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From left: Silent Sanctuary members Poch Villalon (keyboardist and backing vocalist), Ronnie Ropal (bassist), Kim Mirandilla-Ng (violinist), Sarkie Sarangay (lead vocalist and guitarist), Allen Calixto (drummer) and Anjo Inacay (cellist) grace the presscon for their upcoming ‘Gabi ng Lambing’ concert.
MANILA, Philippines — Due to overwhelming fan clamor, Silent Sanctuary has added a second night to its upcoming “Gabi ng Lambing” concert at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Originally scheduled as a one-night show on Oct. 25, the band will now stage a “Reverse Day 2” concert on Oct. 24, giving fans the chance to catch the performance a day earlier.
While promising to bring the same high energy to both nights of their first major solo arena concert, Silent Sanctuary also assured fans that each show will offer a different experience.
“We are so grateful to those who purchased the Day 1 tickets,” vocalist and guitarist Raymund “Sarkie” Sarangay said at a presscon. “Iibahin namin yung experience ng Oct. 24 sa Oct. 25. Don’t worry, parehong malupit yung ipaparanas namin sa inyo.”
Keyboardist and backing vocalist Poch Villalon added, “For both days, pareho ang makikita nilang energy namin. Expect na lang nila na all out kami sa both days. Gagalingan talaga namin.”
Prior to ticket sales for the Oct. 25 show, which sold out in just five hours, the band members admitted they were anxious about the public’s response.
As Sarkie recalled, “Personally, I didn’t monitor the queuing. Ayokong mag-expect talaga. I think all of us didn’t expect na ganoon ang mangyayari on the first day. The tickets sold out. We didn’t expect that many people would want to watch us.”
Cellist Anjo Inacay shared that the band had already mapped out a series of promotional gimmicks for August and September in the lead-up to the concert, anticipating a longer ticket-selling period.
“Naka-plot na with the production, but thankfully we don’t have to do it. Haha!”
Poch said the band intentionally opened ticket sales early on June 25 to gauge public interest in the concert.
“So when the time came, during the ticket selling, I was really anxious that I got exhausted and fell asleep,” he recalled.
“When I woke up, I saw the posts that it was sold out around 5:30 p.m. Some fans even requested, ‘Pwede bang ipaubaya niyo na lang sa mga tito and tita ang mga tickets.’”
The band members were relieved when they learned the concert had sold out, but the response also brought added pressure as they sought to meet and even exceed the expectations of fans and concertgoers.
“We want to surpass their expectations. That’s why as early as now, we are already preparing for that day,” Poch said.
Presented by TTP Events, Numinous Philippines, Variant Productions, Tala Entertainment, Universal Records Philippines and Wrangler Philippines, the “Gabi ng Lambing” concert also marks Silent Sanctuary’s 24-year musical journey since the band’s formation in 2002.
Sharing the stage with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, Viva Voce and special surprise guests, the concert will celebrate Silent Sanctuary’s “24 Years of Songs,” featuring fan favorites such as Ikaw Lamang, Sa’yo and Kundiman, deep cuts, fresh arrangements, a full orchestra, a choir and the band’s signature “rockestra” sound.
It may come as a surprise that the band has never held a major concert throughout its existence. For its members, however, now is the time to make it happen — a long-awaited idea that began as a simple “usapang tambay.”
“Fortunately, there were producers who trusted us. But what we didn’t expect was the overwhelming support of the fans and our listeners,” Poch told The STAR.
“Kung naiisip ba namin na ito yung perfect time, I don’t think na yun yung iniisip namin. We just wanted to do a concert and I think na parang hindi naman inisip na yung right time, nagkataon lang din siguro talaga siya.”
“Kumbaga na-hinog na kami sa tugtugan. Kumbaga ito yung sa sobrang tagal na naming tumutugtog, i-try naman natin mag-concert ganyan. We’ve been talking about this since 2017. I think the stars just aligned. We met our producers and they are willing to support us,” added Sarkie.
Given the strong ticket sales, will they bring “Gabi ng Lambing” to other parts of the Philippines and officially make it a tour?
The group revealed that it has already begun discussions with its production team about staging the concert in Cebu or Davao.
“But we’ll explore. We hope magkaroon din ng clamor for tickets sa ibang regions,” the rock group said.
— Charmie Joy Pagulong
Tickets for the Oct. 24 show are available via SM Tickets outlets nationwide and online at https://www.smtickets.com/tickets/GabiNgLambing.
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Credit belongs to: www.philstar.com
