The First Ever Silent Concert in Manila

Sony launched a new line of headphones called the MDR with the brand ambassadors being Bamboo and Ely Buendia.

They had a promo wherein if you buy one of the headsets in the MDR line, you can get, for yourself and two other friends, tickets to the first ever silent concert in Manila called MDR: Music Deserves Respect.

The soundproof stage where the artists will perform.

So the concert took place in the Rockwell Tent behind the Powerplant Mall. There was this sound proof booth in front of the tent wherein the artist will be performing.

The whole place had cocktail tables so everyone had to stand throughout the whole concert, apart from the media, VIP's and other exceptions.

Each table would have this on it wherein people can plug in their Sony headphones to be able to hear the artist in the soundproof booth. Each machine can accommodate 4 people.

If you weren't able to buy a pair of headphones, you will be loaned a pair of earphones for the concert. While the MDR headphones were amazing, the earphones they had on loan were not super great.

The time on the tickets said the concert will start at 8pm but it was half past 9pm when the guest artist started to perform.

First from the lineup was Jay Durias from Southborder.

I have the worst memory in the whole world! I cannot remember the songs he sang apart from Rainbow.

After Jay Durias was Bamboo and he came equipped with a lineup of covers, songs from his previous bands and original songs as well.

Apparently, Bamboo had no way of hearing the audience from the outside. He had to way to gauge how everything was being received so in the middle of one of his songs, he walked out of the soundproof area and went into the common area.

After Bamboo came Ely Buendia and he performed the hits of the Eraserheads. Probably my favorite part of the whole concert!

As the grand finale, both Bamboo and Ely Buendia exited the soundproof booth, we were all asked to take off our headphones and they both performed a cover of Come Together by the Beatles.

Overall, the concert was such a unique experience. With that being said, I think I still prefer the old-fashioned way of holding concerts. In the silent concert, the sound quality was impeccable because of the headphones but it was almost too good. It sounded like you were listening to a song from your phone. I still prefer hearing the raw energy that comes from the performer.

Apart from that, having this type of concert completely eliminated that little thing that performers do when they made the audience sing the chorus with them.

Despite all that, it was a great, albeit unusual, experience nonetheless.

Moving onto the place itself, I absolutely love what they did to the place.

The place felt very elegant and special which doesn't really directly connect to the music that Ely Buendia and Bamboo had but considering the interiors individually, it was gorgeous. The layout was pretty typical with an elevated area for VIPs.

I wish though that they had some chairs set up for the audience. Only a few people were given seats while the others were left to fend for themselves. I understand that chairs take up too much space but having some well-laid-out benches shouldn't really take up that much space anyway.

But my favorite part of the whole interior would be the lighting. The lighting did magical things to the place, most especially to the ceiling. It made everything soft and ethereal.

Again, it's at a disconnect with the actual performers but we're letting that slide.

This is probably the only photo I got which (kind of) shows the magicof  the lighting all throughout the whole concert.

So there you go!

Manila's first ever silent concert!

Lucky Rainbow Seafood Restaurant at Z Square Mall

Lucky Rainbow at Z Square Mall

Recently, my family and I happened to drop by the newest mall in Banawe St., QC. I have seen the building progress of this mall since we often pass by in the area. You will easily recognize the building with its vertical strips of green wall in the facade, which is a major plus for me in its design. 

Aside from being the place where you get auto parts, Banawe is also famous for the Chinese restaurants that occupy that road. Finding Chinese restaurants in Z Square is something given and expected. The Lucky Rainbow Seafood Restaurant's fit out, however, tells a different story. 

The thing that struck me most about the design of this restaurant is how they were able to utilize lighting to make the restaurant standout. The backlit printed acrylic panel in the facade, which frames the restaurant's signage, is an imposing front that will make you look. Now, we all know how important that "look" is for commercial areas. 

The restaurant also follows a curving space configuration. That architectural detail was intelligently utilized and given emphasis through the series of backlit panels that run and define the rest of the facade. The ambiance is sophisticated, but very welcoming. 

Four-seater square tables and booth seats are located nearest to the reception desk

A colonnade subtly delineate the booth seating area

Textured acrylic panel set against a stone-finish wall cladding; Notice lattice detail to hide AC

Soft-furnishing details

 Table-setting for the function area with the waiter on stand-by to refill your cup of tea

Now, for the food....

We were all on a diet mode so we ordered more veggies and fish. The order-taker, James, was very accommodating and informative. You can really rely on his suggestions. Here's a tip: always ask for the chef's special on that day. You won't find them in the menu. For that day, we tried the one with tofu and bokchoy. My family and I agreed, it was the best dish we had that night. I love the Xiao Long Bao because the soup inside was plenty. But my mom says she likes the one in Shi Lin for the meat part better. The steamed Lapu-Lapu was also really good. They have a fish tank so you're sure the fish was a fresh-catch. The crunchy garlic broccoli is a perfect partner for the creamy and tender fish. I really appreciated the yang chow served in heart-shape. Small gestures like that makes your guests feel more special :)

They also have fresh flowers, but only for tables for 12. We were only eight so we didn't have any. In their defense, the reason was our food won't fit anymore if they add flowers to the table. True enough because later on when our order was complete, they even had to transfer them to smaller plates. 

Xiao Long Bao 3.5/5

Garlic Broccoli 5/5

Tofu, mushrooms and bokchoy 5/5

Steamed Lapu-Lapu 5/5

Yang Chow 5/5

Will I go back to this place? Actually, I can't wait to try their other dishes. James said there's also a squid chicken dish that we should try. The ambiance with the delicious food is something to look forward to. Add that to the accommodating staff, it's a place where you'd really want to bring your family to. The fact that the waiters were so quick to serve you makes you focus on more important things--family bonding and chitchat.