin as I am sure there will be a lot of gossip over this.

Patrick has reported that Robert Prizeman is not on this tour and Sam Coats is the musical director for this tour.

I hope Robert is well and this is a chance to give Sam some more experience as his musical input has been outstanding for the last few albums.

[Padmachou]

I have to say it frightens me a bit. I hope RP is doing well, but even if he is alright (god I hope he is !) and like suggested before, it's a nice tryout for Sam... it certainly feels like the end of something, of some era. Probably the quality of Libera will be just the same, Sam has been doing amazing arrangements and I expect he is already often leading the group during rehearsals. But R Prizeman is the master of Libera. Feels really strange to picture the boys standing on stage without his presence.
Then again I feel proud for Sam ! His history with Libera certainly is inspiring. Quite an experience for him. And for the boys. Quite a future we can guess, too...

[Yorkie]

Set list for the concert (from Patrick's Twitter account):

1. Do you hear what I hear - Daniel,Alex G, Sam, Ben B
2. Sanctus - Sam high notes
3. Welcome Speech - Peter & Joe
4. Prayer - Daniel
5. Gaudete - Samuel-F
6.Ave Maria (Prizeman) - Ben B
7. Speech about robes - Alexandre & Victor
8. In The Bleak Midwinter - Solo Domink, high notes Sam
9. Stay With Me - solo Oliver M, high notes Sam
10. Wexford Carol - Tadhg
11. Speech - Koji & Cassius about first tour and not spilling drink on robes at the interval
12. Voca Me - Sam on high notes
13. I saw three ships
14. Carol of the bells - solos Samuel-F and Ben B, final words Cassius
15. In Dulci jubilo - high notes Sam, Daniel & Dominik
16. Speech about Moose - Tadhg & Cassius
17. Wayfaring Stranger - Victor
18. From a distance - Merlin
19. Smile - Victor W & Alex G
20. Speech by Dan & Joe about Leo moving from high notes to back row
21. Amazing Grace - Sam last sentence
22. I am the day - Dominik, Peter, Oliver M (Sam and Alex G do last high/low notes)
23. Orinoco Flow
24. Goodbye speech - John and Daniel
25. Libera - Tadgh, Rocco, final note Samuel-F
26. Bayan Ko - full choir first verse, group of eleven second verse

[Benjo]

Thank you for welcoming me back, Surpinto. I'm sure some of my countrymen can give a more accurate review from a local's perspective but I'll be happy to give my share. It's been a while (8 years) since I last wrote here so I apologize if I try to make up for it with a lengthy post about my thoughts overall, of the meet & greet, and the concert itself.

I'll write about the concert tomorrow as I already started writing about the m&g:

To my surprise the entrance for m&g was free and buying a poster for signing was optional. But only about 50 people took a seat and in my estimate, just 20 people attended on purpose and the other 30 were just passers by who got curious so they took a seat.

There were those who stood around and watched of course, but this was clearly a far cry compared to their first years of coming here. Back then one had to purchase a cd just to be able to enter, and yet there were hundreds who elbowed their way in. Videos of it flooded youtube.

From what I've observed, the extraordinary talent of Libera NEVER declined over the next 10 years of coming here; it's just a matter of advertising that would make an impresssion on the viewers. Before they first came here, Josh was properly introduced along with the catchy Orinoco. And when they arrived, Josh smiled his way through the hearts of the Filipinos and shook hands with every well wisher. Ben went the extra mile by engaging each fan with a friendly chat even if the lines stretch through midnight. There were even blogs written then, paying tribute to their sincere gestures.

As a result, their concerts at the prestigious international convention centre-- 3 times the capacity of this tour's theater,-- and in Cebu easily sold out.

No, I don't think it's necessary for the current or future batches to be that engaging. Because as I said, they are equally-- if not more talented. I just attended their concert and their performance was beyond perfection! It's just a matter of creating an ad that introduces them properly and that would make an impact.

I was hoping they made an ad that capitalized on In Paradisum-- that would've floored the viewers and filled bigger theaters to the rafters! (I heard from Rocco himself that he won't sing it on this tour but perhaps another boy could've done it.)

I'm dwelling on this because I'm concerned about the dwindling number of supporters here. The Manila concert is a sell-out but it is in a venue that is 3 times smaller. And as I write, i was informed it's not a sell-out in Cebu yet and there are only 3 days left. Such high quality deserves a bigger audience, and they've done it before.

I want their fanbase here be sustained just like in Japan and Korea. What I mentioned is just my take on how it can be done. If others have other ideas then better, so we can help each other bring Libera back in years to come.

-------

Going back to the m&g signing 2 days ago, i saw that no greeting was going on so I tried to break the ice when I got to Rocco and said, "Congatulations on In Paradisum, I'm looking forward to hear it live on Tuesday." To my surprise he politely answered that he's not gonna sing it. Naturally I was gonna ask how come, but a chaperone came close so I just moved forward to the next boy.

They all looked happy and I didn't forget the warm greetings by Merlin, Alex G. and Daniel who smiled after I told him that his rendition of The Prayer is the best ever. (His recording on the Beyond album is very heartfelt, isn't it? During the concert itself, he received 2 separate thunderous applauses right through the first verse!)

