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| what a year and what a night/ what terrifying final sight/ put out your beating heart |
I must have been a really good kid in 2014 to have been able to start the New Year with no less than the concert of Bastille here in Manila.
The four-month anticipation, the long travel to the venue, the six-hour wait at the line, the hunger, the jitters, the body-aches from the pushing and shoving, not to mention the day of the concert being a Monday--they were all worth it the moment the lights dimmed at the World Trade Center and I heard the first note of Bad Blood as Woody, Kyle, Will, and Dan entered the stage.
There is much left to be desired in the unpredictability of the local organizer's system for the audience, as well as the aggressiveness of the people to get as close to the stage as they can that even Dan noticed the people in the front row getting squeezed, and the proliferation of extended arms bearing phones, cameras and, to horrors of all horrors, huge tablets, to record the concert. I guess I can't blame them, the night
Besides, the boys were all so amazing and, hearing them live, I could only deepen my admiration for the kind of music and artistry they possess. It doesn't help that every single one of the quartet is downright adorable. Haha. Dan began the night by shouting "Mabuhay!" to the great delight of everyone in the crowd. One highlight of the night was the four of them taking bunny ears from the audience and wearing them for a whole song or two. Dan also kept saying thanks in his heavily lilted "Salamat!" that seemed to be missing the final consonant sound. Haha. And it was also so cute of him to encourage the crowd to "seek" the "more non-legal" material they have produced. He was also so bashful about his dancing, and it's just so sadkfjadsflka.
The screams were deafening as the band played song after song after song that the crowd unflaggingly sang along with. From familiar chart-toppers such as Flaws, Laura Palmer, Things We Lost in the Fire and Overjoyed, to lesser-known Bad Blood pieces but definite crowd favorites such as Oblivion, The Silence, These Streets and Of the Night, to the hits from their newest mixtape VS (Other People's Heartache III) such as The Driver, to their immensely popular cover of TLC's No Scrubs/No Angels, to the new song Blame, a sample from their upcoming second album.
I probably would have teared up, if I wasn't busy singing my heart out, when Laughter Lines was performed. That song is just to poignant and so arrestingly beautiful. As Poet was being performed, I heard someone at my back said, "Okay na ako, okay na ako." Of course, I wanted the night to last the longest that it can, but I must have felt the same sentiment because Poet is probably the most uplifting, pampa-good vibes, and "relatable" song for me. So I was content for a few seconds, at least until the next songs were played. Haha. When Icarus came on, though, I probably lost my wits for a good three minutes. It was the first song I heard of them, and over time have come to mean a lot to me, too. Not to mention that it is one hell of a good song! Ahhhh. Such awesomeness to hear it live. <3
Of course, the night ended with the single that catapulted them to popularity. Pompeii was met with such thunderous reception that it was the perfect way to end the special night. As the white confetti rained down and everyone was jumping up and down, singing "But if you close your eyes/ Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?" I can't help but be awed by the well-deserved success the band has achieved over the past couple of years.
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True, it wasn't as intimate as my Stars concert experience, but it was a very special night indeed. I am so thankful that I was able to experience it, and with my closest friends. Bastille's songs are extraordinary for me, with the words hitting straight home, and inspiring me to pursue stories that are worth writing in such beautiful verses.
Salamat, Bastille! Please do come back soon! :)
