SB19 Pave The Way For Fellow Artists!

On Saturday, July 29th, 2023, Filipino boy group, SB19 performed at the venue, the City National Grove of Anaheim. Marking this as their “Los Angeles” stop on the PAGTATAG tour, the boys were greeted with a full house of fans of all ages!

Just two days before, the talented and popular boy group held their San Francisco stop where they were recognized by the Board Supervisor of San Mateo County. Mr. David Canepa honored SB19 alongside Star Media Entertainment for their “exceptional achievements in promoting Filipino culture, music and arts on the global stage” announced Star Media Entertainment. Therefore, July 28th, 2023 is officially declared SB19 Day in the county of San Mateo, California. A huge congratulations to this boy group for paving the way for artists in America.

NSB Open for SB19

Opening for the group was North Star Boys (or NSB). NSB consists of 7 members, Oliver, Sebastian, Justin, Ryan, Kane, Darren, and Regie. Also a big part of who NSB are, is their Manager TY who is Kane’s brother! The group dub themselves “The first Asian American content group” and have been releasing music since their debut in 2021. The group is founded by brothers Oliver and Sebastian and all members of the group are friends.

NSB started with a skit trying to figure out how they should open the show. From a Taylor Swift acapella to a freestyle rap stage, they thought of everything. The boy group did it all in the end, including the song “Friend” which they announced they’ll be releasing very soon. NSB hyped the crowd by throwing beach balls in the audience. They also use slingshots to throw their band shirts to fans. While the show was one that had many family members of all ages, it didn’t stop the NSB boys from taking off their shirts; gaining screams from everyone in the audience – younger and older. The boys will be making a comeback with more music and shows soon so stay tuned for them.

SB19 Take the Stage

The lights dim and a VCR plays! The members of SB19 are introduced: Pablo, Stell, Josh, Justin and Ken obtain loud cheers from the audience. Finally, SB19 appear on stage in all white and begin with their most popular track, “Gento”. The “Gento” music video has garnered over 19 million views and it’s no surprise. The song had everyone jumping out of their seats and singing along.

After “Gento”, SB19 performed “Mana” and many other tracks. They slowed it down with many slower tracks including their debut song “Tilaluha”. It’s interesting to note that this music video was filmed in South Korea. SB19 showcased their strong vocals through a set of various songs including “Ilaw”, “Liham”, “Mapa” and more.

They then run off stage to change and a new VCR plays!

Speeding It Up!

Josh, Stell, Pablo, Ken (Felip) and Justin speed it back up as they return with red, green and black outfits. They change from the handsome princes in the first set to their wilder side. The members perform “Crimzone” as well as, “Bazinga” which had the crowd on their feet once more. This set of songs showcases their strong ability to rap, sing, and dance. Did I mention Josh took off his shirt? Afterwards, they speak with A’TIN (fans) a bit before they leave the stage once more. Again, a VCR plays of the members. The boys have a strong stage presence and amazing visuals so their VCR emulate just that.

SB19 Individual Talent

The PAGTATAG concert had it all, from amazing performances as a group to individual talents being praised by the fans and media alike. Stell was up first as he performs a beautiful rendition of “Defying Gravity” from the WICKED original soundtrack. He returned in an all white outfit that showed off his back; he was a prince once again. Stell’s high notes gave goosebumps and induced cheers across the venue. The vocal genius has the audience on their feet in a standing ovation and claps from just the first solo.

Josh Cullen was next with his performance “Get Right” and “Wild Tonight”. His silver outfit caught attention due to it’s eye catching state but that wasn’t all. He still wasn’t wearing a shirt under his jacket. Though, it didn’t seem like the audience minded. He performed his sexy set and garnered screams from the crowd.

Solo Stages Continue!

It was now time for Ken (Felip) to come to the stage and he had two tracks, “Criminal” and “Drinksmoke”. He sported a punker look with red leather pants, matching gloves and a graphic t-shirt. His deep voice gathered the attention of all and the screams were almost deafening. Clearly he is one of the most popular members.

Justin’s turn! He came to the stage in a blue button up and black leather pants. He performed “Little Things” which allowed him to show off his vocals. Justin interacts with fans throughout his solo and jumps down into the crowd. He ended the song in the audience by singing to a lucky fan. Justin gave a few last words before leaving. He thanks his fans for the continued support and never forgetting to say he loves them.

Last up for the solos is none other than SB19’s leader, Pablo! Performing his song “Kumunoy” (an unreleased track) he appeared in black pants and a white t-shirt. He showcased his wonderful vocals and strong talents with this performance. It is no wonder that he is loved across the the globe by fans.

The show goes on!

If you thought the show was over, you are wrong. The group ensure their fans came for what they paid for by performing a good amount of songs and showing everything they’ve got. SB19 return with their sexy performance of “I Want You” which is another popular track by the group. Their outfits were on point for this performance and fans went wild for the hip thrusts and floor dances.

After this performance they also performed the point choreography of “I Want You” one by one for the fans. Fan service at it’s best!

They continued the show with more fan interactions and songs like “WYAT (Where You At)”, “Go Up” and “Freedom” which had many singing along and enjoying every minute of it.

Of course, like almost every concert, they leave the stage. Some fans, I guess, didn’t know or it was just so late (almost 11PM), they actually left. But those who knew since the lights were still off, that the boys would return to the stage again, waited patiently for their return. They had their encore performance as they came back in black tour shirts and took photos with the fans using their Polaroid cameras and cell phones. SB19 ended their concert with the song “What?” and a promise to return for more fun!

More photos in gallery – HERE.

Article and photos by Diana/Mari