A round of applause and a standing ovation wrapped up Bullet Dumas’ “Nananatili” concert on Saturday evening at the Music Museum.
Bullet stunned the audience with his experimental ensemble of stories and songs about death, grief, and love.
He opened the night with his hit songs “Ninuno”, “Tugtog”, and “WLKN” before assuming a stance of a storyteller to deliver his new songs.
Bullet Dumas staged his solo concert “Nananatili”, a storytelling of how grief strikes and lingers to people, on Saturday evening at the Music Museum. | via @kelseytelo_ pic.twitter.com/Jc88PvQ2fw
— Interaksyon (@interaksyon) June 9, 2024
Barefoot onstage with a guitar strapped on, he cleared his throat and asked for a moment of rest before proceeding.
“Kinakabahan ako,” he said and the crowd cheered him on.
Prior to this, he had teased his fans to expect something new and dynamic for his comeback music following a stint in theater acting.
READ: Bullet Dumas to make music comeback with ‘Nananatili’ concert
During his concert, Bullet did deliver elements of stagecraft: a little acting and monologue.
His story revolved around the news of somebody’s death from three different points of view (the dead’s daughter, brother, and partner).
He walked the audience into how grief strikes and lingers to people affected by such unexpected tragedy.
In between songs, the artist narrated the setting and context from which each character existed upon hearing the news—before they ultimately meet at the wake of the dead.
The songs carried tunes of raw pain, yearning, regret, and even rage.
Toward the end of the story, Bullet disclosed that he had been exploring whether the material could also be a movie or a book.
“Thank you for coming to the first draft”, he told the audience in jest.
He also thanked a long list of colleagues, production crew, and friends who helped him mount the concert—including Johnoy Danao who he acknowledged from the audience.
Danao and Dumas, along with Ebe Dancel previously staged a concert, forming the three-man band “3D.” They popularized a cover of “Burnout” in 2018.
Bullet ended the night with his old songs “Put to Waste” and “Jack En Poy”.
He has yet to announce the release date of the latest music he performed during the concert.
Meanwhile, prior to his concert, content creator and retail brand Linya-Linya announced that it has collaborated with Bullet to immortalized the artist’s return to music.
It released a limited-edition “Nananatili” shirt with a design beautifully encapsulates the sentiment behind Bullet’s album through its evocative imagery.
“‘Yung experience ko rin habang sinusulat ito [Nananatili], parang, hindi siya palabas e, dapat paloob siya. [. . .] Kaya ang saya nung nagawa niya [Adrian Cruz, Linya-Linya artist] ‘to kasi ang daming meaning. [. . .] Normally, ‘pag isang silip mo sa kanya, kasama mo ‘yung kalansay, literally the dead. Maybe it’s a loved or someone very dear to you. Puwede siyang relationship mo with grief itself or how you deal with it. Pero, puwede rin siyang ikaw ‘yung dalawang yan e, na parang mula living hanggang dead,” Dumas said as he describes Cruz’s artwork during his podcast guesting at The Linya-Linya Show with Creative Director Ali Sangalang.
“The ‘Nananatili’ shirt is a wearable emblem for the loved ones we’ve lost and the life chapters we’ve closed – a tangible reminder to cherish each moment,” Sangalang said.
The shirt collaboration was also teased on social media days ahead of the anticipated concert of Bullet.
Bullet’s solo concert was co-produced by GNN (Gabi Na Naman
Productions).
