Travel across time: Ben & Ben’s ‘Saranggola’ the concert

Filipino band Ben&Ben took their Liwanag on a trip down memory lane during their Saranggola concert on 2 October at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, bringing fans through the band’s musical journey one album at a time.

Opening the concert with “Ride Home” felt like an invitation to settle in for a night of music, memories and nostalgia. From one song to another, Liwanag were brought back to the different chapters of Ben&Ben’s career, with each album carrying its own memories for the fans who have grown alongside the band.

The group performed some of their biggest hits, including “Lifetime (Reimagined),” “Sa Susunod na Habang Buhay,” “Kapangyarihan,” and other songs that have become part of the soundtrack of many Filipinos’ lives.

But beyond the music and the celebration, the concert also carried a bittersweet feeling.

Drummer Jam Villanueva is set to leave the band at the end of the year, making Saranggola their last concert as a complete nine-member group. The announcement gave the night an added emotional weight, especially for fans who have followed the band through the years and watched them grow from their early days into one of the country’s most recognizable bands.

By the time the band reached “Saranggola,” the emotions became even more difficult to hold back. As the song played, the members could be seen wiping away tears, sharing a moment that felt less like the end of a concert and more like the closing of one chapter.

There was hardly a dry eye in the room.

For many Liwanag, the night was not only about revisiting old songs. It was about remembering the moments attached to them — the first time they heard a certain song, the people they listened to it with, and the different versions of themselves who were there when those songs became part of their lives.

Saranggola became a celebration of how far Ben&Ben have come, while also reminding everyone that even bands, like the people who listen to them, can grow and change.

And as the final notes faded, one thing was clear: while the complete band may be entering a new chapter, the music they created together will continue to carry the memories of the Liwanag who grew alongside them