Shake Yer Head (In Disappointment)

By now, you must have heard the news that the Eraserheads Reunion Concert did not finish because mister big shot Ely Buendia happened to have chest pains that made him unable to finish the rest of the set. When his sister was delivering the message to the crowd that his brother is on his way to the hospital and that the concert will not continue, I was thinking to myself, "So... they decided that THIS would be the best possible ending." I think that this is a conspiracy, I mean think about it, what better way for the band to end it? Keep the crowd hanging for more.. Go out with a bang (of sorts).. Be the story of the month.. Be the story of the year.. Possibly.

Even if it wasn't a conspiracy, and even if it did happen according to fate and not some human deus ex machina, I left disappointed.

(UPDATE: When the organizers asked for a minute of silence for prayers about Ely's condition. Everyone was silent. Everyone. Which may indicate that I am in the minority regarding this conspiracy thing. Okay, I knew that I was going to be in the minority about this thing. But I'm not writing this just to stand out and be against the flow (like this). I'm writing this for myself and because this is what I felt and this is what I thought probably happened.)

Also, about the organizers, I was half-hoping that they'd announce that they would return the half of the ticket price or something like that. Naive. Haha. I even heard a few people commenting that: "Humingi kasi ng group-hug eh, ayan, inatake tuloy."

Before I am judged, I want you guys to know that I really, really wanted this to work out. I really wanted this to be an amazing night. (For the should-have-been-first-half, it was.) Please keep in mind that I have a number of things invested in this concert. Aside from the money that we spent for the tickets, there's this little thing to note that one of the band members is the biological father of my eldest daughter. (Syd is 6 years old, and yes, we are open about it.) And to add to that, I am truly a FAN of the Eraserheads. Probably 8 out of the first 10 songs that Andrei, Robert, and I learned to play together as band was an E-Heads song -probably like most other bands of our generation. Anyway, during the concert, I was singing my heart out and I absolutely enjoyed myself. My wife and I were with great people (Drei, Chel, Gail, and Che). I was constantly teasing my wife about her "past love." Hehe. We rocked out. We were absolutely eager and excited for the next set. Then came the message...

UPDATE: What made me more disappointed was this e-mail I received from my good buddy, Ken, who was at the concert as well. The following may or may not be true, it was quoted from a blog (here is the link). It will make you wonder though, what we could have missed if there really was a second part. Here is an excerpt:

We were all supposed to dance the Huling El Bimbo with a fantastic fireworks display. It was going to be the perfect song to end a perfect concert.I know because my sister said so. She was one of the band's PAs (guess which one!) and was there during the production meetings. On Sunday morning, as we gathered for our family lunch, she told us what was supposed to go down during the Eheads concert.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 crowd 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 Ultraelectromagnetic 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!"

I'm putting out an order to the Universe that we all get to watch the second set!

So what do I make of this? Do we hope for a "free" concert like originally reported? Probably. But I wouldn't want me and Mae Dei in the middle of that crowd. She being pregnant and all. Sobrang dami na nga ng tao last concert eh, dun pa kaya sa libre. But on the other hand, would I pay for another concert that I was already supposed to have paid for already?

Will Marcus, Raimund, Buddy, and Ely do it again? Will we ever get to see them play El Bimbo and Magasin together? Will there ever be another band as iconic as Eraserheads?

Will they treat us to a group hug?