Michael Learns To Rock took us right back to the 90s at the Araneta Coliseum last October 26 for their Back On The Road Tour! The entire night felt like a fun karaoke session as the Manila crowd sang along to every song.

First, Diamond Soul Siren Nina took the stage to sing a few opening songs: “Loving You,” “Jealous,” “Someday,” and “Foolish Heart.” All the focus was on Nina – she mesmerized the whole coliseum with her voice, which sounds just as melodic as ever! 

A few minutes later, Michael Learns To Rock was met with screams and cheers of excitement as they got onstage! They played their first songs of the night “Complicated Heart” and “Sleeping Child” with Jascha Richter on keyboard and lead vocals, Mikkel Lentz on lead guitar, Kåre Wanscher on drums, and Troels Skjaerbaek as their bassist on tour. 

“It’s so good to be back in the Philippines after three boring years,” said Jascha. “And it’s a full house tonight!” The band looked genuinely grateful and excited to be playing for the thousands of Filipino fans present! Araneta Coliseum was filled with colorful lights and videos on the LED that reminded us of MTV music videos way back when. 

After playing a couple more songs like “Hot To Handle” and “You Took My Heart Away,” the other band members went offstage, leaving Jascha with his keyboard to take the spotlight. He played “Nothing To Lose” and since it was just Jascha and the keyboard for this song, you could hear the audience sing along to every word clearly.

Then, Mikkel joined Jascha to play “I’m Gonna Be Around.” As they played, Jascha came down from the stage and walked around the entire VIP area! Fans took the opportunity to touch hands and selfies with the singer. Afterwards he joked, “Sorry, my wife said I cannot take pictures with the beautiful women in the Philippines.” 

Kåre and Toels returned on stage and they continued on with MLTR classic hits! The crowd went wild for “Out of the Blue,” “25 Minutes,” and “The Actor.” Mikkel took his turn to go into the VIP audience area and take selfies with fans. He even brought one fan’s phone on stage and took videos of the band with it! What a lucky moment for that fan! 

Jascha made sure to show some love for the whole audience again before the show ended. “Thank you so much for showing up. We are so happy!” He even showed extra appreciation for the people in the Upper Box and General Admission areas that night, saying that even though the band couldn’t quite see them, they’re happy they came! 

The concert was about to end with “Paint My Love,” as the LED screen showed a message that read “Thank you / With much love, MLTR.” But of course, the fans demanded more! MLTR played their encore songs, “Take Me To Your Heart” and “That’s Why You Go Away” to end a night of nostalgia and heartfelt music. 

Thank you to Wilbros Live for making this show possible! 

See more MLTR concert photos on our Facebook page.