In the Kingdom of Pretty, it was.....





Exciting. There were no flashy ads about this singer coming to town but I said I was going the moment the news reached me. I missed this girl’s Boracay gig sometime ago and I wasn’t about to miss this one.

Not too many people know who Bonnie Bailey is, not until they hear the tune familiar to them. Her global hit Beach House anthem, “Ever After”, would be this English singer/ songwriter’s most popular, and “Kingdom of Pretty” would be next, at least to this part of the world. The rest of her songs are virtually unknown to many- Millions of Milkshakes, Can Hardly Wait, Cocoon, Firefly, No Promises, Rise, Safe, Sweet Serendipity, Too Little, Too Late, Trust, not unless you’re into the club scene or a big fan of hers.

But it was “Everywhere” that was her first chart-topping hit. She has to credit Hed Kandi for signing her in, Bonnie Bailey’s entry to the UK dance scene was phenomenal.

For sure there won’t be too many people going to this event. I was wrong.


Front stage scene. They came to watch, not to party.

The threat of rain loomed over Davao. Given the sign, the group agreed to converge and have dinner moved to the venue’s restaurant. A wise idea for the early birds, they avoided the trek from the nearest parking space available.

Fattening. Not too wise. Early meant having to kill time. Killing time for this “generation” meant gorging on more pizza and gulping more. Bites became faster seeing the throngs of the “next generation” around us. We were the odd ones.


See Cara smile.....


and Stella, too.

Surprising. Odd ones we really were. The arrival of the “next generation” of clubbers was tsunami-cal. I was wondering how much do they really know Bonnie Bailey. Maybe this was the only happening in town? Maybe they did their You Tube research? Maybe it was peer pressure? No matter, by attendance this event was a success, ka-ching!


The odd group?

Still. But what I saw was an ocean of poles. Why am I not surprised that no one was dancing? It was a “house party” not a concert. Well, Bonnie Bailey tried her best.


You can do it Ate Bonnie! You can wake them up & make them dance!

Don't lose hope Ate Bonnie! You can do it! You can still make them dance with your last song!

Hot. Literally! No breeze entered the tent. Plus I believe that crowd was a bunch of heavy breathers, even when they were not moving. Even the drinks were hot.


In a house party of our own.  The only dancing guests (drenched in perspiration) in the scene. 

Unreal. Oh yes, it was! Woot, woot! Including Bonnie Bailey’s performance? I don’t believe it, WAS SHE LIP-SYNCHING?


Tee-hee. Me? Lip synch?

This probably explains why she didn’t agree to a sound check and refused to hand her minus-one CD. Why? The technical crew will surely be surprised why her minus-one in a plus-one and the news will leak. Like she can get away with it?

Ergo, in the most unfortunate time of technical difficulty, when her tracks can’t be read by the player, who gets the blame? Dig this- she doesn’t have a back-up CD! Her only copy had to be reproduced to another format.


Mr. Dey-G,, sugod na ta! Play my tune, I will lip-synch.

Unsa'y nahitabo Mr. Dey-G? Wa hapen her?.....No sound check, no tracks checked. Who's to blame?

It was a good thing the show was able to continue. Can you imagine everyone in the room demanding for their refunds from the show’s organizer?

Free. The best things in life are free. That was what the show should have been- free. Shelling out P500 suddenly became a bad idea when you can gain free access from anywhere around the tent. That’s what a lot did.

I still love Bonnie Bailey no matter what! 
Her Kingdom of Pretty is a wonderful place to be in.




Bonnie Bailey's dancing shoes. Open toe with lace stockings. hmmmm.