Experienced Manila-goers will recognize the Firehouse and Visions, both old Ermita landmarks. Don't go in. They're merciless rip-offs, perhaps part of a plot to wreak economic revenge upon the Japanese for their WWII destruction of Manila. The Firehouse and Visions are carbon-copies of their Ermita predecessors. I'll use the Firehouse for illustration purposes.
Procedures everywhere are identical.
You'll brush through a curtain hanging in the doorway into a dark bar. The bar will be on your right, extending down the room, with the stage immediately behind it. On the left are tables and a tiny dance floor. Grab a stool front and center at the bar, if you like to be close to the action. Or, if you just want to watch for a while, sit at a table.