Cup of Joe Takes Joewahs on a Wild Musical Ride at ‘Silakbo’ Concert
Last Feb. 8, rising Filipino alternative pop band Cup of Joe (COJ) opened the first of their two-night sold-out shows at the Araneta Coliseum, and dare we say it was nothing short of exhilarating! A fitting description considering their latest album is named “Silkabo,” a Filipino term that means “a sudden burst of intense emotion.” The album explores the five stages of grief through ten tracks written by the members of the band themselves—inspired by their personal experiences and emotionally charged with their raw honesty.
The Beat Asia got to witness this exciting milestone as Gian, Rapha, Gab, CJ, and Xen played their biggest venue yet—only a year after the success of their debut solo concert, “Seatbelts On!” at the New Frontier Theatre!
Read on and discover our favorite moments of the night, from the exciting setlist to the special performances that blew our minds, and know exactly why we believe this dynamic quintet is only going to get bigger and better from here.
‘Silakbo’ Day 1 Concert Highlights
The venue was packed with the band’s fans, who are endearingly called “Joewahs,” dressed in inspired looks! Though most donned their best red attire, which is the theme color of the album, some fans went above and beyond to personally design their outfits from writing song lyrics on their skirts to creating looks inspired by the songs.
Up-and-coming artist, Amiel Sol, opened for the band and serenaded us with the popular OPM (Original Pinoy Music) song “Pagdating ng Panahon,” as well as his chart-topping, “Sa Bawat Sandali.” At around 8:30 PM, the lights dimmed, sending fans into a frenzy.
The “Silkabo” concert stage came alive with flashing lights accompanied by the boom of thunder against a backdrop of forestry and a sky full of stars. The band came on stage one by one and sang the first track from the album, “Bagyo” (Storm). Gian and Rapha led the crowd as their vocals filled the coliseum. But more than their impressive sound, we couldn’t help but notice the fans’ voices coming together—and even at certain points, overwhelming the artists as they sang along. It was a true testament to how far COJ have come in the last six years, building a loyal fan base that truly connected with their music.
“Nakakagulat na ganito karami ang sumalubong samin. Maraming salamat! (It’s surprising how many people came to see us. Thank you!) You don’t know much this means to all of us.” Said lead vocalist Gian as they greeted everyone for the first time after hyping the crowd with tracks “Wag Nalang” and “Patutunguhan.”
“Hanggang ngayon di pa rin kami makapaniwala na nasa Araneta Coliseum kami (We still can’t believe we’re here at the Araneta Coliseum)!” He added. The group kept the show going as they performed more tracks on the album by order from “Wine,” “Kanelang Mata,” “Bubog,” “Siping,” to “Pahina,” which we noticed was a fan favorite by how much louder the concertgoers sang along to it.
Track Deviations and Special Performances
One of the best parts about going to a live show is that you get to experience an artist’s music on a whole other level and COJ made sure that everyone who came would be able to not just hear the tracks from their new album, but also their previous chart-topping hits and beloved collaborations.
Singer-songwriter Keanna Mag took to the stage as their first guest of the night and fans were delighted as she shared the stage with them to sing their collab track, “Lahat ng Bukas.” Love was in the air during this stage, and we’re not just talking about self-love which the song beautifully encapsulates, but also between real-life couple, Keanna and Rapha, who shared a sweet hug after the performance.
COJ followed up with a lineup of their biggest hits including “Estranghero,” “Sinderela,” “Hayaan,” “Tataya,” and “Misteryoso.”
The band then surprised everyone with special sub-unit stages. After a short video that reminisced on their early beginnings, Rapha and Gab rocked the house down as Pink Soda, performing covers of popular hits by Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. We couldn’t help but sing along and fangirl over “Heartbreak Girl” and “She Looks So Perfect.”
Meanwhile, Gian, CJ, and Xen raised the energy even higher as Pink Penoy Club— their name inspired by Chappell Roan’s pop hit—performed a medley of OPM favorites such as “Pare Ko” and “Ang Huling El Bimbo” by the Filipino rock band, Eraserheads.
After their sub-unit stages, Gian surprised fans with a stunning solo performance as he told everyone about his journey as a singer and how one artist gave him hope to pursue his dreams again.
“I was watching a show on TV called the ‘X Factor Philippines’ and I got so inspired by this very powerful woman named KZ Tandingan.” He shared. “And to honor my story, we wanted a chance to pay tribute to that woman who changed my life at a time when I was experiencing so much self-doubt.”
It was a heartwarming full-circle moment, indeed, as he brought KZ to the stage with him to sing her hit cover, “Two Less Lonely People.”
This show wouldn’t be complete without their biggest hit to date, “Tingin.” The song was originally a collab project with Janine Teñoso but the group shared the stage with “Paubaya” hitmaker Moira Dela Torre, who sang her rendition of it, delighting fans with the unexpected duet.
The band then resumed to perform the rest of the of the album before thanking their family, friends, and fans. Some famous artists were mentioned to be present during the show such as P-Pop sensation Justin from SB19 and singer-songwriter TJ Monterde. The band ended the show by performing the title track, “Silakbo.”
However, Joewahs were able to pull out another song from the quintet as they chanted “Isa pa (More)!” The band returned to the stage with an encore performance of “Mananatili.”
From the amazing songs accompanied by impressive vocals and instrumentals to the exhilarating surprise performances and special guests, it goes without saying that Cup of Joe knows how to put on a show. We especially loved that their concert was both grand and intimate—the former seen from the production: their fashionable outfits (they had about three wardrobe changes, FYI!), visual effects, and big-time guests—and the latter from the way Joewahs knew every single word to their music and were uninhibitedly singing along with them.
It was a celebration of Filipino music and its deep emotional pull—how a single album can take you on an emotional roller coaster or how a single song can encapsulate an emotion we cannot otherwise find the words to describe. But it seems that Cup of Joe has it down to a tee when it comes to composing “moving music,” and we simply can’t wait to hear—and see—more spectacular performances from them in the future.
If you missed their Araneta show, don’t worry! The group is reportedly continuing the concert series in Baguio, Davao, and Cebu next month, as well as international shows in Canada and the US later on.
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