Venues: Wharf Stage, Singapore
Date: 2nd October 2022
Promoter: Singapore GP Pte Ltd
Review by: Nate Eileen Tjoeng
Special Thanks: The Singapore GP Pte Ltd Team
Photos by Cliff Yeo: Altoduo | Black Eyed Peas | iDKHOW | The Kid LAROI | Green Day
Black Eyed Peas Day 2 – The Rain Dance We Will Never Forget
The F1 weekend must have been memorable to Black Eyed Peas. On October 1, Black Eyed Peas played to a Padang-sized crowd who didn’t mind trampling on soggy and muddy grass, because it had rained torrentially in the afternoon before their set. Thankfully the rainfall ceased before major acts took the Padang stage, and audience was able to enjoy the concert without hindrances.
However on day three (the second day of their performance), their show was quite the experience for both fans and the band themselves. The original Black Eyed Peas members – will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo addressed the crowd before dusk at Zone 1 on Sunday, to a smaller crowd at the Wharf Stage. This was predictable as tickets for Zone 1 tickets are pricier and the band had played just the night before, but the crowd still trickled in to eventually fill up the concert grounds a few minutes after they had started.
Like a ritual, Black Eyed Peas aptly got the ball rolling with their 2003 hit “Let’s Get it Started”. Despite Fergie leaving the band in 2018, the American group of rappers and singers still managed to retain their followers. When J. Rey Soul made her stage appearance shortly right from “RITMO”, another Billboard hit, the Singapore crowd greeted her with gusto and sang along to her numbers with lyrics rolling off the tip of their tongues.
Right about 20 minutes into their set, grey clouds hovered hastily and skies looked bleak. Those who’d checked the weather forecast came prepared and once the raindrops started falling, took out their brollies and ponchos. will.i.am was aware of the dank weather situation and immediately humoured the crowd by freestyling a rap number about being in Singapore and dealing with the wet weather. The band then performed “Don’t You Worry”, comforting the crowd about the circumstances.
The rainfall was relentless and started to become more intense. will.i.am said, “I don’t want to be all bourgeoisie. I’m going to come down and join you in the rain.” He then went into the crowd and commiserated with the fans by getting wet himself. The fans were touched and cheered while the superstar left his pedestal to be amongst them. Like rebels with a cause, many of fans stayed in front of the stage to show their support for the band.
And Black Eyed Peas played on. Even though some eventually evacuated from the centre to seek shelter as the downpour battled on mercilessly, especially those with kids or had no protection against the elements. In fact, even those who came armed with umbrellas found themselves soaked to the skin. Unfortunately, there was simply no shelter anywhere, unless you were working at the merchandise booths. Those on work shifts could only look out piteously at drenched and helpless humans.
Despite the unrelenting rain, fans still stayed to watch and listen from different points of the concert grounds. Some were spotted taking refuge under whatever foliage they could find or even garbage bin covers, but no one was seen leaving the festival. Midway through the set, festival goers who were determined to catch the race that night still streamed in umbrellas defencelessly.
The band was psyched to go on as a bunch of fans still persevered at their spot in front of the stage. They brought on numbers such as “Scream & Shout” with Britney making her appearance on the LED screens. Fans put on a rain dance especially when Black Eyed Peas fed them with favourites “Where Is The Love?” and “I Gotta Feeling”.
Taboo said in a video that it was the very first time the band had performed in the rain. “It was a moment in Black Eyed Peas’ history,” he shared. “It’s beautiful, everybody stayed.” The members of Black Eyed Peas certainly don’t need to ask themselves where is the love because they know that it’s right there, that moment they had during Singapore Grand Prix 2022.