Filipino-Canadian entertainer and YouTube sensation Mikey Bustos gave a homesickness-inducing comedy concert to a full-house crowd at the Duke of Windsor building in Wanchai on May 28.
The hour-long event was produced and organized by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association.
Known for his song parodies that celebrate Pinoy customs and culture, Mikey performed a string of his most well-viewed YouTube videos with frenetic song-and-dance numbers. Opening his act was “I Go To Palengke”, to the tune of Meghan Trainor’s hit “All About The Bass”. This segued to a parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, with lyrics about the Filipino’s habitual tardiness.
Mikey slowed the pace down a bit with a serious rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”, before launching into one of his original novelty songs entitled “Sanggol The Pig”, about a black pig which he adopted as a pet.
To perform a song about traditional Filipino courtship, Mikey changed into the character of “Super Pinoy Boy”.
The character’s silliness made the next number the highlight of the whole concert, as he sang about the horrors of provincial circumcision in a parody of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me”.
Next came another energetic number with a Filipino version of Psy’s “Oppa Gangnam Style”, followed by a serious interpretation of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”.
A humorous bogus love story countered the seriousness of the next number, as he performed a duet of “The Prayer” with himself on video dressed as his “wife” named Michelle.
Transitioning to his set’s final stretch, Mikey sang the Martin Nievera classic “Kahit Isang Saglit”.
Another Meghan Trainor parody followed with a comedy anthem to the tune of “No”.
Mikey performed with dance group Star Pinoy HK.
To close his concert, Mikey called on the audience to dance with him in his original novelty song “Halo Halo”, about the Filipino cold dessert.
Audio problems bogged the show down, and the lack of staging spectacle and production undeservedly made Mikey Bustos’ set feel a bit flat. However, the comedian’s eagerness to entertain complemented by his natural charm and charisma more than made up for the event’s shortcomings.
For more of Mikey Bustos, subscribe to his YouTube Channel: https://www.b youtube.com/user/MikeyBustosVideos.