Coldplay.

Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Foo Fighters.

Aside from being awesome bands that are famous all over the world, these three bands share something in common – they have been to Asia to promote their albums via a concert series but they’ve all decided to skip the Philippines for one reason or another. It’s quite frustrating since Filipinos have proven time and time again that they’re voracious concert goers. While Pinoys do lap up the pop sensations who visit, rock bands like Incubus have routinely been welcomed with open arms! They wouldn’t have played here three times if it made zero business sense on their part.

The Philippines used to be a good place to hold events in. The Araneta Coliseum played host to what is perhaps the most memorable fight moniker of all time – the Thrilla in Manila. Metallica has played here before and Rage Against the Machine likewise held a show here (in Pasig!) during the 90s.

So what changed?

For one, the world economy has changed so much that bands have had to scale back in a lot of things. It takes a lot of guts to bring a product like Foo Fighters or Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Philippines. While their albums are sure-fire number 1 hits in the US, it would be a stretch to expect a jam-packed Araneta if they do go into town. That’s why it takes a lot of faith and belief in a business model for a company to bring in an artist like Deftones or Nine Inch Nails to the country – they may not necessarily be the most mainstream of artists but there’s a lot to be said with their very devoted following.

A country’s economic standing also plays a good part in planning the concert. It’s not enough to have a lot of fans – it has to be an event that makes business sense. Will there be sponsors? Will there be enough people to build buzz for upcoming concerts? While we Filipinos can rest easy on how proficient we are in the social media game, we’re still a long way from being the country that people look at as far as the artistic and musical compass of the region is concerned.

With Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers and now Foo Fighters (playing in Singapore, March 2) becoming more open in playing in more Asian locations, the idea of flying out for a night or two just to catch a show becomes a valid proposition. For people who have the means, it’s definitely a choice that is considered for a long time. After all, this could be the most cost-efficient way to catch a band – the alternative option would be to buy a more expensive ticket to a location that is farther than Singapore and Hong Kong. But still, shelling out for airline tickets (this would at least set you back 5-10 grand) and good tickets (5-10 grand, probably as well) would eat into your wallet.

If anything, we could take solace in the idea that the times are changing a bit. Bands are starting to consider Manila (again) as a destination. Hopefully, the choices that Deftones, Korn, Incubus, Thursday, 30STM, Saosin and many others would resonate with the other bands.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 10:09 am and is filed under Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.