What Happened at the 90s Alternative Rock Night at the Commons MTS

March 6, 2026 | 8PM | The Commons MTS, Matina Town Square, Davao City

Presented by Big Boss Productions and The Commons MTS

Powered by Musika Wabad

I said it before the gig even started: there are nights you already know are going to be special before you even arrive.

I was right.

The 90s Alternative Rock Night at The Commons MTS on March 6, 2026 turned out to be one of those evenings that reminds you exactly why live music in Davao City is something the rest of the Philippines should be paying closer attention to.

Big Boss Productions and The Commons MTS delivered — and then some.

This was not a tribute act showcase.

This was not karaoke dressed up in flannel.

This was five bands — real, seasoned, deeply committed musicians — taking the stage and reminding a packed crowd why the 90s alternative rock era was one of the most important chapters in the history of popular music.

Here is how the night went down.

The Night at a Glance

Event	90s Alternative Rock Night
Date & Time	March 6, 2026 | 8PM onwards
Venue	The Commons MTS, Matina Town Square, Davao City
Presented by	Big Boss Productions & The Commons MTS
Performers	High & Dry, Cotton Candy, AcidRadius (sub for Stone Fade), T2, Loo’sid
Special guest	Giovanni Gaite (Soundtank) joining AcidRadius for Down’s ‘Stone the Crow’
Sponsors	Vlad Clo. Dvo | Simod Clothing | WitWear PH
Powered by	Musika Wabad

Why the 90s Still Hit Different

Before we get into the performances, let me just say that the 90s alternative rock era was not just a musical moment.

It was also a cultural shift that has resonated for decades long after we’d entered the 2000s.

Globally, acts like Nirvana, Radiohead, Soundgarden, Alanis Morissette, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots rewired what rock music could sound like and what it could say.

They replaced glossy hairspray excess with raw, distorted honesty.

Lyrics got personal.

Guitars got heavy.

And my generation felt genuinely seen for the first time.

In the Philippines, the same wave hit with equal force.

The Tunog Kalye era exploded with bands like Eraserheads, Rivermaya, Teeth, Wolfgang, and The Dawn bringing original Pinoy rock to national radio, sold-out arenas, and a whole generation of listeners who finally had their own soundtrack.

In Davao, the underground scene absorbed all of it and built its own identity — DIY, community-driven, deeply passionate.

The bands who took the stage on March 6 are the living legacy of that tradition.

The Performances: Band by Band

1. High & Dry — Opening the Night Right

The night opened with High & Dry, and from the very first chord, the mood was set.

This band went first and set the bar high immediately.

Named after the iconic Radiohead track from The Bends, High & Dry wear their influences openly and justify them completely.

Fronted by Choi — formerly of Tamad si Juan — and anchored by Jero on bass (a veteran whose credits span AcidRadius, Stonefade, Amana, Lethal Threshold, and more), this is a band built from serious musical pedigree.

High & Dry was hypnotic with their ability to hold an audience at attention without relying on spectacle. High & Dry opened this night exactly the way a 90s alt-rock celebration should open — with purpose and weight.

2. Cotton Candy — Grrl Power, Davao-Style

Do not let the name fool you. Cotton Candy took the stage next and delivered something powerful, sharp, and completely unapologetic.

They brought grrl power songs from the 90s with a ferocity that made you feel like Alanis Morissette herself had been reincarnated and embodied in this band.

That is not a comparison I make lightly — Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill (1995) remains one of the defining alt-rock albums of the entire decade: raw, confessional, furious, and completely ahead of its time.

Cotton Candy channeled all of that energy. Their members — drawn from Anhedonia, Vipera, Anna Maria, and Three Fold Section — bring a combined musical history that runs deep through Davao’s underground.

On March 6, they reminded everyone in the room why women in rock are not a novelty but a very important piece of the genre.

3. AcidRadius (Subbing for Stone Fade) — and Giovanni Gaite Steals the Moment

Stone Fade was originally on the bill, but AcidRadius stepped in as a substitute.

AcidRadius delivered the required number of 90s covers with the kind of technicality you only get from a band that has been playing original material for years.

An all-cover set was unfamiliar territory for them by their own admission, but they managed to get through the gig without hitch.

The undisputed highlight of their set — and a serious contender for moment of the night — was when Giovanni Gaite of Soundtank joined them onstage to perform Down’s ‘Stone the Crow.’ Down, the New Orleans supergroup featuring Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Kirk Windstein of Crowbar, released ‘Stone the Crow’ on their 1995 debut album NOLA — a record that merged sludge metal and Southern rock into something that felt ancient and modern at the same time.

Having Gaite onstage for that moment was the kind of spontaneous, collaborative, live-music magic that you simply cannot manufacture.

The crowd went wild for him.

PS… this was the first time I shared the stage with Giovanni and it was the best birthday gift for someone who’s looked up to this legendary frontman for a long time.

4. T2 — Davao’s Answer to U2

T2 went up next and delivered exactly what they promised.

If High & Dry opened the night with Radiohead in their bloodstream, T2 channeled something closer to U2 at their anthemic best — and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.

This band features veterans from Alagad, State of Mind, and HH.

These are musicians who have spent decades honing their craft, who understand dynamics at a cellular level, and who play with the kind of unhurried confidence that can only come from having been on a lot of stages over a lot of years.

T2 did not need to prove anything.

They simply played — and the crowd loved it.

5. Loo’sid — Closing the Night with Power

Loo’sid saved the best for last.

They were the final act to take the stage, and they delivered a performance that everyone in that room will be talking about for a long time.

Martin Estaciones was the standout vocal performance of the entire night — his powerful baritone filling every corner of The Commons MTS with the kind of presence that makes you stop mid-conversation and just listen.

He can sound like any 90s frontman worth listening to, and on this night, he was all of them at once.

But Loo’sid was not just Martin. The rest of the band displayed the kind of cohesiveness that takes real time and real trust to build.

Every player was locked in.

Every transition, every dynamic shift, every moment of quiet before a wall of sound — all of it was intentional and all of it landed.

Loo’sid closed the 90s Alternative Rock Night the way a closing act should: leaving everyone wanting more, and nobody feeling ready to go home.

Davao’s Music Scene: The Bigger Picture

What I witnessed on March 6 was not an isolated event. It was evidence of something that has been quietly building in this city for decades.

Davao’s underground rock and alternative scene traces its roots back to the early 1990s — DIY gigs, handmade zines, word-of-mouth lineups, and a community of musicians who built something real without waiting for anyone’s permission or validation. That foundation never crumbled. It evolved.

The musicians who performed that night are products of that tradition. They have played in bands that came before them, mentored younger players, and kept showing up for a scene that keeps showing up for them. What this city has is not just talent — it is continuity.

And that is rarer than what people realize.

The 90s Alternative Rock Night was not just a nostalgia trip. It was proof that the music of that era — its honesty, its weight, its refusal to be polished into something safe — is still alive in Davao City, being carried forward by bands that deserve every bit of attention and then some.

High & Dry, Cotton Candy, AcidRadius, T2, and Loo’sid each brought something distinct and essential to that stage. Together, they made a night worth remembering.

Big Boss Productions and The Commons MTS: do this again. Davao is ready.

Event Sponsors & Partners

• Vlad Clo. Dvo — Davao City clothing brand
• Simod Clothing — Local apparel sponsor
• WitWear PH — Clothing partner
• Musika Wabad — Powering the sound (musikawabad.com)