After two weeks of basketball madness, Filipino Lauvers stormed the Mall of Asia Arena for Lauv’s debut set at the venue. American singer-songwriter Lauv returned to Manila as part of his The Between Albums Tour. The show was produced by Live Nation Philippines. The show was successful, full house, up to the rafters, and I think this might be his biggest Manila show yet in terms of crowd attendance.

People rushed in to get inside at the venue as Alexander 23 warmed the exciting MOA Arena crowd. Alexander23 serenaded the fans with his smooth voice as he played his singles, such as “Cry Over Boys,” “The Hardest Part,” for the first time in Manila. During his performance of “IDK You Yet,” Lauv even appeared on the LED screen and also joined Alexander 23 on stage.

Lauv’s set opened with a laser light show on stage, just like an opening from a typical movie, followed by his first song, “Love You Like That.” The show was filled with his deep cut tracks from his compilation album “I Met You When I Was 18,” such as “Paris in the Rain,” “Paranoid,” and “Chasing Fire.” He also did a medley of “Enemies/Kids Are Born Stars” during the show.

A high-energy party occurred as lots of laser lights were on stage during his performance of “Summer Nights” and “Molly in Mexico.”

During the second half of the show, Lauv wore a customized Barong Tagalog. There was a quiet moment, and suddenly a fan shouted, “I love you.” Lauv said he remembers Tiktok viral videos of Harry Styles noticing a Filipino fan, who stood out because she talked to him loudly during his 2023 Asia Tour. On the B-stage, he performed “Sad Forever” — a song which isn’t included in his tour setlist. Notably, the music video of “Sad Forever” was shot during his 2019 Manila show. Ari also played “Breathe,” “Steal the Show,” and “Modern Loneliness” on the B-stage.

The crowd popped when Lauv performed “Mean It” (a shout-out to LANY, who collaborated with Ari on the song). There were loud cheers as well at the beginning of “I’m So Tired.”

“Thank you. You are all amazing. This is my favorite show on the tour,” Ari said during the show. He promised to come back and perform again in Manila. “Never Not” and “I Like Me Better” were the songs that closed the show.

Didn’t we have fun? We had fun! With his charm and great music, Lauv won the hearts of his Filipino Lauvers. He brought us to his musical journey — from his compilation album, his “How I’m Feeling” era, up to his 2022 release “All 4 Nothing” — and we want more of him. This has been one of his best performances in Manila yet, and we can’t wait to see him again on stage someday.

Lauv in Manila 2023 Setlist:
-Love You Like That
-Paris in the Rain
-Paranoid
-I’m So Tired (snippet)
-Chasing Fire
-Enemies/Kids Are Born Stars
-Superhero
-Drugs & the Internet
-Lonely Eyes
-Mean It
-Fuck, I’m Lonely
-Tattoos Together
-Summer Nights (lasers)
-Molly in Mexico (lasers)
-All 4 Nothing (I’m So in Love)
-Sad Forever (b stage)
-Breathe (b stage)
-Steal the Show (b stage)
-Modern Loneliness (b stage)
-I’m So Tired
-Who
-Feelings

Encore:
-Never Not
-I Like Me Better

The In Between Albums Tour: Lauv Live in Manila 2023 was produced by Live Nation Philippines
Words by Kevin Pableo
Photos by Live Nation Philppines