Tonight we are victorious

Yes, I was so far. Sooooo far from the stage. Don't talk to me about it. Nevertheless, my Panic! at the Disco Live in Manila experience was pretty awesome. Solid. Grabe si Brendon.

My friends and I are trying to save every cent we can for our upcoming trip in November, and the announcement of Panic's concert in Manila was met with a lot of "Are you fucking sure???" and "I'm not prepared! What do we do?" We couldn't care less about the other bands performing for In The Mix 2016 (it was sort of a festival). The answer was, "Yes" and "Of course, we go. Even with the cheapest ticket available." 

As can be gleaned from this blog, I am a huge P!ATD fan, and it pained me to be this far away from the stage when I've waited 10 years to see them live. But, well, we deal, we deal. 

Like one huge party with Brendon as the star, the concert was a roller-coaster ride of grooving to the beats, being awestruck by Brendon's talent (there seems to be nothing that this guy can't do), fist-pumping, and getting big-time nostalgic about Fever... and Pretty. Odd. songs.

Almost every period in my recent past had me going to PATD for comfort and inspiration. 2006, we were in high school, angsty as hell, sporting eyeliners and being so young, desperate for attention.

2009, I was lost in college, always the loner and struggling with belonging, finding good vibes and keeping the company of that green gentleman.

2011, I was so all over the place, so busy with acads and work and social life, and everything was just bittersweet at 21.

2014, I was making myself believe that I was already an adult, able to figure things out, but there will always be that fear of falling apart.

And now, 2016, crossing the quarter-life and feeling like life should be a celebration instead of preempting the regrets of my youth. :))

PATD is so important to me, whether pre-Ryan's exit or the current one with just Brendon. Always (heh), I am amazed by the artistry of their lyrics and their genre-defying (triphop cabaret dance punk, heh) sounds. Panic makes me feel that being imperfect and making all these mistakes are okay, that the world is awesome with the right mindset. That it's fine to revel in human nature and all its accompanying oddities. That shit happens, but life goes on. (And that Urie is just so fucking talented, and amazing to watch and listen to.)

I would like to specially mention Golden Days, because like the girl behind the camera of this video, I actually felt my heart skip a beat when I realized that this song was about to be played.

Aside from the obvious ones in Death of A Bachelor, Golden Days is my favorite in the entire album. So poignant and, well, relatable. And just a great, beautiful song: Oh don't you wonder when the light begins to fade? / And the clock just makes the colors turn to gray. When I first heard that song, I was like, GOD. DAMN.

It was a surreal and fun and crazy evening. Brendon sure knows how to work up a crowd. And he's just so insanely talented. (Have I said that yet?)

Setlist: Panic! At The Disco Live in Manila

Oh, I feel overjoyed.

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 was all we had was one for the books for us fans of a band that hails from the other side of the globe.

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.

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! :)

Setlist: Bastille's Bad Blood Asia Tour - Manila

Nine years

god save us every one /  will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?

More than once did I look at the ceiling of the Mall of Asia Arena that Tuesday night, wondering if it can handle the almost-a-decade-worth of screaming from the thousands of Linkin Park fans gathered that moment, wondering if the rafters will shake every time Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington told the frenzied crowd to roar and make some noise. 

Because when they did, we obeyed, and more. (now what the hell are you waiting for?)

The whole band, Brad, Phoenix, Joe, Rob (fucking Bourdon and his killer drums), Mike and Chester, were as every bit of amazing performers as they have always been in my eyes. The way they sustained that energy for almost two hours was practically superhuman. I almost got dismayed because, wow, everything sounded record-perfect (if not better), and can't there be a little flaw just so I could prove to myself that they're humans? Because wow, that was just... motherfuckingawesome. 

When they entered the stage to being with A Place for My Head, I could already feel a sting in my eyes, because I was that happy and excited to see them perform live. I thought I was going to cry, but there was so much buzz in my body and all I wanted right then and there was scream myself raw and make Linkin Park hear that their songs have been such huge part of my life, that they are such fucking geniuses with rhythm and words, that the chaos and pent-up emotions they have translated into poetry and sound were such a force that have pulled me in right from the start. 

From some of the concerts I've watched of them online, I gathered that LP is a no nonsense band, always straight up to giving electrifying performances non-stop. I was thinking, gods, I wish that the famously loud Philippine crowd will make a mark tonight, make the band see how fervent the Filipinos have been waiting for return since they first came here in 2004. I was waiting and waiting, and I was pleased that in the middle of the concert when probably the majority of the crowd had their ears ringing, Mike called us "a beautiful crowd" and, near the end, heeded the message of the fanproject posters and said, "Promise we'll come back soon."

we say yeah with fists flying up in the air
like we're holding onto something that's invisible there

It's such an unexplainable feeling to be there and have your first ever favorite band perform the songs that you have listened to and sang since you were young. It's equally overwhelming to hear new songs and watch it unfold its effect on the crowd gathered that night. The medley of Leave Out All the Rest, Shadow of the Day, and Iridescent certainly tugged at the heartstrings, as the arena slowly lit up with glow-lights from the people's gadgets, while Chester sang the haunting melody telling us to, "let it go." It was remarkable to be in the middle of such a profound, enchanting moment.

