Legen - wait for it - dary: Eraserheads Reunion Concert

I have a confession to make: I am from UP Diliman, and during my extended stay I have NEVER watched the Eraserheads play live during any UP event that had them as a guest.

Strict ang parents ko eh.

But I have seen them perform live before college.

I was in first year high school ('93-'94) the first time I have ever heard of them, and frankly, I didn't like them that much. But then, I saw them perform live, for the first time ever, during the HS fair variety show -- and I fell in love.

I fell in love with the band, the songs, and yes, I fell in love with Ely.

Fast forward to almost 14 years later.

And I realize, having seen them perform live again, I am still in love.

With Ely, with the Eraserheads, and with their music.

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It all started with a rumor -- that the Eraserheads will have a reunion concert on August 30, 2008, and that it will be free. No other definite details were known then. There were speculations that Marlboro was organizing/sponsoring the event, and so I registered at marlboro.ph just to score those precious free tickets (albeit unsuccessfully, as I was not ready with any image of a document to upload then proving that I was not a minor, and I lost my tracking number).

August came and a lot of hoopla was raised regarding Marlboro's involvement with the concert. There were talks that the concert was going to be cancelled, but I never lost hope.

A few days before August 30, news finally came out that Marlboro was pulling out of the concert and that a new organizer will be handling the event. I wanted to be on Plurk all the time during those days because fritz and karlaredor were getting all these information about the concert and plurking about it, but I couldn't because Plurk was blocked in our office internet. So I did the next best thing -- I checked fritz's blog and karlaredor's blog every hour or so, heh.

Details were finalized by Wednesday, August 27 -- tickets were going to be sold for 1300 and 800 pesos by Ticketworld. There was a mad scramble online for the tickets that, I think, slowed down Ticketworld's site to a crawl. Thursday, August 28, I was in Megamall, lining up at NBS Ticketworld, rationalizing that in a way, paying for the tickets in cash is less of a hassle than paying online using a credit card then lining up to claim the tickets.

Thursday, August 28, 12:59PM, the Ticketworld girl handed me my Eraserheads Reunion Concert tickets -- dizizit!!!

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We arrived at the Fort a little past 4pm. D and I ate a hearty early dinner at Claw Daddy while we waited for my friends to get their tickets.

That was the crowd that greeted us as we entered the Fort open field.

And oh my, the security. I brought the SLR because our point-and-shoot camera is brokinated, and I wanted to try if they'll allow the SLR to be brought in. First line of security, they didn't ask what was inside the pouch bag (hehe, the SLR). Well, they did ask if I had any ballpens in my bag. Thankfully, wala naman. Second line of security, no questions asked again about the pouch bag. And then third line of security, wherein we had to present our tickets, I thought I was home free, but then the girl who checked my bag asked what was inside the pouch bag.

I of course truthfully answered, and said it was a camera. She said I should take it out of the pouch, kasi bawal daw yung camera ko, may mahaba daw kasi. I said my lens weren't telephoto (which was true!), but then she called a bulky guy to check out my camera, as she wasn't familiar with camera types. I was seriously getting nervous already as I was causing human traffic and gaining attention from other security types. The bulky guy then came closer and squinted at my lens.

"Puede yan, sige"

Whoopeedoo!!!

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And then the waiting. It was a good hour and a half of standing and claiming space near the right side of the railings. We started out about 7 bodies away from the railings, but then as 8pm approached, we were getting pushed backwards by people who were making singit all over!!! We started boxing-out people who would dare pass by our area by making them dedma as they try to squeeze themselves and saying "Excuse me".

And oh dear lord, the heat. And the sweat. And the smell of sweat emanating from guys! D couldn't stand the body contact -- he preferred to stay at the left side of the stage, farther from the railing, which had more air. And so he stayed with his friends.

I wanted to really experience the concert so I patiently waited with my friends in that masikip and sweaty and hot area.

[But being the sweet (and pasikat :P hehehe) hubby that he is, he was the one who lined up and bought refreshments for us.]

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A few minutes after 8, the screens showed 10:00. A countdown started. The crowd went wild.

The countdown ended, and the crowd went wilder! The screens started showing photos of the band from the early years. The crowd was getting more excited with every photo -- I was literally screaming my lungs out already!!!

