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| Steve Lacy Live in Manila 2026 |
Steve Lacy headlined LALALA Fest Manila 2026, performing Bad Habit, Dark Red, oh yeah? and more at World Trade Center Manila.
Some concerts are memorable because of the music, and some become memorable because of something that happens in between the songs.
Steve Lacy's Manila performance at LaLaLa Fest 2026 was a little bit of both. He closed out the festival with a set filled with songs I've had on repeat, but the moment that really stayed with me was when he shared that his father was Filipino and that members of his family from his dad's side were in the crowd that night.
It was Steve's first performance in the Philippines, which already made the occasion special. But knowing that he had finally met some of his Filipino relatives for the first time—and that they were there watching him perform—gave the whole set an unexpectedly personal feeling.
The Concert
| Artist | Steve Lacy |
| Tour / Show | LALALA Fest Manila 2026 |
| Venue | World Trade Center Metro Manila |
| Date | August 21, 2026 |
| Location | Pasay City, Philippines |
| Duration | Around 1 hour~ |
| Presented by | Wilbros Live |
About the show
LALALA Fest made its Manila debut on August 21, 2026, bringing together a pretty eclectic mix of international and Filipino artists at the World Trade Center Metro Manila. The lineup included Two Door Cinema Club, FLO, Dermot Kennedy, Matthew Ifield, Ben&Ben, Maki, Over October, Dilaw, fitterkarma, and others, with Steve Lacy closing the festival as the headlining act.
After a full day of different artists and genres, Steve's set had a completely different energy. The photos I took mostly captured him surrounded by dramatic lighting—from purple and white beams to blue, yellow, green, and eventually red.
It was also my first time seeing Steve Lacy live, so hearing songs like Bad Habit, Static, Dark Red, and oh yeah? in person was already enough of a highlight.
But the story he shared onstage made the performance much more meaningful.
Steve told the crowd that his father was from the Philippines and that he had met members of his Filipino family for the first time. His siblings, nieces, and nephews from his dad's side were there at the show. He described it as a really special show for him, and honestly, it was a pretty special moment to witness from the audience too.
Getting to World Trade Center Metro Manila
World Trade Center Metro Manila is at Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue Extension corner Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City.
For public transportation, the venue is relatively accessible from the LRT-1 and MRT-3 corridors. The nearest commonly used options include EDSA LRT Station and Taft Avenue MRT Station, with jeepneys and buses available around the Gil Puyat/Harrison area.
If you're driving, the venue is accessible via Gil Puyat Avenue and Macapagal Boulevard, and the World Trade Center also provides its own parking areas. For major events, though, I'd still leave earlier than usual because traffic around Pasay can get pretty unpredictable.
The Setlist
Steve Lacy's set was a fairly compact one, but it covered several of the songs that have become associated with him over the years, along with newer material.
Bad Habitthe feelingHelmetdoomButtonsStaticis it cool?N Sidenothingshow you meSunshine (extended intro)nice shoes / in your worldDark RedEncore:
oh yeah?
Concert Highlights
The biggest highlight for me wasn't even a song—it was Steve talking about his Filipino family.
Steve shared from the stage that his father was from the Philippines and that he had finally met relatives from his dad's side for the first time. His family members—including his siblings, nieces, and nephews—were somewhere in the crowd that night.
There's something really nice about seeing an artist perform in a place that has a personal connection to their family. This wasn't just another stop on a festival schedule for him. It was his first time performing in the Philippines, and it happened to be on the same trip when he finally met relatives he hadn't met before. He later shared that the performance also fell on the 18th anniversary of his father's death, making the timing even more significant for him.
Musically, "oh yeah?" was another highlight for me.
It's one of those songs that feels especially exciting to hear live when you've been following it outside of the concert setting. The song was also featured in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which made finally hearing it live in Manila even more fun. Steve saved it for the encore, so it was a pretty good way to end his set.
And then there was Dark Red.
It's probably impossible to hear that opening without recognizing it immediately, and the crowd definitely knew what was coming. The lighting during the later part of the set also shifted into these warmer red tones, which happened to make for some of my favorite photos from the night.
Concert Photos
I didn't take an enormous number of photos during LaLaLa Fest, but Steve's set gave me quite a few different looks to work with.
The lighting changed constantly—from the purple wash at the beginning to sharp white beams, blue and yellow lighting, and finally the darker red tones toward the end.
So while this is still a limited gallery, I wanted to keep the photos that best captured what I remember from his performance.
A Few Notes...
LaLaLa Fest was already an interesting concert experience because of how many different artists were on the lineup. I got to see Two Door Cinema Club, and then later in the night, Steve Lacy closed the festival with a completely different sound and atmosphere.
But Steve's set ended up being one of those performances where the little story around the concert became just as memorable as the actual show.
Hearing him talk about his dad being Filipino and seeing his family in the crowd made the performance feel much more personal than your usual international artist stop in Manila. He wasn't just performing for Filipino fans—he had actual family members there experiencing his first Philippine show with him.
And for me, getting to hear "oh yeah?" live was the other big moment I was looking forward to. Add Bad Habit, Static, and Dark Red to the set, and it was a pretty satisfying way to end the festival.
I also liked that the photos captured something I don't always manage to photograph at concerts: the atmosphere. A lot of these shots aren't just close-ups of Steve. They're the lights, the crowd, the huge stage, and that feeling of being somewhere in the middle of a festival at night.
A pretty memorable first Manila show for Steve Lacy—and a memorable one for me too.
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