Japanese Pop Rock band ONE OK ROCK returned to the Philippines last January 29 to play the Manila leg of their Ambitions tour. The band filled the Mall of Asia Arena with fans who were all anxious to hear new songs from their Ambitions album. This is their second time to play a big concert in the Philippines after having played a successful show about two years ago.

ONE OK ROCK performed in an impressive stage set that includes three gigantic LCD screens. The screen at the center of the stage served as the backdrop of the band. It showed live feed from their onstage and Rock-area cameramen. The multi-camera setup gave the audience a dramatic screening of what is going down in every corner of the stage. The epic lighting and effects throughout the show gave the crowd the theatrical performance known to Japanese performers.

There were also numerous platforms for Taka, Toru, Ryota, and Tomoya to jump into all show long. The extended stage stretched to the middle of the arena giving the audience a more intimate experience with Taka and the rest of ONE OK ROCK.

The security staff at the arena enforced a photography ban that is common at Japanese concerts and conventions. Bouncers were strict on concertgoers who are taking videos using their smartphones. Local media coverage and camera video recording were also not allowed.

Vocalist Taka and the rest of the band kickstarted the high-energy concert with "Bombs Away," a song from the Ambitions Album, followed by an old OOR favorite, "Deeper Deeper". The show officially took off when the band played their third song, still from the Ambitions album, “Taking Off”.

The whole show was a rollercoaster of emotions driven by songs with relatable and infectious lyrics written by ONE OK ROCK. The crowd sang along with every song whether the track is in English or Japanese proving that rock and music are larger than any language difference.

The setlist was a perfect combination of heavy ONE OK ROCK classics, slow emotional rock ballads, and upbeat songs that belong to their newer albums like Ambitions. “I believe that it’s important to try and explore different things throughout our lives as musicians,” Taka Moriuchi previously told PULP Magazine in an exclusive interview following the release of Ambitions, which is their eighth album in their 12 years as a band. Taka described it as an album representing the different ambitions that they have as a group, saying that although it was pretty different from anything they put out in the past, it’s “the first album to really let the world know of the band ONE OK ROCK.”

A feel-good frenzy erupted, an expected reaction from their Filipino fans, when "We Are" was played. This song charted number one on The Daily Survey Countdown by the Monster station for weeks.

The crowd at the MoA arena didn't let the night pass without forming an epic circle pit when "Mighty Long Fall" was played. Urged by Taka, Platinum ticket holders banged their heads to crucial energy levels just for ONE OK ROCK. Preluded with piercing shrieks, the quartet ended the show with the power track “Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer”, that elicited the last ounce of energy from the audience.

ONE OK ROCK AMBITIONS ASIA TOUR 2018 Live in Manila was presented by Amuse Singapore, B’in Live, and PULP Live World.

*go to this link for more photos: https://www.facebook.com/pg/rx931/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155537990168040

Setlist:
Intro
Bombs Away
Deeper Deeper
Taking Off
Cry Out
Re:make
Clock Strikes
Bedroom Warfare
Wherever You Are
One Way Ticket
Instrumental
Bon Voyage
I Was King
Take What You Want
The Beginning
Mighty Long Fall
We Are

Encore 1 American Girls
Encore 2 Kenzen Kankaku Dreamer