Back-to-back Cebu concerts with Sessionistas and Wolfgang

– Sessionistas: Live in Cebu –

If the Sessionistas were given their own episode on ASAP, their three-hour concert last Saturday, April 18, offered a strong glimpse of what it might have looked like. The group, composed of Ice Seguerra, Juris Fernandez, Sitti Navarro, Nyoy Volante, Princess Velasco, and Duncan Ramos, opened strong with a medley of Queen’s hits that included “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Somebody to Love.”

Notably absent was Kean Cipriano, who revealed on social media days before the show that he was recovering from an ankle injury.

The first act transformed the Pacific Grand Ballroom into a lounge bar, as each member revisited their musical roots through songs that defined their careers. This included two of its members calling back early days from their previous groups. Fernandez performed “A Little Bit” from her days with M.Y.M.P., while Ramos delivered “Rainbow,” a signature track from South Border, where he served as lead vocalist from 2002 to 2007.

After Seguerra sang “Para Lang Sa Yo” and Volante performed “Somebody,” the segment culminated with Velasco, known as the Acoustic Princess, delivering her rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” with the Sessionistas joining her to close the act.

A standout portion came in the second act, “Dear Sessionistas,” where the group read letters from Cebuano fans. Unique to this leg was responding to each story with a Bisaya song. Ramos and Volante performed “Usahay” for a fan who lost her father in 2021, dedicating it to her mother. “I hope this small gesture brings her happiness again,” Ramos said.

Fernandez, Navarro, and Velasco followed with Jacky Chang’s “Pero Atik Ra” for a fan reuniting with a former partner who wants to see their child, while Seguerra led the group in performing Oh! Caraga’s “Ipanumpa Ko” for a fan whose hardships were compounded by the recent calamities in Cebu last year, but who found comfort in music.

The third act, “Sessionistas Now,” spotlighted deeper cuts from each member’s music, while the fourth act, “Sessionistas Unexpected,” leaned into surprises with upbeat performances. Navarro and Fernandez rapped to Blackstreet and Dr. Dre’s “No Diggity” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” while Velasco and Seguerra took on Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass.” The group also embraced P-pop, with the male members performing SB19’s “Gento” and the females
taking on BINI’s “Salamin, Salamin.”

Between segments, the members took turns with their own solo stages. Notable moments included Navarro serenading a couple who got engaged during her performance, Velasco delivering a heartfelt rendition “With a Smile,” which she said took on a different meaning for her now as a mother, and Seguerra performing “Pagdating ng Panahon” on the eve of the phenomenal song’s 25th anniversary.

The concert closed with “Sessionistas at Home,” a segment where the group took their audience back home as they reflected on their enduring friendship, both on and off stage.

The guys performed Coldplay’s “Fix You,” while the ladies, alongside Seguerra, sang “For Good” from Wicked.

The full group then performed “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Hallelujah,” before closing with “I’ll Be There for You” — the theme song of the sitcom “Friends” that is a fitting end to a concert that celebrated their 17 years of music and camaraderie.

“Kahit mahirap ang buhay, as long as you have friends, you have each other…this concert is a celebration of that friendship,” Seguerra said.

– Wolfgang: The Reunion –

As soon as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” finished playing over the speakers, fans knew it was time for Wolfgang to take over the Pacific Grand Ballroom stage.

The Cebu leg of their 30th anniversary reunion tour on April 19, delivered exactly what longtime fans had hoped for: a loud, unfiltered, and deeply nostalgic return for one of the pillars of the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) rock scene.

Frontman Basti Artadi commanded the stage with raw energy, never one to censor his spiels, with expletives that only heightened the crowd’s excitement. Joining him were guitarist Manuel Legarda and drummer Wolf Gemora, the latter making his return to the band after his departure in 2002. “Wolf’s back, and he’s f—— louder as ever!”, Artadi remarked.

The nearly three-hour set, described by the band as their longest in the tour yet, dug deep into their catalog, blending hits with fan-favorite deep cuts such as “Natutulog Kong Mundo,” “Arise,” “Center of the Sun,” “Atomica,” and “Cast of Clowns.”

After persistent chants from the crowd, the band saved their biggest hits — “Halik ni Judas” and “Mata ng Diyos” — for a powerful finale. They returned for an encore with “As Oceans,” “Weightless,” and “Sanctified,” the latter performed exclusively for their Cebuano audience.

Noting that the crowd included longtime fans of the band since its formation in 1992, Artadi thanked them for making time to watch the show on a Sunday, pointing out that it is typically a rest day meant to be spent with family.

The band also took the opportunity to pay tribute to some of their friends who died before they could reunite on stage. They honored Brian Velasco of Razorback, who took his own life in 2019. They performed his favorite Wolfgang track, “Hell Looks,” a song he would often request from the band even when it was not part of their regular setlist.

They also paid tribute to their late bassist Mon Legaspi, who was the primary songwriter of the band’s Tagalog songs. He died in 2022 due to cardiac arrest. After performing “Anino” in his memory, a throwback clip of Legaspi playing bass was shown on screen, drawing applause from the audience.

“Wolfgang wasn’t really Wolfgang until Mon joined the band,” said Artadi. “We were just a bunch of guys playing in school fairs until he showed up. The relationship we built with him was exceptional, and we were very blessed to have him join our troupe. I don’t think we would have made it to where we did if it weren’t for him.”