E medyo pangit ka pa noon, hanggang ngayon!!!!

I cut my overtime for this entry. To say that I am an Eraserheads fan is an understatement.

Even before all the kids born in the 90s claimed and proclaimed that they like the Eraserheads (which couldn’t possibly be because that would make them 3 years old when Ultraelectromagneticpop came out), even before all the local bands milked Eheads songs for all its worth with revival after revival, even before everyone jumped on the Eheads wagon just because there’s a freakin’ concert, I HAVE BEEN AN ERASERHEADS FAN. You can check it in my very chronicled fangirl history, if you may:

2. Eraserheads (1995-2000). For me, I FG because of two things: Talent and Looks. The Eheads fall on the first category. Because seriously, not one of these guys are that good looking. But that didn’t stop me for liking their music. Contrary to popular belief, I am not that shallow. You seriously can’t claim that you grew up in the 90s if you don’t know the Eheads. 

They are seriously my favorite band of all time. I am so glad I am part of the time where they were actively making music and not when Cueshe’s reviving Pare Ko for all its worth. I loved their music so much, I would play their tapes (oo casette pa nun!) every single day. I bought their book. I even called Ely’s house (Foshizzle! We were able to talk to his mom). I was too young and uncool to attend their concerts back then but everyone from school knew me (and 3 of my friends) as the die hard Eraserheads fangirl. People would give me clippings, taped performances and whatnots. When my grandfather told me that Marcus’ wife lived 3 blocks from our house in Ilocos, I spazzed! My cousins even brought me there to introduce me to the wife. I even cried in front my high school freshman class because they told me Rivermaya is better than Eraserheads. Crazy, I tell you.

I am a fan who bought every album (even that almost unheard of Natin99), every EP (the only EP that I don’t have was the Fruitcake EP with their live version of The Christmas Alphabet recorded at RX. Hard core, yo), and every imaginable merch. I was too young and still living on a student’s allowance back then, so as much as a fan I claim I am, the reunion concert is only my second Eheads concert.

I must admit that I did not scatter like a rat blanched with hot oil towards the nearest computer to register on The Red List when rumors spread that the Eheads are going to have a reunion concert. I thought it would be pandemonium, seeing that it will be for free, and if ever tickets are to be sold, it would be sold out faster than you can say “Ultraelectromagnetic pop.” I was hoping that a ticket or an invite would magically land on my lap because that’s what Jebus does to loyal fans.

Lo and behold, it did.

One rainy Monday (or could be Tuesday) morning, my slob of a self still in bed, Zhorai asked me if I want to go to the reunion concert; she needed my name and birthday (like she didn’t know. She even gave the organizers my middle name like it’s one of those Jenny Lyn, Cherry Pie, or Sarah Chris names that needs a second name to be pronounced. Nonsequitor).

To cut this starting-to-be-a-pain-and-slightly-awkward-entry short, I found myself at the SVIP section of the concert. Jebus is good. And so is Sony. Buy Sony products. Or find a friend from Sony.

When I told my parents that I may probably not go home that evening, even if I am with their precious car, they understood: Their daughter, whom they have known spent half of her life being an Eheads fan (a quarter being a Harry Potter fan), is going to a reunion concert of her favorite band. Anyone who can tell me how many times I’ll say reunion on this entry will get a big fat kiss from my brother.

My concert-going companion was teary-eyed when the band started playing Alapaap, being the big pansy that she is. I would have been, too, if I wasn’t suspended in a state of disbelief. I kept saying “This is so AWESOME!” in my head over and over again. I couldn’t believe I still knew the lyrics to each and everyone of their songs (quiz me. Come on! QUIZ ME!! Till Fruitcake lang ha because my hobbies are reading the radio, reading the songhits, and eating the bloody fishballs).

I can tell you what happened every minute (actually, I cannot), but what had to be the icing on the cake, even if the concert was cut short, was that they played Lightyears live. It’s one of those obscure, bittersweet, Eraserheads songs that you thought will never see the light of day because hell, it came from a Christmas album and can never be marketed as a love song no matter how hard they try, but they did it on their effin reunion concert. I can die a happy woman now (but not after I get to see OK Go, my next favorite band.)

So all in all, because I have horrible recapitulation skills, here is what my friend Zhorai, from Sony, buy stuff from Sony, said in her entry:

The bestest concert I have been to (and I’ve been to a lot ha). It was emotional, the arrangement of the songs were faithful to the original album arrangement, puno ng kanta (15 songs for one set, man!), it was well-produced (local artist pero naka OLED lights and madaming screens, great lighting and just right yung fireworks), great security, great accomodations by the ushers, free food and drinks (for us anyway - konting yabang factor lang kami sa SVIP), walang seats (like a true blue rock concert).

80,000 people for a concert that only started selling tickets 2 days prior. With matching kaguluhan pa yan if it was gonna push through or not. Kahit madaming hindi true fans sige bayaan na natin. Music is universal naman, especially for a band as great as this group. Pagbigyan na natin kahit hindi nila alam yung ibang songs at ang alam lang nilang album ay UltraElectro and Circus.

Eraserheads pa din! Hindi ko sila ipagpapalit sa kahit sinong foreign act!

And dahil madaming pasikat sa mundo, this is what supposed to happen had things didn’t turn out the way it did:

….The first set went exactly as planned, except of course for Ely’s collapse. To refresh your memory, these are the songs we heard:

1. Alapaap
2. Ligaya
3. Sembreak
4. Hey Jay
5. Harana
6. Fruitcake
7. Toyang
8. Kama Supra
9. Kailan
10. Wag Kang Matakot
11. Kaliwete
12. With A Smile
13. Shake Yer Head
14. Wag Mo Nang Itanong
15. Lightyears

During the second set, the band was to sing ten more songs, in this order:

1. Maskara
2. Poor Man’s Grave
3. Torpedo
4. Trip to Jerusalem
5. Back To Me
6. walang Nagbago
7. Maling Akala
8. Tikman
9. Spoliarium
10.Magasin

When Magasin was to be played, the screen behind them would have montages of various news and magazine clippings of them. It would flash alternately with shots of the band and audience until the song reached the coda where Ely sings “…ay centerfold ka naaaa…woo hoo-hoo, haaa-haaa” part of the song. Then there would be fire works and a fountain of sparks, going on til the last note of the song. Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered and the band would make a “fake ending”.

The lights would then go out.

My sister said the band would wait til the crowd chanted “more”. “It would take two beers’ worth of chanting “more” she said. Then in the darkness, a very dramatic keyboard solo would be heard, and it would be the opening chords of Para Sa Masa.

The hydraulic stage would rise again and there they would be.

After Para Sa Masa, they’d switch into Overdrive. With the crowed pumped within an inch of insanity they were to hit us with Pare Ko. And then we would slow down and reminisce with Minsan.

Finally, they would perform Huling El Bimbo. Again, after the last refrain, at the coda (la la la laaa…) the grand fireworks display would go off, fountains of light surrounding the stage. The next la-la-la parts would see fireworks from behind the general admissions section, and as the song ended there would be a burst of confetti all over the audience.

Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered for the final exit.

Those were the plans for the Ultraelectromagneti c night. It may not have happened as planned but at least we knew they were going to give us a show we would never forget!

We asked my sister if the band knew about all these plans and she said they did. 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),” she said. “And Ely said, hindi, Kakanta ako!”

To Ely, Raymund, Marcus, and Buddy (naks! FNB, anak ng!), thank you for giving me the confidence to tell my grandchildren that I grew up listening to good music, good Filipino music.

LAKAS NYO!
AMEN!

And I’ve written this entry with no sweat.