Actor Elijah Canlas was among the celebrities who watched pop star Olivia Rodrigo on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
The concert was part of Olivia's GUTS World Tour, which had previously visited the U.S., Canada, and neighboring Asian countries such as Thailand, South Korea, and Japan before arriving in the Philippines.
Read: Olivia Rodrigo fans storm online to get concert tickets
In an Instagram Story, the Gameboys star shared the personal and emotional significance of the event to him.
It turns out that his late brother JM Canlas was a huge fan of the singer-songwriter and actress, who broke the charts in 2021 with the hit song "Driver's License."
Holding a photo of JM, Elijah took a picture with the arena's name in the background, indicating that he was at the venue to watch the performance.
Read: Andrea Brillantes denies early access to GUTS concert tickets
JM passed away in August 2023 at the age of 17. Although the cause of his death was not disclosed, JM's family revealed that he struggled with mental health issues.
Read: Elijah Canlas pays tribute to late brother JM: "This world does not deserve you."
JM AS A BIG OLIVIA RODRIGO FAN
In his post, Elijah shared that he attended the concert alone and couldn’t help but reminisce about his brother's deep love for Olivia and her music.
Elijah wrote (published as is): "jm was so obsessed with Olivia — he literally had his own corner of olivia merch at home, he even made me watch the disney shows she starred in."
This fascination with the American singer-songwriter — "he would sing and play them a lot in the car" — rubbed off on Elijah, which is why he knows many of Olivia's songs so well.
Read: BTS' V "flirts" with Olivia Rodrigo at 2022 Grammys; "Filipina" and "Traitor" trend on Twitter
In addition to "Driver's License," Olivia also popularized songs like "Deja Vu" and "Good 4 U," among others.
To date, she has released two studio albums under Geffen Records: Sour (2021) and Guts (2023).
ELIJAH TO JM: "HOPE YOU HAD FUN!"
Elijah then poignantly recalled JM asking him to take him to an Olivia Rodrigo concert someday.
Remarked Elijah, "oo na... magaling na olivia mo, jm."
He sadly acknowledged missing JM even more while watching the concert and hearing the songs live.
Wrote the actor, "miss kita! kahit mag-isa lang ako kanina at may konting buhos ng luha. ramdam kitang sumasabay sa bawat kanta, nakangiting tumatalon, at tunay na maligaya.
Read: JM Canlas family, planong sumailalim sa grief counseling
Elijah ended his letter with words: "hope you had fun!"
