The Eraserheads Reunion Concert

It did happen. May concert, nandun silang apat. It was big. One of the biggest events I have ever attended, next to EDSA II and World Youth Day.

It started with a bang, literally, fireworks and all. We were still outside waiting for Ani until the countdown was down to 5 seconds. We were running, 5, 4, 3... Crowd cheering, digital clock ticking. Bam, lights on! That ever familiar Alapaap guitar intro played. The audience was ecstatic. Cheering. I was sure most had goosebumps. We sure did.

I watched intently, though trying to video the opening number. Nakakatawa kase parang may misteryo -- Raimund was wearing a wig. Parang gustong maglaro sa mga isip namin, "si Raimund ba talaga yan?" Kahit naka-eyeliner siya na identity na nya sa Sandwich, nang tinanggal na niya yung wig. Ely was wearing a longsleeved polo and aviator shades, Pupils.

Alapaap ending, fireworks! Applause. Applause. Cheering. Jumping, dancing crowd. Then silence. No hello, no welcome spiel until maybe the third song. Apparently, the energy was fluctuating. Everyone was high until the music stopped. And started again. Kulang sa rapport. But still, it was good. Until it, the whole concert, suddenly, ended.

After around 10-14 songs, an intermission was announced. A 15-minute break. Sabi ni Hix, may countdown daw sa screen ng 15 minutes, tas bigla nawala. Nag-joke pa siya, sabi nya "O hindi na bumalik."

Then, Buddy took the mic, said that someone had to announce something. Asking the audience to hear what, adding that we would all understand. The announcement - the concert would be cut short, no second set, no come back. Because Ely was rushed to the hospital because of chest pains and emotional stress. Some members of the audience still applauded. Ako, natulala. I would have applauded, cheered even, because anyway, the Eheads deserved a final cheer. But I was in shock.

Madaming opinions ang audience na nadinig ko. Sabi, olats. Sabi bulok, sabi bakit ngayon pa mismo nangyari. Kahit nag-practice na sila. Madami din ang solved na. Madaming bitin sa "reunion". Pero hindi lang din naman siya reunion ng Eheads. Reunion din siya ng iba pang madaming tao. Ang dami kong nakitang mga kakilala from college.

As for me, I thought, ok na din. Kahit sa P850 lang kami, sabi ko nga, hindi namin sila kailangang makita. Kailangan lang namin madinig.

Ok na ko sa one set na pinerform nila. Though di nila natugtog ang "Pare ko", "Overdrive" at "Ang Huling El Bimbo".

Ok na din ako, dahil for P800, I got what I want - see them perform live, and reunited. I would not have seen it anywhere else, any other time. It was really, so far, a once in a lifetime chance. Note that somehow, I am still hoping for another chance. But really, so far, it was only this time.

But of course, I was also hoping for an encore. I believe the thousands of people that gathered there last night deserved an encore. Yung rehearsed last song sana nila. Hell, it could have been "Ang Huling El Bimbo".

Rehearsed naman sila, for sure. Or at least, kahit paano, they - Raimund, Marcus and Buddy, would still know how to play the songs that they sang, the music that they made. Mga kantang buong Pilipinas ay alam, na sila mismo ang nagpasikat. Kahit sinong high school noong '90's na nag-aral na gitarahin ang "Pare Ko" could still somehow play it today. Sila pa kaya. Lahat sila, kumakanta din. Hindi naman siguro sasama ang loob ni Ely if Raimund or Buddy or Marcus sang an encore. The audience deserved a final dose.

Sige, sige, malungkot na ang mga tao. Maybe stressed na din ang banda. But anyone who saw the number of people who lined up for the show would feel that the concert deserved an announced last song. A farewell song, even, if we must call it that.

Ok na ako, but of course, I wished for the best. Pero pano naman yung nanggaling pa ng probinsiya? O yung ibang lumuwas pa galing sa ibang bansa? Ang daming tao, maniwala ka. Ang hirap mag-park. Na isang sign na malaking crowd ang Eheads ay nasa working class na din. I'm sure, sa dami ng tao kagabi, merong nanggaling sa malalayong lugar. May mga nag-cancel ng appointments. May nag-last minute pangungutang dahil sa biglaang pagbebenta ng tickets. I'm sure, people made time for this show. And found a way to be there. It even rained in the afternoon but the sky cleared hours before people started flooding in. Sana man lang it ended as good as it deserved it to be.

But shit happens, and so it did. Pero sana may plan B sila. Anyway, hindi naman ito ang first time na makaramdam si Ely ng ganito in a concert. He was also at a gig the first time that he had a heart malfunction. Pero sino nga naman ang magsasabi na "O, pag may nangyari, dapat prepared tayo" because it was like saying that something terrible could really happen. But then again, expect the worst, ika nga. And the show must go on. But apparently, it did not.

Pero isang encore na hindi sila kumpleto, final bow na wala si Ely, ok lang din ba yun? Napansin ko din na mas madalas siyang nasa screen than the other members. Para na ngang over exposure, kumpara sa iba. Sana wala namang ibig sabihin yun.

For me, mas malaking factor ang emotional stress kay Ely. I just wish that Ely would be okay soon. At sana, babawi sila. Kung hindi man, ok na din yun. Kung kailanganin man ni Ely na panandaliang tumigil sa pagbabanda, at least, nakapag reunion na sila. Isang major concert, na baka hindi na abutan pa ulit ng Eheads generation. Sa concert na ito, siguradong isa na syang legend. Applicable din siguro sabihing strike while the iron is hot.

Sabihin na nating walang ka-kupas kupas. Applause. Lights out.