BLACK EYED PEAS HONORS APL DE.AP, PINOY FANS IN MANILA CONCERT

WHILE I WAS ON MY WAY to the Black Eyed Peas concert on a rainy Wednesday night, I had a feeling it was going to be a "good, good night."

- By CHARMIE JOY PAGULONG

Well, the hip-hop group, made up of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and J. Rey Soul, didn't disappoint, as they had the crowd bopping and singing along to their adrenaline-pumping hits all night.

They also expressed deep affection for their Filipino fans, whom they said have played a significant role in their music career despite everything the group has gone through.

will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo set the party mood at the SM Mall of Asia Arena with Let's Get It Started, followed by Boom Boom Pow, where Filipino-American singer J. Rey joined the trio on stage unleashing her sultry style and soaring vocals.

The intense, energetic vibe continued as the audience clapped and raised their hands in the air along with the group during their high-octane performance of Rock That Body and RITMO (Bad Boys for Life), complementing the lyrics of the latter and encapsulating the fiery "rhythm of the night."

The gig came out as a "full circle moment" for J. Rey, a former "The Voice Philippines" contestant under the tutelage of apl.de.ap.

Born Jessica Reynoso from San Pedro, Laguna, J. Rey replaced Fergie in 2018 to become a Black Eyed Peas member.

"And that moment changed my life because of this man right here (pointing to apl.de.ap)... from Laguna and (now) touring around the world with the Black Eyed Peas. Make some noise for apl.de.ap," she told the eventgoers and then launched into Mamacita, a song she dedicated to all the "beautiful mamacitas" out there.

For Taboo's solo set, he paid homage to his hometown with a bouncy performance of East LA and In the Air.

"I'm from the city of Los Angeles. We called it the city of angels. We bring positivity, strength and pamilya. If you know about family, we know about connection. I wanna tell you about my city, East LA. The city that I was born in is East LA, it is the representation that I have for the Philippines, it's all about family."