The Sugarpaps in Concert at Wright Park Hotel: An Historic Live Music Night in Baguio!
Three cracking, high octane sets of covers from beloved Baguio band The Sugarpaps rocked the WPH Riders’ Hall at Wright Park Hotel on Saturday evening. This marked a monumental milestone: it was the band’s very first concert featuring Tawag ng Tanghalan grand finalist Timmy Go. To top it all off, the night even included a surprise cameo from the hotel’s General Manager, who brought a performance energy to match the professionals!
Your digital discovery besties (Karen and I) were thrilled to be invited to this exclusive monthly event, which came complete with food and drinks. We were seated with a fantastic, unobstructed view of the stage and quickly became fast friends with the fellow music lovers at our table. Before the lights dimmed, the room was abuzz with friendly chatter, but when house lights went down, a hushed air of anticipation fell over the crowd.
Spotlighting Baguio’s Local Music Scene
Straight off the bat, we need to commend Wright Park Hotel’s visionary approach to the local music scene. They are providing a premium, high production platform for local bands to perform to ticketed audiences. This monthly live music event is a stellar initiative that deserves a permanent spot on everyone’s social calendar.
The hospitality at the event is top notch, and there is valet parking, so no worries with the rain, get dressed up and come ready to have unforgettable fun.
What Made the Night Historic?
The Sugarpaps have been a staple event band around the City of Pines for several years, commanding a fiercely loyal local following. However, their recent addition of male powerhouse vocalist Timmy Go supercharges their dynamic. He gives lead singer Marikit a charismatic frontman to share the stage with. This new balance allows music director/keyboardist Brad and lead guitarist Butch to focus on being musicians first, while still getting their own well deserved moments in the spotlight.
This was the official debut show of their completed line up, and the performance absolutely kicked like the stallion motif of the Wright Park Hotel!
The night also introduced a new track written by Timmy Go, Huling Biyahe
Three Sets of Pure Nostalgia
The night was structured across three distinct sets – each featuring a complete costume change. The band performed timeless tracks arranged on the themes of love: love for a special someone, family, or nostalgic places.
Crowd stopping favorites that showcased the breathtaking vocal talents of both Marikit and Timmy Go, such as “I’m Feeling Good” and “New York, New York,” had the audience cheering, clapping, and waving their cellphones with torches shining. As a 1990s kid, the Boyz II Men medley with the inclusion of “I’ll Make Love To You” was my highlight of the night.
To close out the historic evening, Wright Park Hotel’s GM, Ompong, was called up on stage. He completely brought down the house with his high energy, getting everyone in the room to cut loose – “Footloose”!
