More videos from Michael Johns Philippines mall tour. His second concert took place today at the Glorietta Mall in Manila.
Check out the videos after the JUMP…
Feeling Alright
Queen Medley
Fire (High Quality)
Michael Johns - Glorietta Mall - Manila, Philippines
Published November 19th, 2008 in American Idol and Michael Johns.
Michael Johns
Awwww.
No one seems to care much about Michael.
I am just glad to see him so happy enjoying lots of love from the Philippino crowd.
I hope he achieves some type of success post Idol. He deserves it.
Watched MJ last night at Glorietta. I’ve no pics or vids, sorry. I also didn’t try to meet him. I just really wanted to listen. Great, great voice. You could tell from non-fans/mall onlookers without tickets that stayed until he was done, then hung around and followed him until he left the building. I’ve been a fan of his but even I was surprised. I thought the US tour recaps I’ve read online were the usual Idol fan exaggeration but now I know it’s true–he was great on TV but even better live. I also thought the performance mannerisms that some people consider awkward, up close, weren’t at all. Maybe not pretty for the camera, but I like odd onstage gestures and movement that don’t look contrived. More importantly, MJ has the kind of sound to grab and hold people’s attention.
Highlights: The two original songs with that rock/soul vibe MJ’s been aiming for. Now this coming from someone who wasn’t impressed by them on his shoddily-produced indie CD. But live, MJ sold those songs to the crowd. And this was a crowd that’s typically tough on unfamiliar material and partial to radio-friendly, melodic/sentimental pop-rock fare (hence the overwhelming popularity of Cook and Always Me By Baby here). Also, freakin’ Purple Rain. Another song that’s not exactly what most of the masses are fond of (though for the MJ fans, this was an ideal song for him to cover). Still, it was so unexpected, it floored everyone.
The covers were also well-received. I could do without Tonic, STP and Queen but I was pleasantly surprised by his Oasis, Coldplay and Green Day covers. The latter three are overplayed radio staples here but MJ’s voice made them fresh, soulful and special. Again, that voice. It’s really something else. I wasn’t too happy about the local band that backed him. While they are pros, they were too much of a ’show band’ for me with by-the-numbers arrangements, and they can be too loud and over the top with the cheesy instrumental flourishes. Kinda like the AI band. The local band was good on the two MJ originals though. So, I really hope that MJ starts playing with a regular band he can develop chemistry with even as a solo artist, and that’s more complementary to his style after his single/CD is released.
Nonperformance highlights: MJ the rule-breaker. Digital cameras and onlookers were supposedly barred near the stage during the meet and greet after the show. Still, he showed some love to the people without passes. He shook hands with some of them as he was being ushered out of the area. And when some fans reached out to him to have their flyers and whatnot signed, he obliged (even when autograph-signing was not allowed at all!).
I think MJ’s overwhelmed and gratified by his reception here, which is pretty impressive, considering he was booted from AI earlier than most of the show’s alum who visited Manila in the past and he doesn’t even have a song on Philippine radio yet. And most MJ fans here, while warm and supportive, are quite shy and not even acquainted with the show’s online fandom at all and are fans of his sound, despite the short-lived AI stint. So a lot of us are fans of the talent we saw rather than the show, and rooting for him to have success post-AI. I would love to hear more of his songs and watch him live again.
Prop Joe, thanks so much for the recap. I’m glad you had such a great time! He seems to be so happy there. Thanks to all the Filipinos for showing him some love! I’ve seen a lot of YouTube videos out there of his performances and he sounds great, even though the quality of the videos are not always so good. Seeing him in person perform is something special! His voice is fantastic and his stage presence is awesome! I love all the gestures he makes when he sings, because he appears to make them as he’s feeling the song. I saw him on the AI tour, but we only got 2 songs from him - how great to hear 11 and 2 of his own songs! Can’t wait to see him on tour here in the States! He’s interacts so well with all his fans, too!
Maracaibo, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I care about Michael. And I am sure a lot of his fans do too. We may not be as vocal as some other fanbases but we will always be there for him.
Prop joe, that is one heck of a post. Thanks for telling it like it is.
Have your heard his songs from his band days The Rising..there is a myspace page and there is another EP out ..Live at the Apple Store ..you can hear it here. Michael is the one with the long hair ;)
http://mjfans2.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-10-07T08:19:00-05:00&max-results=7
I have been listening to this EP for a while now and it doesn’t get old and I know I will be listening to it for years to come.
And since he left Idol, the more I follow him around listening to the various gigs he’s done, the more I believe that he is incredibly talented and I hope he gets all the success he richly deserves.
YAY! More Michael! I’m loving all the vids coming out of this tour in the Philippines. I love he sang Bohemian Rhapsody. I wish he’d sing the whole song.
High quality vids FTW!!! Thanks for posting, MJ!
Thanks for the recap, prop joe!
Michael still has two concerts over there. I can’t wait to see more vids.
Thanks for the recap propjoe and thanks for keeping up with Michael in the Philippines MJ.
Michael sounded amazing! I know Purple Rain was taken down from youtube, but wow, that was an amazing performance. Michael really is doing a fantastic job of winning over fans all over the place…can’t wait for him to get back to the US and start working on his album. Until then I will definitely enjoy these performances from the Philippines though!
wow!! Thank You for the recap..Michael is really rocking in the Philippines. I too care about Michael….he is so talented and an amazing performer. Can’t wait for his CD, Ill run not walk to get it.
