By Pocholo Concepcion
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:42:00 02/13/2011
Filed Under: Music, Entertainment (general), Youth
MANILA, Philippines—Mikaela Frias, Maya Lescano, Ashley Patricio and Kaycee Bejado, all 12-year-old Filipino-Americans from Guam, are flying to Manila this weekend to watch a concert. Other young Filipinos living in Singapore, Japan and Thailand are coming here, too, for the same purpose.
They will be joining thousands of others who will fill up the Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 19 for the concert of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
Tickets went on sale Nov. 15 last year. Two weeks later they had sold out.
| PATRON VIP (Reserved Seating) | 12680 |
| LOWER BOX REG (Reserved Seating) | 5810 |
| UPPER BOX A (Reserved Seating) | 3700 |
| UPPER BOX B | 1590 |
| GENERAL ADMISSION | 530 |
| LOWER BOX VIP (Reserved Seating) | 7920 |
| PATRON REG (Reserved Seating) | 12150 |
“We were surprised, although we knew Taylor has many fans here,” said concert promoter Renen de Guia of Ovation Productions. “We were not prepared for the huge demand for tickets.”
Tickets to Swift’s three shows in Japan starting Sunday (Feb. 13) and on Feb. 16 and 17—part of her current world tour to promote her latest album “Speak Now”—have sold out as well. Which explains why Japanese and other foreign tourists are coming here for her Big Dome concert (8pm).
“The fans! I am so fortunate to have fans all over the world, and I’m so excited to get to meet them this year,” the Pennsylvania-born Swift told the Inquirer in an e-mail chat.
“They’ve been so good to me, and I can’t wait for them to hear all the stories on ‘Speak Now,’” she said.
Stage designed like letter ‘P’
Swift is known for personally reaching out to fans during her live performances. To make this gesture possible in a large venue, her management team specifies that the length of the stage be modified.
For the Big Dome show, De Guia said the main stage was designed like a letter “P,” to allow Swift to move around and be nearer the fans.
A second stage will be constructed at the opposite end, where Swift is also expected to show up sometime during the show.
De Guia did not say if Swift would go up to the other sections of the Coliseum.
Since January, TicketNet has been besieged by calls from fans asking if the coliseum management would be selling more tickets.
A few weeks ago, sources claimed there would be a few hundred VIP tickets available for P15,000.
At press time, standing-room-only (SRO) tickets at the upper box section were on sale for P3,000.
Positive role model
What is it about Swift that makes her such a popular artist?
“The kids in Guam go crazy over her because she has a positive role-model image, unlike Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus,” said Grace Mercado-Frias, mother of Mikaela, who frantically contacted friends and relatives in Manila on how she could buy the concert tickets.
“I had already booked a flight but still didn’t have tickets. I was really panicking. All this trouble just to follow my daughter’s wish,” she said.
Swift “writes about first love and the heartaches of a young girl which many, of course, can relate to. Girls in their preteens have crushes, you know,” De Guia said.
Best-selling artist
Swift, 21, has sold more than 16 million albums worldwide.
Her 2006 self-titled debut on the independent label Big Machine (distributed by MCA Music in the Philippines) earned her a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.
Her second release, 2008’s “Fearless,” won four Grammys, including Album of the Year, making her the youngest artist to receive the award at age 20.
“Speak Now,” her third CD, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart after its release last October. It has so far sold more than 3 million copies.
“I make music that I’ll be proud of, before I think about how many albums it will sell in the first week,” she said in the Inquirer interview.
“I always hope for the best and I’m competitive with myself, so that it drives me to try and write better hooks, deeper concepts, and more detailed lyrics than I ever have before. Competing with myself to continue writing honest, personal songs is actually really invigorating.”
Inspired by past romances
Most of her hit singles, including “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me” and “15,” were said to be inspired by real-life experiences.
On “Speak Now,” lyrics of some of the tracks were reportedly influenced by her past romances with actor Taylor Lautner, singer Joe Jonas and singer-songwriter John Mayer, who’s said to be the subject of the song “Dear John.”
“I wrote this entire record on my own, so I took even more ownership of every detail of every song. I needed every lyric to be something I was undeniably proud of,” Swift said of “Speak Now.”
Staying close to family
But even as she has apparently started living the life of an independent young woman getting involved in romantic relationships, Swift knows the value of staying close to her family.
“My family has known me since long before anybody knew my music, and they’re going to tell me if they think I’m changing, or if they think something is different, or if they think I’ve reacted to something in a bad way. I think that that’s really important to have around you. I’m not afraid to have people tell me what they really think, and you’ve got to keep in your life a sense of reality and honesty and people who are brutally honest with you,” she said.
SOURCES:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110213-319956/Taylor-Swift-concert-sold-out-only-SRO-tickets-left
http://gigs.com.ph/gig/taylor-swift-live-in-manila/
Picture from:
http://blog.edarevalo.net/mca-music-releases-taylor-swifts-newest-album-speak-now/
Post a Comment