After being virtually conducted for two years, the tenth installment of Echoes returns in-campus for De La Salle Lipa’s (DLSL) 60th foundation celebration with the theme Echoes Blk X: The Escape, at the Oval, Feb 15.
The three main artists who performed were Denise Julia with her single NVMD, The Juans who serenaded the audience with their song Hatid, and concluding the night was the Itchyworms, performing their hit song Penge Naman Ako N’yan.
Jed Magsino, Council of Student Organizations (CSO) Chairperson, said that the concert’s theme mirrors how Lasallians have ‘escaped’ the virtual gatherings and are finally back together inside the campus.
“After two years na andon [lang] tayo sa online set-up, it’s our comeback dito naman sa campus to see each other in [the] flesh and to celebrate this wonderful 60th anniversary of De La Salle Lipa, lalong lalo na itong Echoes,” said Magsino.
Despite the concert’s comeback, Magsino said that the event was attended only by approximately 3,500 participants, less than the estimated 4,000 attendees of the last in-campus Echoes in 2019.
Prior to the event, students expressed their sentiments regarding the tickets being priced at 549 pesos, a 200-peso increase from the 349 pesos of the last face-to-face Echoes which also headlined three main artists.
One of the first-time attendees, Leigh Anne Flores, a second-year education student, said that she initially hesitated to attend because of the price but eventually found the experience worth it after the concert.
“Syempre po ang daming hindi umattend kasi namamahalan sa ticket, but I know na worth it siya [kasi] syempre kasama [ko] yung friends ko, the vibes, and syempre ‘yung mga artists,” said Flores.
Meanwhile, Marc Aranas, a fourth-year legal management student, did not attend the concert as he thought the ticket price increase was too expensive and could be better spent on other things.
“Sa’kin po price-y siya masyado […] ipag-sasamgyup ko na lang yung 549, parang mas sulit po siya kaysa sa mag-concert,” Aranas said.
In response to these sentiments, Magsino explained that CSO had to follow criteria such as the artist’s marketability, background, genre, theme, quality of performances, and pricing among others in picking who will perform at the festival to ensure that the Lasallian community would receive quality performances.
“Itong list of artists na ito, […] meron kaming criteria na tiningnan and […] surprisingly gano’n kataas din ‘yung talent fee nila. I mean, hindi naman natin isinisisi sa kanila but siguro part na rin ‘to ng inflation, lahat tumataas ‘di ba?” said Magsino.
Magsino said that a list of approved artists was forwarded to a contact supplier to ensure the artists’ availability, followed by the process of bidding and auditing for the other suppliers of the event, eventually landing on the current ticket price.
Aside from the three main artists, the event also featured performances by DJ Nix, MC JJ, Cloie Lorezca, Bianca Dimaclangan, Kromp, and Musikalista’s Ohana, Santa Clara, NSBN, ANM, and Catco.
A portion of the proceeds from this year’s Echoes will be allotted to CSKolars, a program intended to support the youth beneficiaries to be determined by DLSL’s Community Involvement Office (CIO).
Article by: Lia Julienne Ramos and Helena Martinez
