TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan’s ‘In Between’: A concert unlike any other

By Mikoy Fernandez

February 21, 2026

Coming from the success of TJ Monterde’s 3-day sold-out “Sarili Nating Mundo Live at the Big Dome” concert and 40-show world tour last year, Cornerstone Concerts has taken up the concert game up a notch once again – this time, with TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan’s 4-day sold-out “In Between” concert which took place from February 6-9, 2026 at the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Premiere concerts and events director John Prats was brought on board once again but this time, he had the arduous task of marrying the vastly different musical styles and personalities of the two in one stage. And as Martin Nievera succinctly put it, “John Prats visualized the narrative perfectly.” Every stage element, LED visual, lighting design, transition, blocking instruction, and prop was deliberate and had meaning or significance to KZ and TJ’s story. For example, the mango tree flashed on the LED screen was a reference to the tree where they got married under. Parallelism was also a crucial element in the storytelling, with both KZ and TJ’s sets using the same elements in starkly opposite manners to accentuate the difference in their genres. And for the parts of the concert where the two were together on stage, the bridge for the “Your Universe” number arguably became the most memorable and unique element for a lot of fans especially those seated at the farthest sections of the coliseum.

Of the visual elements of the concert, there was one that Bituins (TJ’s fans) and KZers (KZ’s fans) that really got to grasp (literally) – the LED wristbands. Seeing how it made the audience feel more engaged and part of the whole experience during last year’s “Sarili Nating Mundo,” Cornerstone Concerts took Pixmob onboard with the goal of incorporating them better with every song (as opposed to programming them randomly just for show). Pixmob is a Montreal-based tech company responsible for creating immersive and wireless LED lighting experiences for live concerts and events. They are the same team behind the light shows of concerts of global superstars like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, and Coldplay. They have also worked with America’s NFL and the NBA.

While every individual song had their own charm and special meaning for fans and listeners, the couple’s banter in between songs surprisingly became one of the concert’s unexpected highlights. KZ’s humor and TJ’s flirtatious teasing had fans of all kinds laughing, entertained, feeling giddy, and engaged. However, they did have their serious moments of reflection and gratitude. One could summarize the message of their spiels and messages with the story behind their latest release “Hiraya Manawari.”

While the concert’s main theme revolves around the beauty that lies “In Between” two different people and how love and everything that comes with it ultimately becomes the bridge that bring the two together, the other theme that the concert touches upon is the idea of achieving your dreams. TJ emphasized that the concert itself is their dream, their “Hiraya Manawari.” They go on to share that while getting to do what they love on their own is rare, what’s even rarer is getting to do it with your loved one. Given the unpredictable and volatile nature of the entertainment industry, what TJ and KZ have achieved is not only impressive from an emotional standpoint, but also from a professional standpoint as well.

Differing from the treatment of “Sarili Nating Mundo” where every day had a different set of surprise special guests (like Korean star 10CM, BINI Colet, and Hale’s Champ Lui Pio just to name a few), “In Between” had no special guests. Their only surprise is that they both each sang one song exclusively for a particular day. TJ performed “Kahit Kunwari” (Day 1), “Malay Mo Tayo” (Day 2), “Memories” (Day 3) and “Kung Siya Man” (Day 4). KZ performed “Numbers” (Day 1), “Walang Hiyang Pag-ibig” (Day 2), “Nagmamahal Lang Ako” (Day 3) and “Sino’ng Magmamahal Sa ’Kin?” (Day 4). From the day-exclusive songs, only KZ’s “Sino’ng Magmamahal Sa’kin?” was unreleased prior to the concert.

Of all the songs they sang across the four days, there was one that stood out and had grown a life of its own – “Palagi.” While the couple were originally not planning on highlighting “Palagi” since it was not the central theme of the concert, there was no stopping their fans from using the song as the perfect moment to declare their commitment of love in the public eye. That’s why during the first day, proposals took place in the crowd even when TJ did not give any cue similar to how he did it in “Sarili Nating Mundo.” Realizing how significant the song has become to their listeners, the two obliged and decided to continue the tradition, with TJ giving the deliberate instruction on social media to “wait for the cue.” As expected, multiple proposals occurred across different sections of the venue every day.

To formally cement the historic stature of the concert, Chief Operating Officer Ms. Irene Jose and Director for Special Events Ms. Veanna Fores of Uniprom Inc. (the entertainment management unit of the Araneta Group) presented to KZ and TJ a plaque that formally recognizes them as the first Filipino couple artist to stage four outstanding sold out shows in a row at the Smart Araneta Coliseum during the fourth and final day.

Celebrities and prominent personalities who attended the concert include Vice Ganda, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Erik Santos, Yeng Constantino, Kyla, Jason Dy Janine Tenoso, Amiel Sol, Klarisse De Guzman, Angela Ken, Maki, Jason Marvin, Top Suzara, I Belong To The Zoo, Stell and Justin of SB19, Colet and Gwen of BINI, Gian of Cup of Joe, The Juans, Zephanie, VXON, G22, Yes My Love, AJAA, Catriona Gray, Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby, Arci Munoz, Inigo Pascual, Ice Seguerra, Liza Dino Seguerra, Barbie Forteza, Isabel Oli Prats, Jay Gonzaga, Michael Sager, Perlas, Ser Geybin & Miss Elma, Jonathan Manalo and Rox Santos of Star Music, and Dr. RFD.

Both fans and celebrities shared raving reviews and reflections online days after the concert. Vice Ganda called “In Between” top-tier and the “concert to beat this year.” Erik Santos shared how it was so inspiring to see two artists who are at their peak remain sincere and humble, being in a class of their own. And Martin Nievera (who Bituins will fondly remember for pulling off an unforgettable surprise during Day 3 of “Sarili Nating Mundo” by performing as a front act) praised the couple with the conclusion that they have reinvented the “love team” on a concert stage.

Co-presenting the concert was Dunkin’ – whom the couple has endorsed. Baileys Acot hosted the concert’s pre-show program where Dunkin’ gave out exclusive Choco BTN Heart Pillows to six lucky winners per day.

Three singer-songwriter acts opened the concert across the four days: El Manu & Jessy Kang (Day 1 & Day 4), France Siopongco (Day 2 & Day 3), and Gabby Sampedro (Day 1-4).

TJ, KZ and director John Prats will be going on the “In Between” World Tour right after the Araneta concert, starting off with a March 1 concert at the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City.

Tour dates and cities (as of writing):

March 1 – Davao City, PH

March 6 – Vancouver, Canada

March 8 – Edmonton, Canada

March 14 – New York City, USA

March 15 – Ontario, Canada

March 20 – Chicago, USA

Date TBA – Temecula, California, USA

Date TBA – San Francisco, USA

Date TBA – Houston, USA

July 11 – Bacolod, PH

July 18 – Baguio, PH

August 8 – Cagayan De Oro, PH

September 4 – Cebu, PH

September 12 – Laguna, PH

Date TBA – Dubai, UAE

More tour dates and details will be announced on TJ, KZ, and Cornerstone Entertainment’s social media pages.