No matter how much we’d like our favourite bands such as Coldplay or Arctic Monkeys to perform in Malaysia, it’s still a no go. They would probably perform in the galaxy before coming to our city. Sure, we’re totally fine with that because if we can, we would be booking our flight tickets to the city they’re going to perform at, anyway. However, all thanks to the wonders of YouTube, we discovered a bunch of musicians that have been a world stage to showcase their talents online. From performing cover songs to releasing their own self-written albums to touring around the world, these musicians proved that they are more just online personalities.
In an effort to connect with their fans offline, many well-loved YouTube sensations such as Wong Fu Productions, Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider, David Choi, JR Aquino, Alex Goot and Against The Current, Ryan Higa, Victor Kim, and Andrew Garcia has been to Malaysia as pair of their Asia tour. It’s always our pleasure to have them perform here and all thanks to Livescape Asia, YouTube sensation Boyce Avenue finally performed their first-ever Malaysian concert at KL Live, Life Centre on 12th Feb.
Formed in Sarasota, Florida, Boyce Avenue is an American rock band that comprised of Alejandro Luis Manzano and his brothers Daniel Enrique Manzano, Fabian Rafael Manzano. They are most viewed independent band in the world with over 6.6 million subscribers on YouTube. So, it came as no surprise to us that their one-night-only show in KL would attract over 2,000 fans like us.
Despite the slight delay, the concert kicked off with a bang with lovely performances from our very own local musician, Narmi. Together with his band (who called themselves the “Slingin’ Sampins”), Narmi performed a few of his own songs and cover songs such as Shaggy’s “Angel” and Innuendo’s “Belaian Jiwa”. They were later joined on stage by Elizabeth Tan, the young musician who made a splash in 2013 with her own cover songs on YouTube. While most fans came to see Boyce Avenue, Narmi and Elizabeth managed to get the crowd pumped up as they sing along to” to their own renditions of Jason Mraz’s “Lucky” and Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good“. We were especially amused by Hitz FM’s Goatzilla, which made a surprise appearance.
Not long after their performances, the moment everyone has been waiting for arrived as Boyce Avenue finally took to the stage to perform. Needless to say, the venue instantly came to life as fans erupted in screams and applause. The band also seemed excited to perform in KL as Alejandro greeted the crowd twice by shouting “Malaysia!” with great enthusiasm. After performing a few of their own songs and cover songs in a row, the band took a break and spoke to the fans briefly. It was definitely great to see them perform with such high levels of energy even although they were on a very tight schedule for their Asia tour.
Best known for their superbly awesome renditions of pop songs, the band did not shy away from performing songs like Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, Ne-Yo’s “Because of You“, Bruno Mars’ “Locked out of Heaven“, and so on. Although Alejandro sang the most, Fabian and Daniel managed to serenade the crowd with their guitar and bass solos while drummer Jason Burrows snagged the spotlight with his drum solos. The crowd was definitely pleased to hear Fabian and Daniel singing when they performed One Direction’s “Story of My Life“.
But when it comes to the real deal of their show, it’s definitely the self-written songs from their debut album “No Limits”. Now we definitely know why they didn’t need to sign a record deal because this band is mad talented! The band charmed the crowd with “Find Me“, a song the crowd was familiar with as most of them were singing along to the song. As Valentine’s Day was fast approaching, the band also dedicated “On My Way” to the people who were still looking for their soulmates.
During the encore session, Alejandro came back on stage to do a solo performance of “Broken Angel”. He mentioned that the song was dedicated to all the girls who had a tough time growing up because it was a song he that wrote for his best friend who had a rough childhood. It was definitely a touching performance as we truly felt that he sang this song from his heart.
“Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you’ Omg you gotta love the crowd at #BoyceAvenueLiveInKL tonight! #BoyceAvenue @boyceavenue A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on
The climax of the night? It was definitely during their rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You,” in which Alejandro noted that Coldplay is one of their favourite bands. His voice merged with the crowd as everyone sang along, creating a perfect harmony. Before leaving the stage, the band once again had the crowd jumping along to their song as they performed their own track, “Every Breath”. Alejandro promised that the band would come back to perform again if they ever had chance to do so.
I must say, I was deeply impressed with their efforts to interact with the fans and the crowd’s enthusiastic response. When combined, these two elements prove that Boyce Avenue’s first showcase in KL was definitely a successful showcase.
Having a post-concert depression? Curb your withdrawal symptoms here with the photos that we took in the gallery below:
Special thanks to our friends from Livescape Asia for bringing them down and we certainly hope they will come back to perform again! 🙂
For more updates, check out Livescape Asia’s Facebook page or follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe Boyce Avenue’s official YouTube channel.