I truly wished I was nearer the stage. (My Stars concert experience disoriented me somehow, making me believe that in the succeeding concerts I will attend, I will always be almost close to touch the stage.) But Linkin Park is Linkin Park, and it's only this band that has made me scream with reckless abandon, not caring about anything in the world, and simply sing the words with the thousands of fellow fans who grew up and changed with the band. 

I remember, some time in college, during that time when I haven't been listening to Linkin Park for a while, I received a text from a high school friend saying, "I'm on a jeepney ride today and a Linkin Park song is playing. I thought of you." That stupid band (ergo amazingawesome) has been that significant a part of my life, despite some people putting them down and belittling my taste. 

As the band closed the adrenaline-pumping performance with Faint, Lying From You, and One Step Closer, I couldn't say if that one night was worth the nine-year wait. 

It is and it isn't.

I don't know. I think I could use another good round of screaming with Mike, Chester, and the rest of LP.

you were that foundation / never gonna be another one, no

Edit: Living Things World Tour: Linkin Park in Manila Setlist

This Saturday night in neon lights is the best. Thank you, Stars.

The night starts here. The night starts here.

Wow, I'm back to blogging here after three months and it took a wonderful night with a wonderful band to get me back on my gear. All the two-hour wait in line outside and then another hour inside the venue were totally worth it. I am a relatively new fan of Stars, compared to those who have known them for years and who ended up crying during the performance, but that night was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Their words simply blow me away, and the melodies are just the right mix of rock and mellow. It was amazing how in less than a year, their songs have managed to touch my life in so many unexpected ways.

Outerhope

Ciudad

Outerhope + Ciudad

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

It almost feel like a favor from the gods of fate that just when I have become so in love with the band that they decided to have a tour and include Manila in their destinations. IT WAS AWESOME and I knew I have to watch it or I will regret it forever. The whole show had me singing along and enjoying the crowd I was part of. Torq and Amy and the rest of the band were simply glorious. It was really nice when Torq talked about eating mangoes (of course) and being told that Manila is one of the must-play destinations.

The amazing Amy Millan

I just wished the sound system was more aptly designed for such an event. I thought the audio was rather warbled at first, especially during the front acts. My concert-mates and I were grumbling about the event organization (or lack thereof). But then, when Stars came on stage, everything was pushed to the back of my mind and I had the time of my life. Torq and Amy were really top performers and I really hoped they enjoyed playing for us. Being responsive and singing along to all the songs was the least we could do in return for bringing their awesomeness to our shores. They kept telling us that the Manila crowd is one of the most amazing ones they've ever played for. And that the setlist they had for us was definitely one of the longest they played in years. 

The Theory of Relativity was such a good opener. (I had it whole on video but I deleted it because, damn it, I had to allocate memory for everything that was to come. It broke my heart.) But I totally lost it with Midnight Coward and Dead Hearts. Dead Hearts was really the first song I've heard from Stars and I was shaking while taking a video of the performance BECAUSE DAMN I CAN SAY IT BUT YOU WON'T BELIEVE ME, YOU SAY YOU DO BUT YOU DON'T DECEIVE ME. DEAD HEARTS ARE EVERYWHERE, DEAD HEARTS ARE EVERYWHERE.

The band also talked about how amazing the Filipinos are, like how we had so much hardships thrown at us but we remain steadfast and all. (UGH, it was really sweet, I wish people recorded it.) And he said that for the 13 years that he had been doing the band, it was the first time that they experienced such a crowd as us. (I hope I'm not embellishing this. Haha.) And they promised to come back! How fantastic was that. I really hope that was true, despite the less-than-ace sound system and the noise from the crowd that they seem to have had a hard time hearing each other. Haha.

And then Take Me To The Riot happened and I swear the band was in such an adrenaline rush Amy and Torq and Chris and Evan and Pat were all jumping on stage (well of course, except Pat haha) and the whole audience were so excited and energetic and the strobe lights were blinding but we didn't care. It was pure madness, we got so lost in the music and the energy of one another. It was indeed a riot albeit such a fun one. The next song was Changes and I didn't recognize it at first (I think most of the crowd didn't) but I was so happy because I thought it won't be played at all!

For the encore, Amy came back with Chris the guitarist and played My Favourite Book. It was a really chill song and a crowd favorite and Amy made us sing parts and WAH IT WAS UBER FUN. And then it was One More Night and asjkfhasd;lkgajhdgkl and then they played On Peak Hill. ON FRIGGIN PEAK HILL. I almost cried because it's really one of my favorite songs ever and I thought it was so obscure I almost gave up hope that they would play it. BUT OHMYGOD I WAS SO HAPPY I NEVER LOVED THEM AS MUCH AS WHEN TORQ BEGAN SINGING IT.

There was a guy behind me who, when there were relative silences during the show, kept shouting Set Yourself on Fire. I was so happy for him, and the rest of us, of course haha, when Torq said, "The next one is Set Yourself on Fire." Like woah. It was not in the setlist that was running around days before the show. AND THEN WE HAD CALENDAR GIRL HOLYSHITTTT. I couldn't contain myself because it was a really beautiful song and wow. I couldn't grasp the idea that I was there, singing it with Stars. *O* The show closed with The 400, a quiet and apt ending to that night.

EVERYTHING THAT LED UP TO ME WATCHING THIS SHOW AND SEEING THEM LIVE WAS SO WORTH IT.

Thank you, Stars, for taking us to the riot.

Edit: The North Album Tour: Stars in Manila Setlist