SB19 finds silver lining in 2020

It is safe to say that 2020 is considered a “nuisance year” by many of us. Big plans were shelved without hints as to when they would be possible again.

Same goes for the P-Pop group (Pinoy Pop) SB19, whose big career move to hold their first concert at the “every-local-performer’s-dream-venue” Araneta Coliseum was halted by the lockdown early this year by merely three days.

The ShowBT group consisting of Sejun, Stell, Justin, Josh, and Ken were dispirited as seemingly endless hours of preparations leading to the show did not see completion.

Add to that, their nationwide show tour was pushed to the curb, with only 4 out of 10 lined up shows completed early this year, to be exact.

“Inisip na lang po namin yung safety ng everyone. ’Yun ang priority namin.  So hindi pa naman matatapos dun siyempre, may darating pang time na next time so hindi naman po mawawala yung chance na ’yun. So yun inisip po naming ’yung fans, yung epekto sa ibang tao nung pandemic,” said Justin.

Refusing to back down, the group started to meet again—online initially—and plan their next move. Adjusting to the new normal, the brilliant idea of an online concert was conceived. This is the silver lining in the dark cloud called 2020.

As the community quarantine status eased up, the group went into rehearsals.

According to the P-Pop group, the newness of this set up really tested their proficiency as far as live performance was concerned. They can be “in the zone” during a regular show, dancing and belting out their numbers, but this time they are performing in a quiet studio.

Thanks to the prodding and cheering by a few production staff members present, and a bit of imagination, they were able to mimic in their minds the scenario of a usual, pre-pandemic show and were able to deliver.

Their online show was held Nov. 21 and gained thumbs up from many fans, not only in the Philippines but in most parts of the world.

The boy band hopes to take this new learning to a higher level  and create more online performances in the future, during and post-pandemic.

Their online show last Saturday will have a replay tomorrow, Nov. 28, due to insistent fans’ demand.

Paying it forward, proceeds of both streaming will be donated to the victims of the recent calamity in Marikina. – RC, GMA News