Inside ‘Kuwaderno,’ Ben&Ben’s first major online concert
Ben&Ben is one of the most notable artists in the Philippine music scene today. Their fans, Liwanag, and the general public eats up almost all the content they produce and celebrate them with utmost ferocity. The notion of a concert is no exception—it is the talk of the town!
Last October 10, the group officially announced on social media their plans on conducting their first major concert on December 5. Live from the SMART Araneta Coliseum, KUWADERNO will air online and feature songs from their latest album, Pebble House Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, among others.
KUWADERNO
— Ben&Ben (@BenAndBenMusic) October 10, 2021
Ben&Ben Live At The Smart Araneta Coliseum.
An Online Concert
Tickets available now via KTX! https://t.co/uZg3TAnbxV pic.twitter.com/Cq12ClqJVD
In a press conference, the 9-member band revealed details about the event, especially their hopes, intentions, and challenges in pushing for the concert.
What to expect from the concert
The group shared how the concert humbled them to the different art forms, particularly dance and theater. Thus, expect the fusion of music, dance, theater, and other art forms in their performances!
Aside from that, the band, directors, and production team outdid themselves with the set, stage design, and concept. We have to thank concert director Paolo Valenciano, co-director Maribel Legarda from the Philippine Theater Association (PETA), veteran light designer Shakira Villa-Symes, to name a few, for that.
The band also emphasized the importance of having a story, as well as how the sequence of the songs plays an important role.
They explained,
“No’ng isinusulat naming ‘yong concert, gusto namin may kwento siya. Mula sa pagpanuod mo ng unang kanta, hanggang huli, para siyang kuwaderno na may kwentong nabuo.”
The band elaborated that there is a reason why the sequence was the way it is,
“All the elements are tied together to create a story.”
Apart from the story and lessons, what makes a performance is the actual performers. Besides Ben&Ben, various artists and friends will be making appearances.
The band will release details about it soon and told us to look forward to their announcements.
Why Kuwaderno?
When asked about the album, Pebble House Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, Ben&Ben explained that it is about the pandemic and the members’ feelings and stories. The band felt that the best and safest way to express those is through an online concert.
“It’s always been [our] dream to have a major concert. When we made the album, it just made sense to make it a bigger scale experience.”
Furthermore, they said that what they will do “encapsulates what Kuwaderno means to Liwanag.”
The goal is to make the people “let out” what they are feeling (just like what people do when writing in journals) and for the audiences to resonate with whatever they are going to do in the performances.
What are the challenges that the band faced in preparing for the concert?
Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, Ben&Ben still hopes for a meaningful time together with their fans and audiences. Albeit only meeting virtually, they wish that their fans enjoy the performances they have worked hard on preparing.
When asked about the challenges, they said,
“We’ve been rehearsing everyday. We had a workshop with PETA to [help] bring us out of our shells. Sanay na kami to be on a stage like live gigs before, but working with people like PETA, there’s a fusion of different arts involved—pulling us out of our comfort zone. It’s challenging but the beautiful thing behind it [is that] we get to be humbled seeing different forms of art.”
Aside from the rehearsals, the band also found it difficult to interact with the fans. With live audiences, they get to talk to actual people but because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic, they can only stand and talk in front of cameras—which they think is “awkward.”
“It’s a learning process to see you in that lens. But we really hope that someday it’s going to be your faces again.”
Tickets are still available!
Ben&Ben urges each Liwanag to come and see them perform.
“Even if magkakahiwalay tayo, we want to make it something special. When we were planning the concert, kasama sa experience na we wanted to put in [is how] we want to make [you all] feel as if you were with us.”
Kuwaderno aims to open new possibilities despite limitations, and intimately build a connection with audiences around the world.
Tickets for the event are still available here. See you there, fellow Liwanag!