And then viola, they were on stage, singing Alapaap!!!!

Okay, okay, for more impact, watch how it all went down, from the end of the countdown, to the reminiscing and how they rose up in hydraulic stages to sing Alapaap:

My heart was just bursting with so many emotions that night. The band I have loved for most of my high school life, that I still love so so so dearly up to now, was together again, and making music together, for us! So what if they did it for the money primarily?! One way or another, they did it for us, the fans, for each of our individual memories of the Eraserheads way back when they were together. Even though they wanted to disassociate their names from the Eraserheads already, and lead their own lives again with their own bands, they reunited for one night to be with us once again.

Photo taken by Jorem Catilo

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And oh boy, I still had so much love for Ely.

Photo taken by Jorem Catilo

He will always be my rock star love.

Abi and I kept shouting "Ang guwapo mo Ely!!! Aylaaaaabyuuuuuuu!!!" Heh.

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There were so many memories of that night.

The fireworks at the end of Alapaap. Ely starting the song Toyang with "They tried to tell us we're too... old". Raimund's wig. Ely shaking his head to Shake Yer Head. UP Diliman scenes on the screens while they sang Sembreak. People chanting "Group hug! Group hug! Group hug!"

And the best memory: feeling nostalgic, overwhelmed, excited, ecstatic, with my heart on overdrive with so many strong emotions.

I guess each of us in the crowd have our own special memory of that night.

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But I guess one memory we all shared was tragic.

After Lightyears, the lights went out and a 20-minute countdown clock appeared on stage.

But after more than 20 minutes, the lights weren't back on yet.

Then, Buddy, Raimund and Marcus came on stage, with Lally Buendia, Ely's sister.

Photo taken by Jorem Catilo

You all know what happened: Ely collapsed backstage during intermission and had to be rushed to the hospital due to physical and emotional stress.

The concert then will be cut short.

Shocked is an understatement. Everybody was quiet, couldn't react, couldn't move.

It was the end.

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For a few minutes, I thought Ely shouldn't have pushed through with the concert -- his mom did just die last Thursday morning. The emotional stress of his mom's death plus the physical stress brought upon by last-minute preparations and the concert itself and the suffocating heat that night will definitely take its toll. Add to that his weak heart, and there is a possibility that things might turn sour.

But I brushed it off because despite all those things, who just gave me a once in a lifetime experience?

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With the shroud of mystery surrounding the concert when it was just a rumor, for all the hoopla regarding Marlboro and DOH, with the mad scramble for tickets.

Then the countdown, band rising from hydraulic stages, wild screams, fireworks. Songs that you thought you'd never hear again performed live by them.

And yes, abruptly it all ended.

But in a way, didn't it become more legendary?

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There are people who watched the concert and the topic of refund will come out. Or those who didn't watch saying that hindi namin nasulit yung concert. It's just not right, IMHO, thinking of a refund, after that night, after that experience, after what happened to Ely. And how can it not be sulit? I just saw my most favorite Pinoy band ever, who broke up 6 years ago, be together once again, to sing 15 of their songs! How much more sulit can it get?

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Although I can't help but imagine how the second set would've felt like. Especially after this post made the round of blogs (and Plurk) the next day -- would I still have a heart or would it have just exploded out of so much love for the Eraserheads if they did just that?

And oh, how they still love each other:

In fact they were so excited about all the gimmicks and couldn't wait to party with the audience. "Nag-usap pa nga sila kung may mga kailangang saluhin na kanta just in case (di na kaya ni Ely)," the source said.

And oh, how Ely put so much effort:

"And Ely said, hindi, kakanta ako!"

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And with that Ely quote, I share with you this photo:

Photo taken by Jorem Catilo

Thank you, Ely, for giving it all you've got despite the circumstances.

And thank you Raimund, Buddy and Markus for giving us Eraserheads fans a once in a lifetime experience.

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As a footnote, I ask this: would you want another reunion concert? For me, well, one part of me is saying, yes of course, I want another reunion concert, but another part of me is okay with how things went during the first one that there really is no need for another one.

But there are rumors to a part 2 of the reunion concert sparked by this letter of Raimund to several mailing lists.

Of course I wouldn't mind another reunion concert!

But please, all I ask is to make sure Ely is fit and able and healthy enough to finish all the sets that you will plan for us.