Morissette’s soaring vocals raised the roof while KZ Tandingan’s staccato rapping and street-smart charm brought the house down.
Their fans turned up in droves on October 31, 2023, Tuesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Morissette’s stage act highlighted her prowess at reaching sky-high notes, as well as her seasoned skills with upbeat numbers. "That’s what I like!" she blurted out while doing funky moves to a Bruno Mars medley.
Born Johanne Morissette Daug Amon in Cebu and a semifinalist in The Voice of the Philippines Season 1 in 2013, the proudly plus-size, powerhouse performer was all confidence as she picked up various pop genres.
She covered Christian Bautista (“Colour Everywhere”) and Taylor Swift (“Style”) with aplomb, before turning pensive in her spiels about “singing songs with meaning.”
What Morissette meant was, she found the movie Barbie relevant to her struggles as an artist, which she channeled through Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”
She next sang Alessia Cara’s “Scars to Your Beautiful,” after which came a medley of signature hits, including “Akin Ka Na Lang” and the women anthem “Power.”
Hysteria over KZ
Hysteria broke out when KZ took to the stage.
She was a flamboyant presence in her punk blue hair and bohemian pink outfit with matching pink platform shoes so outrageous they could make Elton John envious.
Opening with Pinoy rap superstar Gloc-9’s “Sumayaw Ka,” KZ elicited loud cheers that snowballed into wild shrieks as her band played the intro to the Eraserheads’ “Alapaap.”
Read: Eraserheads reunite with actress in "Ang Huling El Bimbo" music video
The screaming wouldn't stop as KZ coaxed the crowd to sing along with her to more Eheads classics: “Pare Ko,” “Magasin,” “Overdrive,” “Huling El Bimbo.”
KZ, a Davao native who emerged as The X Factor Philippines Season 1 champion in 2012, was her playful self—cracking joke after joke in her spiels while expressing joy over the opportunity to perform live again following the pandemic.
“I wrote this for my husband,” she teased, a cue for the band to play “Dito Ka Lang,” a song punctuated by sensuous horns.
Read: KZ Tandingan, TJ Monterde marry anew on third wedding anniversary
KZ turned up her banter, picking on trumpeter Lester Sorilla to join her on centerstage: “Ikaw, pasikat ka, halika rito…”
She then related the long years she’s been with the band, “seven,” said Lester, and more, “perhaps 10, 11 years,” KZ continued, looking at bassist Karel Honasan, prior to flirting with guitarist Ira Cruz, and acknowledging drummer Rickson Ruiz, keyboardist Nikko Rivera, and back-up vocalists Yosha Honasan and Suey Medina.
What followed was KZ covering Up Dharma Down’s “Tadhana,” and Araneta exploding in music pandemonium on a Halloween night.
KZ owned the Big Dome.
Earlier in the show, three young women artists—Zsaris, Keiko Necesario, and Sam Benwick—warmed up the audience with their original songs.
The concert was a promotional event that offered free tickets upon purchase of a kit of the cosmetic brand, Flormar, that Morissette and KZ are endorsers of and that was being launched that very same night. Talk about a cosmetic brand knowing how to mount a concert!
The Big Dome was not only full, it was loud! PHOTO: Pocholo Concepcion
This one drew thousands of Filipinos from all walks of life who screamed their hearts out, in between singing and dancing to their idols’ setlist, in an atmosphere that could only be described as beautiful and electric.