Ben&Ben sets off on multi-city tour

Ben&Ben is set to kick off the Philippine leg of their “The Traveller Across Dimensions World Tour,” a multi-sensory concert experience blending music, storytelling and animation. The tour brings the band’s creative vision to life with shows in Cebu, Bacolod and Davao.

The eight-piece group is made up of Paolo and Miguel Benjamin Guico (lead vocals and acoustic guitars), Poch Barretto (electric guitar), Keifer Cabugao (violin), Patricia Lasaten (keyboards), Toni Muñoz (percussion), Andrew de Pano (percussion), Agnes Reoma (bass guitar) and Jam Villanueva (drums).

The tour in support of their third studio album (with repertoire also featuring past hits) begins on May 24 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, to be followed by a June 8 show at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod and June 22 performance at the SMX Convention Center in Davao.

They will head overseas later in the year, including Singapore at the Arena@Expo on Dec. 14 and the US at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California on July 12.

Leading tour and concert promotions companies AEG Presents Asia (Singapore leg), NY Entourage Productions (US leg), and Ovation Productions (Philippines and Singapore legs) have teamed up for the tour.

“The Traveller Across Dimensions” album was released on Nov. 29, 2024 and has produced hits such as Could Be Something and Tomorrow with You.

The concept album follows the “story of Liwanag, the Traveller, as she journeys through three Dimensions: Light, depicting innocence; Energy, depicting struggle; and Feel, depicting maturity. She writes 12 songs along the way, which relate her experiences in each of the Dimensions.”

Following their Mall of Asia Arena concert in December, which served as a kind of soft launch of their latest album, Ben&Ben shared that the show has evolved since. “We also learned a lot from that show and it was kind of like step one for the whole tour. The beauty of a tour, kada show na lumilipas, lalong gumaganda ‘yung palabas,” Miguel Benjamin said. “It’s like a theater production — it just gets better over time.”

The tour features a unique animated universe created specifically for the album, with a central character named Liwanag also representing the group’s creative journey.

“I think, as a band, we’ve always been creative, not just in the music, but also in the way we do music videos and the way we approach every album and every project,” Miguel said of the album’s inspiration during an exclusive interview with The STAR.

After finishing the songs for the latest album, the band felt the need to tie everything together thematically, including the visual concept. They also collaborated with an animation studio that shared the same passion, helping them turn their ideas and imagination to reality.

The concert experience, thus, becomes much more than just a musical performance — it’s like watching an animated film unfold on stage that features, of course, their signature live sound.

“We were really able to exercise our creativity for this album by making and presenting the story of this animated universe,” Miguel added.

One of the most exciting parts of the tour for them is really performing their new songs for the Liwanag, the name of their fan community. “The songs are so fun to play… The way we envisioned this whole album was to play it live… Nothing beats us playing (the album) as a band,” said Keifer.

Plus, he said, they designed the visuals very intentionally to heighten that live experience.

Having already toured internationally with their first album, the group looks forward to seeing how different audiences respond to the new material. From their experience, Toni said that each city has its own character and audiences have their own collective identity.

The band also noted that some crowds are high-energy, some love to sing along, and others are more of the listening type. “We’re excited to see how they react to the new songs, many of which they’ll be hearing live for the first time,” said Toni.

In the middle of tour prep, the band also had a major fan moment of their own when they recently reconnected with Ed Sheeran at the Off-Limits Festival in Dubai.

Ben&Ben previously met with Ed Sheeran when they were special guests at the latter’s 2024 Manila concert.

Paolo posted about the encounter: “What constantly blows us away more than his generational talent and sheer musicality is the genuine, warm connection he makes with everyone he meets, including us. He recalled how lovely it was for him to be able to perform for Filipinos. He also remembered us from when we met him here in Manila, which is very cool. It’s an honor to have been able to exchange stories with him again. We wish Ed all the best with his new album, ‘Play.’”

Talking more about their reunion with the British hitmaker during the chat with The STAR, Patricia said, “He was mabango, totoo!” drawing laughs from the group.

More seriously, they spoke about how grounded the global pop star was. “He was like an old friend,” Patricia said. “I didn’t expect he’d be the one to initiate the conversation. He hugged all of us. Tsinika niya kami lahat isa-isa.”

The band particularly admired Sheeran’s growth in his personal life. “He’s always talked about how becoming a father has changed him for the better. Na-feel ko rin yun… looking at how he has changed through that year, like wow he quit alcohol to be better for his kids and to support his lifestyle,” said Patricia.

“That aura that he takes care of his health, I think it’s so inspiring,” Miguel agreed. “Because as a touring musician, grabe din yung demands on his schedule and his physicality. Now, as we’re about to tour again, nakaka-inspire siya na guys, that’s how things should be done.”

On the subject of touring, for fun, The STAR asked Ben&Ben about their road trip must-haves:

Miguel: Neck pillow, that’s really No. 1. Tsaka matututo ka ng iba’t ibang anggulo ng pagtulog ng nakaupo. Minsan kasi kapag kunwari lumilipad kami, tapos ‘pag sa economy, kaming lahat, yung legroom hindi palaging generous. So kailangan nag-iiba ka ng angles.

Toni: Me, camera, kasi lalo na sa tours na iba-iba yung lugar na pupuntahan namin. Ang sarap i-document.

Jam: Earphones for noise cancelling.

Agnes: Feeling ko phone because I also want to check on the Liwanag in the places that we go to. I’m excited to meet them again. We’ve been to a lot of places nung nag-tour kami sa, like, Canada and US, pero iba talaga dito sa Pilipinas. Excited ako ma-meet sila.

Andrew: Recently, binudol ako ni Pat ng retro handheld console na ‘di kailangan ng internet. It’s a small console na nandun lahat ng mga Gameboy games, PS1 games that’s why it’s pretty solid, even Tekken 3. Ngayon, habang natutulog ka lang sa plane, ako nagte-Tekken (laughs). By the way, speaking of neck pillow, alam niyo ba yung proper na pagsuot ng neck pillow sa plane na paharap pala?

Poch: Me, like Jam, noise-cancelling headphones.

Paolo: Maybe workout clothes because gym is life.

Patricia: Kapag puyat — tempur eye mask. Guys, maganda yan. Trust me.

Miguel: Actually, ang pinakamahalagang baon talaga ay yung pakikisama mo. That’s true, especially when we go on tour, because we’re a big group — not just us, but the whole team. I talked to someone the other day, and they asked how touring was. I said, “When we’re at the airport, we’re like ants.”

You know how ants are — when they find food, they all rush over to it? That’s how we are with our baggage. ‘Pag alam na namin yung spot kung saan namin itatabi para hindi kami nakaharang sa daan, lahat kami magtutulak. I think working as a unit while traveling is very important.

Check out smtickets.com for more details on the concert tour.