Tag: panama

I’m super fond of making lists. Just like most people I also have a bucketlist, but it’s focused on musicians I’ve been dying to watch live.

Last Saturday, I had the chance to tick off 4 artists from that list in one go when I went to Wanderland Music and Arts Festival. I was able to catch San Cisco, Commandeur, The Naked & Famous, and Bon Iver. Panama is also part of that bucketlist, but I already caught them live last year when I went to We The Fest in Jakarta (catch our special cameo in their post-concert video here hahaha).

All of them did not disappoint.

Panama’s been one of my all-time favorites; I sang my heart out throughout their whole set. They opened with my favorite song, How We Feel, and even up until now, it still makes my heart skip a beat. My friends and I were dancing like crazy when they played their cover of Clubfeet’s Cape Town. And of course everyone were singing their hearts out when they sang the crowd favorite, Always.

 

San Cisco was so chill on stage, with vocalist Jordi shimmying sexily in his shorts and sandals. Scarlett was super cute in her red dress and bare feet, exuding so much confidence despite hiding behind her big drum set. The chemistry between the 4 of them was just so electric, it was obvious every one had so much fun watching them.

 

It was also a good opportunity for Panama’s drummer, Tim Commandeur, to showcase his DJ skills. He played a wide variety of crowd pleasers like Jamie XX’s “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” and The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face”. Only a handful of us actually recognized his original song With Me (which btw, I reviewed here). It was a nice set, and Tim was obviously a crowd-favorite/panty-dropper with all the girls wanting to take selfies with him.

 

The guys of TNAF gave an amazing and very nostalgic performance. They took everyone back to 2010 when they played their hits “Punching in a Dream” and “Young Blood”. Their performance reminded us why they should be staples in every millennial’s playlist.

 

I wasn’t originally planning to watch Bon Iver as I was only familiar with a handful of their songs. I was supposed to go home already after buying dinner, but when I heard how amazing Perth’s intro sounded, I decided to stay. And man, was I glad to stick with that decision. I was watching their set alone, right in front of the soundbooth, and I was bawling like a baby with just how magical their performance was. It released so much feelings, thoughts, and ideas in me I felt like screaming out of sheer joy. My personal favorite was Justin Vernon’s solo auto-tune performance of “Woods”. I instantly became a fan after that performance.

 

Not considering the long, inefficient lines in the beverage booths, Karpos was able to pull off this festival magnificently. Hope they’ll be able to replicate, if not surpass, this one.