Elijah Woods Delivers A Heartfelt Take On Love And Life With First Manila Concert – Review

It’s one thing as a musician to be able tell your most personal and emotional experiences through your work, it’s a whole other endeavor to be able to somehow make your audience feel them exactly the way you did. With Elijah Woods’ debut Manila concert earlier this week, he has flawlessly proven he can do both.

It was a Monday evening. The weather’s kind of gloomy. The Metro Manila traffic is a nuisance as usual. In other words, not exactly the ideal concert date for some. However, for the many who showed up to finally see the rising Canadian singer-songwriter last May 20, clearly, none of that mattered and I was about to experience why. As for the TikTok sensation himself, he would attest to all in attendance that this show at the Podium Hall, presented by Live Nation Philippines, was absolutely worth the wait.

Kicking the night off with songs like “past life”, “make believe”, “lights”, and “first night”, it was fairly evident how Woods could easily connect with an audience from the get-go. He commanded the boisterous Filipino crowd with ease, getting them to dance along to his movements, sing along, as well as even having them envelope the venue in a unified everglow from their phone lights. It felt as if it wasn’t his first time performing on Philippine shores. I guess, as the lyrics of “past life” go, “So tell me why does it feel like I’ve known you all along?” And indeed, it honestly felt like that for the rest of the evening.

As he treated everyone in attendance to a performance of his nostalgia-infused unreleased track “2 thousand 10” – an absolutely catchy tune that he needs to release already by the way – one could tell how Woods was also starting to feel this connection I spoke of. So much so that it got him proclaiming, “I already know it’s gonna be the best show of my life.”

As he started weaving through his keyboard and continued the concert with more somber tracks like “losing a friend” and “second guessing”, it soon became a showcase of his artistic versatility; both in conveying raw emotions through his music as well as the vivid stories he could paint with his lyricism.

Speaking of emotions being conveyed through music, I also have to give props to the two musicians who supported Woods throughout the night: Tommy Sachs on guitars and Stephen Adu on drums and percussion. It’s honestly a rare sight seeing a backing band of two but this duo impeccably proved that they were more than enough. Whatever feeling each song was made to convey, Sachs and Adu managed to take it one step further with their playing, elevating each one of the tracks that night to a whole other level. Woods would constantly shout them out during the set, even extending it further to the rest of his crew including his tour manager who celebrated his birthday that day. With this, the crowd sang a couple rounds of the “Happy Birthday” song, Filipino style, which left Woods and his crew baffled but absolutely amused.

Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t the only instance Woods was treated to the best of what a Filipino crowd can offer. Throughout the night, the audience was constantly in high spirits, loud in their singing and even more so with their supportive shouts for the rising singer. “I could be here all night! I could just listen to you all night,” proclaimed Woods in between songs. Funnily enough, it got to the point where he jokingly asked his fans to teach him how to say “You are so loud!” in Filipino which he was able to do after a few tries. “Ang ingay niyo!”

Let me just say here that when I first started listening to Woods’ music, what immediately struck me was the diverse range of emotions he courageously taps into. Whether a song of his is infused with joy or melancholy, about life or love, they exude a unique sense of vulnerability that can immediately resonate with and captivate the heart of any listener, further backed by his multi-faceted approach to his instrumentations.

With this, as the night went on, I could observe how Woods was naturally reciprocating the energy his Filipino fans were ceaselessly giving him. From throwing out a bunch of finger hearts to taking a couple of selfies on people’s phones, he continued to make every effort to connect with his audience even in the smallest of ways. Of course, the rest of his set also made this seamlessly happen as the night went on.

Treating everyone with acoustic offerings of “wildfire”, “almost happy”, and even a delightful cover of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer”, Woods brought a rare sense of intimacy to the concert – one you don’t normally get to experience from a major show.

Further adding to this was his tendency to share stories about his songs, letting the Filipino crowd into the most sincere corners of his heart and mind with open arms. This included his hit tracks like “last girl” being one of his favorite songs he’s ever written as well as how the opening line of “if you want love” was inspired by a “terrible” yet “greatest pick-up line of all time” he successfully used to win over his now-fiancé. 

Ultimately, what served as concrete proof of how Woods and his music have powerfully resonated with his listeners – and one of the highlights of the evening – was when he performed “everything everywhere always”. During the heartfelt track, he revealed how a couple present at the show got engaged to the song, specially dedicating a chorus to them and even going down to give them a hug.

As the concert reached its finale, Woods made sure it would close in an unforgettable fashion. From quite literally jumping into the crowd during “take care” (“I love you guys so much! That was insane!”) to showcasing a passionate performance of his breakout viral hit “24/7, 365”, Woods gave it his all. In turn, his Filipino crowd did the same, jumping around, singing their loudest, and even showering everyone with rose petals, before the singer made his eventual exit.

However, everyone in attendance clearly didn’t want the night to end as continuous fervent shouts of “Walang uuwi! [No one’s going home!]” erupted from the entire audience. As Woods came back out, happily obliging to their request of an encore through an acoustic cover of “Fix You” by Coldplay, he ecstatically expressed, “I love the Philippines! By far the loudest crowd we’ve played!”

Evidently, Woods fell in love with his Filipino fans and didn’t want to leave them just yet, with him and his band doing a double encore for the first time ever. Treating everyone to an acoustic rendition of “24/7, 365”, Woods officially capped off the emotional evening. “Thank you for one of the most insane nights of my life! I can’t wait to come back!”

As the house lights of the Podium Hall turned on, I thought of the time when I interviewed Woods earlier this year for Billboard Philippines. In it, I asked him what he wanted to impart on his listeners through his music. With a smile, he told me, “I hope that they can feel close to how excited I was when I made the music. I hope that they can feel the passion and excitement.”

As I observed the crowd on my way out of the venue, and even throughout the concert, I witnessed a variety of heartfelt scenes – couples holding hands or hugging each other tenderly, parents with their young kids smiling their widest while singing along with the rest of the crowd, and newfound friends jumping up and down and loudly expressing how much fun they just had.

Elijah Woods might have had his breakthrough as an online sensation but with his Manila concert, I have seen first-hand that he has already become so much more. “I hope that my music means enough to somebody that it means something,” he told me as we closed out our aforementioned interview. Well, safe to say, that wish has already come true.

Continue reliving the Manila stop of Elijah Woods’ ilu 24/7, 365 tour by listening to the setlist playlist made by the artist himself below: