09.03.2008
The Eraserheads Reunion: It Finally Happened
But not without its share of drama. Cris O. Ramos tells us about his eHeads experience.
After all the wild rantings and the threat of a postponement/cancellation, the much-awaited reunion of the band that shaped Pinoy Rock during the 90's finally happened.
The crowd and their bursts of love, excitement and tears proved that the Eraserheads deserved every single penny of the P10million package and more that was said to be the running total of the Fab Four's talent fee. Not even the last minute selling of tickets prevented the blockbuster success of this gig.
The security was impressive; strict but reasonable. There were no signs of the unruly happenings that come with so-called “orcs” at all.
The concert had everything you'd expect from a monster rock production: impressive lighting, giant screens and pyrotechnics, the works. The concert started with the giant screens flashing a ten-minute countdown. It was one of the longest ten-minute stretches of the Eraserheads republic's lives.
As the count struck zero, a video montage of the ‘Heads, followed before a monstrous drumbeat, signaled the rise of the elevated platform where the band stood. The Eraserheads opened the night with “Alapaap.” Drummer Raimund Marasigan was sporting a long hair wig similar to his hairstyle during the height of the 'Heads popularity. At song's end, Ely jokingly said, “thank you goodbye!”
“Alapaap” was followed with their first ever proper radio single, “Ligaya,” this time with Marasigan shedding off the wig revealing his short green-tinted hairstyle (same hairstyle he wore around the time of their Sticker Happy album). After the gay anthem “Hey Jay,” people were chanting “group hug!” a reference to the animosity that plagued the band after their bitter break-up. It was noticeable that the four members were hardly looking at each other, but that didn't deter the band from playing splendidly that evening. There were doubts before the concert that the concert might not work with all the personal squabbles from the past wafting in the air. But for me there was no doubt that the band would at worst be professional enough to set the past aside and focus on making it a great show. I mean c'mon, they've done far more difficult things in the past, like come up with albums such as Circus, Cutterpillow, Sticker Happy and Natin99.
“Hey Jay” was followed with “Harana” then Ely greeted the crowd “Merry Christmas!” before the band went straight to performing “Fruitcake.” The snowflakes video graphics during this song was particularly impressive, evoking the camaraderie that comes with the Yuletide season, and for a moment, people forgot that technically it was way off Christmas. Ely then opened “Toyang” by tweaking the opening verse: “they try to tell us we're too old/too old to really get bold.” The komiks-inspired video graphics went along perfectly with the performance of this song. After performing “Kama Supra,” Ely said, “sori pero kailangan kong sabihin, 'ok lang kayo jan?” The band segued to “Kailan” (complete with the rich “doo-wops”), “Wag Kang Matakot” and “Kaliwete” before having the crowd's arms raised and swaying with “With A Smile.” The 'Heads had the people clapping along to “Shake Yer Head” and singing along to “Wag Mo Nang Itanong” before closing their first set with the sweeping cult favorite “Lightyears,” a heartbreaking song that took on a different meaning with the recent passing of Ely's mom a couple of days ago.
Musically, the band was impressive, not missing a beat. Of course, it also helped that musician extraordinaire Jazz Nicolas was also on hand to provide back-up keyboards and additional instrumentation. The fact that technical glitches were beginning to rear its ugly head towards the end part did not deter from the spectacular aural experience the crowd expected.
The 20-minute countdown that was supposed to divide the first set from the second set, was halted. It became 30, 40 minutes until finally Raimund, Marcus and Buddy resurfaced on stage with the organizers and Lally, Ely's younger sister (also a former musician known as Domino). Lally then made the grim announcement that Ely was rushed to the hospital and the show had to be cut short. One of the organizers then led a one-minute prayer offering for Ely before urging the crowd to walk off peacefully. The crowd was admirable for not displaying violent outbursts and for being disciplined enough to file for the exits in an orderly fashion.
No doubt Buendia gave it his all, and then some.
As soon as Buendia was rushed to Makati Medical City, he was proclaimed to be in stable condition. He was transferred last Sunday at the Philippine Heart Center where according to online accounts from Buendia's closest friends, it is said that tests have yielded no serious signs so far.
As Marasigan promised, “There will be a second show.” But this was more than good enough.
What Could Have Been
After the first set, the band was supposed to return and perform ten more songs. The first set was supposed to be just the warm-up as the subsequent set was going to be more explosive and complete with grander video effects and pyro. The supposed second set was going to be: “Maskara,” “Poorman's Grave,” “Torpedo,” “Trip to Jerusalem,” “Back2Me,” “Walang Nagbago,” “Maling Akala,” “Tikman,” “Spoliarium” and the fake ending “Magasin.” The five-song encore was comprised of “Para sa Masa,” “Overdrive,” “Pare Ko,” “Minsan” and “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”
The Afterparty
What was supposed to be a triumphant afterparty at Saguijo started out as a somber recollection of what transpired. In the spirit of the event, the owners of Saguijo decided days before the concert to open the bar for everybody who would care to celebrate the historic event. What was supposed to be a triumphant afterparty at Saguijo started out as a somber recollection of what transpired and a strange mix of happiness and nostalgia.
Then something happened.
As Marasigan related in crossposts in his bands' respective Yahoo sites, not wanting to finish the night feeling down and dejected and thankful upon learning that Buendia was already in stable condition, he and Zabala, along with helpful friends, decided to play a five-song set of the songs from the second and encore set (“Minsan,” “Spoliarium,” “ “Pare Ko” and “Huling El Bimbo.” Adoro came in towards the end, getting to sing the last part of “Pare Ko” and playing guitars in “El Bimbo.”
