My girlfriend Shine is a concert goer. She being a fan of SB19, going to concerts should be the ultimate experience of getting close to an artist.
So when I pursued Shine and learned this interest of hers, I thought going on a concert date with her should definitely be part of our relationship.
The boy band Blue and singers David Archuleta and Vanessa Carlton banded together to hold a concert here in Manila last November 2025. I was telling Shine that I want us to be there; it should be a good concert experience with nostalgic feels, but due to my busy work schedule, our concert date under the music of these artists we grew up with never came to be.
Then, one friend sent me a link to another concert, this time by a Christian artist, and asked Shine if she would be available. She said yes to it and we proceeded to buying the tickets immediately as there was a promo for discounted ticket prices expiring the same day I asked her. This was like three months prior the event.
The concert we booked tickets for was "Israel Houghton Live in Philippines 2026" at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
This would be my first time inside that arena and my first concert attendance.
I was relying on Shine on everything about concerts, which "optimal yet not pricey" seats to choose, and what to expect. Sorry guys, this self-proclaimed music lover has never been to one in the past.
On the concert day, I made sure I was early at the venue to avoid potential long lines in claiming the physical tickets (we only got e-tickets). I bought Lower Box tickets (the seats on second level with a good view across the stage), but the ticketing peeps handed me one SVIP tix and the other VIP. I asked him why, they said these physical tickets will just serve as entrance passes, the ushers inside will still check the QR codes of our e-tickets. So okay, I thought that was settled.
But when we got inside the MOA Arena, the ushers told us that they are going to honor the physical tickets despite showing them the Lower Box QR codes. Shine and I approached whoever we can talk to: we are willing to not be upgraded, please just let us be seated next to each other. We did not pay for any upgrades anyway.
Then the head usher (well I guess he is the head) wrote on our tickets permitting us to seat on the SVIP Center section and told us that the ushers will know once they see the writings. While waiting to be seated, Shine and I were joyous and puzzled at the same time, never in our lives had we experienced upgrades in concerts, let alone be seated at one of the best parts of the arena!
Entering SM Mall of Asia Arena was surreal. My eyes glazed at the Lower Box section where we were supposed to be seated and compared it with the seats Shine and I were graciously given. Lower Box seats were not bad, but that's quite a distance.
The joy did not stop there. The concert itself was full of energy; I was standing the entire time! This nerd became overly enthusiastic, jumping, shouting and singing along the praise and worship songs Israel Houghton made popular. This is not the Joe you all guys know hahaha!
But the thing I noticed was we are all excited to worship and sing praises to Jesus. Yes, Israel Houghton's name was on the event title, but no one was after his voice or his performance.
That night, it was all about Jesus.
The sparkling lights from our cell was also a different feeling in person. I guess it is a staple in all concerts, but having it experienced myself waving along with the crowd is dreamlike.
And of course, experiencing it with Shine adds to the magical feels.
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| From Israel Houghton's Facebook page Israel & New Breed |
When Israel Houghton ended his concert at around 10:00pm, everybody in the crowd was not willing to leave just yet. Some in the audience started to chant "Isa pa!"(One more!) Then the entire crowd turned English and chanted "We want more!". The chant grew louder and louder, which prompted Israel and his team to come back on stage to lead us in a few more worship songs! The last few songs were completely out of his setlist as the teleprompters below him still show the lyrics of the last song from the original duration of the concert.
The night ended with our hearts full of happiness and rejoicing. Peeps were still singing as they were exiting the arena. Last song syndrome as they say.
Meanwhile, Shine and I still could not believe the unexpected blessings we got. We checked the ticket price difference between SVIP and Lower Box and were simply astonished. I was thinking of reasons why we were handed these upgrades, was it because we bought the tickets early?
Being practical, I would not opt to buy SVIP tickets, but God graciously afforded it for us.
I thank the Lord for this first concert date. Truly amazing, and He even made it extra special!
Praise Jesus!
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