Purple Rain - Michael Johns at Glorietta
WOW! Michael did an AMAZING job on Purple Rain. Thanks purplesmile!
I love the high quality vids. I read that he added more songs today at the Alabang Mall. He sang “It’s All Wrong…” and “The Way She Loves Me”. I want to see vids from today haha.
Thanks prop joe for that awesome and very informative recap.
I don’t know how anyone can think no one cares about Michael Johns. Some of us have followed his every step since the day we first saw him on American Idol. Every article and video and picture we can find has been posted in every forum we know about.
It’s so much fun to watch all the new videos coming in and read the recaps from all of the fans. The stream of autograph seekers seems to be endless. Thanks to everyone for posting your stories and videos! That may be all some of us ever get to see of him! He’ll be off on tours unending!
Love the David Foster and Friends DVD with Michael performing two songs, love the new song for charity “Another Christmas” which can be downloaded on iTunes Dec. 9th, can’t wait to hear the soundtrack he co-scored with Rye Randa for the Shaun White documentary “Don’t Look Down” to be released in January, then his new single is due out, and a full CD by Feb/March 09.
All in all, I think Michael Johns will be much more than just okay.
Wow… He is really great. And i really like this original songs. That is the rock/blue/soul Michael Johns that i like. Keep up with the good job! 9th December i will be buying his single!!
Great recap, Prop Joe. I’m glad Michael is so well received there.
A mall in the Philippines? Wow, I have no idea what to make out of that.
Micheal Johns impressed the hell out of me in San Jose at Idols Live, so best of luck to him.
Yeah heard a couple–I could never stand much of post-grunge after college but MJ’s voice makes me like those songs
. You are right that his stuff doesn’t get old, though. I think it’s better than a lot of what’s on commercial rock radio these days. But I look forward to the more rock/soul MJ.
I missed his Greenbelt gig due to terrible traffic and parking. I still met up with friends who were MJ fans at the venue. They were able to watch and were awed as much I was. I think there were also more people at Greenbelt than Glorietta since it was a Friday and the show started later at 7 PM. I don’t understand why Ayala scheduled a show at 6 PM when most MJ fans are still either in school or at the office. Plus, the mechanics to score tickets near the stage was just too tedious (shop one day, line up to claim tickets in the AM on another day then line up again an hour before the show starts in the PM). I know most of us had to er, make work schedule adjustments, just to watch him. I’m actually surprised by the turnout at these shows all things considered.
Anyway, I hung out at one of the bars in Greenbelt after the show and a friend saw MJ walk past us with his wife and some security. I called out his name and security guy was about to step in but MJ stopped, shook my hand and we talked for a bit. Don’t judge me. Heh. (The stuff his singing makes us do!) Oh, and during the Greenbelt gig, apparently MJ announced that the Christmas song will also be released in the Philippines via the clothing line Mossimo’s website (one of the major sponsors). All proceeds go to a local charity for abused children (www.bantaybata163.com). Nice.
Filipinos love malls. That’s why our malls here aren’t just for shopping but they also house popular hotspots like restaurants, clubs and bars, and performance areas for bigger events. It’s not uncommon for niche/upcoming artists to play mall shows (bigger arenas are for bigger acts like Rihanna/Chris Brown) because if it’s at an open area, the event organizers are already ensured of an interested audience aside from the artist’s fans. It’s also easier to promote. Even Mraz played Rockwell Tent (an activity area adjacent to the Rockwell Mall) when he was promoting his 2nd album couple of years ago, and Daughtry, as big as he is in the US, had his recent concert here at the Eastwood Mall. I’m glad MJ played malls here; it’s not a bad gig if you’re just launching your career. I don’t think many fans would pay to watch any AI contestant for an hour playing mostly covers. A series of one-hour mall shows is better promotion for him here and likely more profitable, compared to say, a two-hour set at a rock dive or club. Malls have bigger staging areas and audience capacity. I recently watched one of my fave US indie bands (www.myspace.com/plusminusband) play a club here and I was a bit sad about the small turnout. Intimate venues are good for artists like them and their fans, but still, if you’re rooting for them to have bigger success, you’d want more people not yet in the loop to see them.
I don’t even see those songs as post-grunge. He’s blurred the lines for me. Like he said, a good song is a good song and some of those songs are very listenable and they just resonate with me.
Perhaps its because its a weekday and they wanted to finish early? ..lol..
Nah, I won’t judge you, you*stalker* you
Seriously I hope you had a meaningful conversation with him. I don’t think I could. I might be too starstruck myself.
Amidst all the crass commercialism and the jostling for figures that is AI and its products, it is refreshing and heartening to have someone like Michael with no pretensions, release his first single for charity.
and yes, there is a video of this announcement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0weWFvTdAQI
I was laughing at his own “How dare you laugh at me?”
I hope Philippines will embrace the song. He has not announced if it is going to be released here in Australia and he hasn’t got much time to come back and promote it. Apparently he is going straight back to NY for the premiere of Australia at the invitation of Nicole Kidman and then I like to see him have some time and space to finish his album. That is crucial as I don’t want him to delay the release any more than he has.
I care so much about Michael I prefer to spend my time searching for the highest quality videos I can find & watching his awesome performances repeatedly!!! So much more fun than writing comments! See ya!