Flew to Manila with Kimee and Maia last weekend for the much awaited Eraserheads Live : The Final Set concert. Was given this one last chance since I didn't get to watch their 1st reunion concert last August 30,2008, only saw it on DVD. Buti na lang mabait si Bro :) This time, I experienced the real thing. Gaaaaahhddd! Di nako ma-explain akong gibati. All I can say - one hell of a concert and I may never get over this experience. The last time I have seen the Fab Four perform live was back in 1999 in UPLB and seeing them together again was all worth the ten years wait.
It was such a downer that DSLR cams were supposedly not allowed only to see a lot of Canon XXXDs and Nikon DXXs inside the concert grounds. I had Honey carry my Canon 450D I was clutching all day while strolling around MOA. Ayan tuloy, walang matinong shots akong nakuha mula sa Silver A kong pwesto gamit ang point and shoot cam na nadekwat ko. WTF. Another bummer - our spot in the concert grounds. Pahamak kasi si Kimee :p - sabi nya OK lang and Silver dahil malamang kung maaga kami at nauna kami sa pwesto, para na rin kaming nasa Gold. Ayun, dahil sa ang tatangkad ng kasama namin sa Silver section, kandahaba ang leeg ko para lang makita ang apat. We tried to ugrade our tickets to Gold when we found out about our position, but since our tickets were already torn, they no longer accommodated the request. And Kimee was late and only entered the grounds at the start of the second set. Good thing Maia and I did not wait for her. Ewan ko sa'yo Krisma!
But all these disappointments were forgotten the minute the concert started. Their countdown was a novelty - alphabets starting at Z and ended with the inverted E. At yun na! "Kita kita sa isang magasin, dilaw ang yung suot at buhok moy green." There were a lot of funny moments and more interaction with the audience unlike last concert's numerous awkward silence in between songs. Raims, Buddy, Markus and Ely interacted more with each other much to the crowd's delight. The crowd tirelessly chanted "Group hug! Group hug", to which Ely would immediately retort "Kayo muna". At one point when Raims was singing Slo Mo, he moved close to Ely which had the fans screaming "Kiss! Kiss!" Ewan, pero andaming kinilig sa kanila, isa na ako. LOL. Raims was overly hyper that night - some would say it's like watching a Sandwich gig when he was doing the vocals. And how could I forget Markus' reggae version of Huwag Mo Nang Itanong?. Chika ang inabot ko.. Ayoko ng ingay..mo! Ang kulet lang.
The band took a 20-30 minutes break before they started the second set - the acoustic set which they opened with Julie Tearjerky. Me thinks, kaya nila ginanun para hindi mahaggard si Ely. Was amused when he asked "Nagustuhan niyo ba ang aming bagong sala" referring to the couch set on stage. And one of my most favorite part - Ely's lounge performance of Kailan. Ang pogi-pogi nya lang nang nakapamulsa at parang wala lang. Someone shouted "I love you Ely" and he immediately rejoined it with "I love you too, pare". Nanginginig sa seldang maginaw... Nangilabot talaga ako dito. Also one of my favorites is Spoliarium with Jazz Nicolas' keyboards intro and outro that had a Beatles' Strawberry Fields-like sound to it. Putek, galing talaga! Their rendition of Alapaap was also refreshing, avoiding a repeat of their opening salvo of last year's concert. Also another highlight was when they sang Superproxy where the late Francis M was supposed to do the rap part. Ely sang that part instead. Nakakapanindig balahibo at nakakaiyak lang nang kinanta nila ang Kalaeidoscope World ni Kiko habang pinapakita ang pics at videoclips sa big screen.
The last song in their set list was ang Huling El Bimbo, which I guessed. It was and incredible yet bittersweet number with Ely's "Eto na ang Huling El Bimbo". It was a very symbolic finale, knowing that this may definitely be their huling el bimbo. Add to that Ely's burning of the Sticker Happy piano - a symbol of the end of the Eraserheads era - ika nga ng ibang fans.
But wait there's more! As we were queueing to get some refreshments on our way to the exit, biglang may "Bitin ba kami?" Waaaahhh. Raims urged everyone to call Ely and then Markus. Ang sweet-sweet nilang tingnan nung nag-uusap silang tatlo nina Buddy at Raims. Hahaha. Their surprise - 3 for the road - which Raims confirmed wasn't in their set list. I guess, they hate to end the concert poignantly with the Huling El Bimbo song. 3 for the road turned out to be - Ligaya, Sembreak and Toyang! Amazing lang yung surge nung tao nang magsalita bigla si Raimund at nung response nang simulan ni Ely ang Ligaya. At nung sinabi ni Ely - "Talon!" Syet, feeling ko lulubog ang MOA. What a night! Da best pa rin talaga ang eheads!
Raymund, Buddy, Markus and Ely - maraming salamat!
"We are the Eraserheads." - Ely Buendia
**Hindi halatang natuwa ako sobra, dahil nag-uumapaw ang aking blog entry - my longest entry so far :p
***Credits of some pics go to fans who willingly shared their shots to fellow 'heads fans. Salamat sa inyo :)