My little cousin noticed Leo was not initially at the table during the signing. He only joined at the last part. Later in their tent, he can be seen holding something on his forehead. I explained to my cousin that they must be jet-lagged as it's only 7am in the UK. (They only landed the evening before that's why I thought it was ridiculous when they were already being asked what they thought of our country.)

He thought about it and handed me an action figure we bought while waiting earlier. "Give this to him, hopefully it will cheer him up!" "And tell him thank you for accepting my friend request on social media."

I handed it to Eleanor, if I remember what Patrick had said her name was correctly. The next 2 days, my cousin would bug me if Leo got it so I asked Patrick before the concert and he laughed, "I'm sure he got it."

Later my cousin said he brought a partner action figure to give to Alex Gula 'cause he & Leo were partners in Lacrymosa. "Forget it!" I told him and that we're leaving immediately after the concert.

But Patrick had introduced me to John earlier. He just arrived last night. I wouldn't miss out having wonderful discussion after the concert with him. But there too was the concern about the absence of Mr. Prizeman. "I think Sam (Coates) did an incredible job!" John re-assured me.

While walking out of theater I came across Josh. Yes he is here but like Mr. Prizeman, he prefers to keep a low profile. I think he was surprised someone recognized him. I was gonna ask if Mr. Prizeman was present even if he didn't conduct, but realized it was obvious that he's not around so I just congratulated him instead for a successful event. I think he is the floor director now or something like that. He was in the middle of the foreign and local crew and they were receiving instructions from him.

I'll write about the concert itself in the morning. For now, let me thank Libera for the 2 hours this evening when they transported me and my family to the celestial realms. It's hard to believe that after their wonderful show, they are back to being just ordinary school children-- as they narrated-- before saying goodbye and we all went back to this mundane world.

[maartendas]

Wow, I wish I could have heard Alex G sing in Smile...!

Sam taking Robert's position on the tour is a historic moment for Libera. I can't help but think back on the Lessons and Carols service at St. Philip's last year when Robert beckoned Sam to take over during one of the songs while he stepped down to play the organ. It seemed such a symbolic moment to me then.
We will see what will happen... "for the future"!

[john45]

Happy ending to a perfect day was finding my missing luggage returned.

The perfect day (or evening I should say) was thanks to a wonderful concert at the Marelco Theatre.

The big surprise was of course that Libera were directed by Sam Coates in place of RP. Sam did an excellent job. It wasn’t really a surprise to some of us as our own Inspector Clouseau had deduced as much before the concert.

After a welcoming speech by Dr Roberto de O’Campo, the local announcer reminded us to turn our phones to airplane mode but added that we were welcome to take photos and videos as long as flash was not used. What!!! Fortunately this was immediately followed by Daniel’s usual announcement that “all forms of recording etc etc” . Phew!! Can you imagine cameras clicking and smart phones glowing all over the auditorium.

As it was, the audience was almost a full house and very appreciative (turned out some failed to attend being stuck in the horrendous Manila traffic). There was extra loud applause and some cheers for “The Prayer”, “Smile”, “From a Distance”, “I am the Day”and of course, the encore, “Bayan-Ko”.

The facility itself was very nice with perfect acoustics, excellent sightlines, comfortable seats and a sophisticated lighting system which did much to enhance the beauty of the performances.

Patrick has tweeted a comprehensive list of songs, soloists and speakers so I won’t go into details but just comment on what was notable for me.

First off, Sam had a very busy night and did just about all the high notes. He mentioned at the signing that the only time he got a rest was in “Smile”. Leo has had a fairly dramatic voice change and is now in the back row with the basses. Thanks Leo for all your wonderful treble performances in the past.

Though not as wide as before, Merlin, at 14, still has a surprising treble range and his voice has developed an incredible richness. “From a Distance” tonight was the best ever.

I am also particularly fond of Victor’s voice. Its slight bluesiness is just perfect for “Smile” and “Wayfaring Stranger”. Both nicely done tonight with Alex G replacing Alex M. in “Smile”).

Other notables included the “Wexford Carol” (more from Tadhg please); the mysterious “I am the day” (Sam and Alex G taking over the high-low exchange); the amazing “I saw three Ships” and my perennial favourites “The Prayer” and “Stay with Me” - Daniel and Oliver both excelling.

All the speeches were very well delivered (especially nine year old Cassius) and some (Peter, Daniel and Johnnie) included Tagalog – always appreciated by the Filipino audience. Well done all.

Well done too to all the harmonisers who don’t often get mentioned in these reports but are such an important component of the unique Libera sound.

Next stop Cebu.

[Benjo]

Have a safe trip to Cebu, John. Heads-up though-- the last time i was there traffic was also horrendous.

You too Patrick, i hope you have a great week! Don't forget to try Cebu's lechon. The late Anthony Bourdain called it the best pork dish in the world.

And i have emailed the bbc video you requested, kindly check if you received it.

Meanwhile i have a couple of pictures here that my cousin took. Including that of Rocco when he was explaining to me that he won't sing In Paradisum on this tour; and that of Leo after he joyfully joined in towards the end of the m&g. But in my long absence here, i've forgotten how to upload it