I know it’s been weeks after the Eraserheads concert but I will want to do a wrap up. Until now I still have a hangover with these guys.

After the reunion concert, the Eheads Mailing list was flooded with tons of messages everyday. Actually until now, it still floods with messages. I would get 300+ unread messages everyday. Of course I wouldn’t read all of them, I try to cherry pick the topics that I want to read. So here are some of the cherry picked topics I will discuss here

So how is Ely Buendia doing?

Ely Buendia narrates to Manila Bulletin on what he felt while he was performing onstage:

“Towards the last song of the first set, I was already
feeling chest pains. Nung matapos, parang hindi na ako makahinga.
Kaya umupo ako. When we reached backstage, I was asking for oxygen
already kasi nahirapan na talaga ako huminga.”

He’s doing fine now. In fact he was already out of the Philippine Heart Center last Sept 5. His heart is 100% functioning now. He had just had his 3rd angioplasty. So all he has to do now is to rest for a few months just to be in shape. Ely’s manager, Day Cabuhat had photos of him while being released in the hospital.

( Ely with his nurses, he’s holding the Fruitcake book!)

( Ely with his doctors)

( Getting some last minute reminders) Read the rest of this entry »

<<UPDATED>> AFTER THE GIG, THERE WAS AN INFORMAL PARTY IN SAGUIJO CAFE ( IN GUIJO ST, MAKATI). FIRST WHO ARRIVED WAS RAYMUND THEN BUDDY AND MARCUS CAME IN LAST. SOME OF THEIR BAND FRIENDS WERE WITH THEM. THEY PERFORMED MINSAN, MAGASIN, SPOLIARIUM, PARE KO AND ANG HULING EL BIMBO ( SONGS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE 2ND SET)

For the people who know me, you all know that the Eraserheads has been an important part of my life and I will never ever let this pass. You all know how I profess my love for this band. And now here is a blow by blow account of my experience there and also some juicy news

I prepared all the gig paraphernalia I need for an open air concert: a malong ( to serve as our mat while waiting for the show to start), alcohol ( you know, for hygenic purposes), tissue, towel and caps. About 3:00 pm we’re already at the MRT Ayala station going to the Fort bus, fans were already lining up to take the bus. Karla and I arrived the Fort area at 3:30 pm. There are already signs around the area giving directions to where the show will be held.

( Eraserhead? typo error that was not even corrected grr! Eraserhead was David Lynch’s movie) Read the rest of this entry »

<<UPDATED: TICKET PRICES and PROMOTERS>>

<<UPDATED: CONCERT VENUE… PIX FROM MARCUS ADORO >>

Because of my thirst to get firsthand news about the Eraserheads concert details ( and of course blog about it) over the internet, I immediately went to Netopia Farmers because my freakin computer has a spyware on it. Everybody is curious as to how to avail the tickets and how much will it be. To those who don’t know yet, the concert is not free anymore because of the dementors being against it. Phillip Morris pulled out as the organizer of the concert now it has been confirmed that Radiohead and Sony BMG Philippines are the sponsors and promoters of the event. As for the ticket prices, it will be sold through Ticketworld and the prices are as follows: Php 800 and Php 1300 ( this was as of this evening, August 27). Prices were lowered from Php 1300 and Php 2060. There will be a division at the Open Grounds at the Fort to differentiate the ticketholders. When news broke out that Ticketworld will be the ticket distributor, its website went down temporarily and was advised to buy the tickets through their outlets in SM and National Bookstore. Unfortunately, reservations are not allowed. Tickets are now available through Ticketworld outlets.

Marcus’ VIP list will still be honored according to him, and the official list will be released this afternoon. Shux, this is really scary! hehe. He’s just concerned about identity theft so IDs will still be presented.

UPDATE: I JUST GOT A CONFIRMATION EMAIL ABOUT MY VIP TICKET, IT’S REALLY, REALLY HERE! WOOHOO!

Yes, you are in Marcus’ VIP list for the concert. Yehey!

By the way, Marcus Adoro posted some pictures on his multiply site. Pix were grabbed from www.markushighway.multiply.com

( pic grabbed from markushighway.multiply.com)

News broke out yesterday in the blogosphere that the Eraserheads Reunion Gig was already cancelled. Got this link from the Circus Mailing list and it mentioned that it was already official. Hmm. I wonder about the intentions of the author of that blog. Well anyway, it said that DOH ( Department of Health) refused to issue the permit. In the first place, why do the organizers need to have a permit from DOH? I didn’t know that whenever there are events I need to get a permit from the DOH. Or probably it’s for the doctors that will be in the event for emergency reasons? I don’t know what the permit is for. WELL ANYWAY, Marcus Adoro was able to read that message and was stunned by it as well. According to his blog, he immediately contacted his contact persons ( isn’t that redundant? hehe) to confirm about it and Marcus gave the statement: “the decision will be relayed to us on the next rehearsal date which was not today and will not be tomorrow ( referring to August 23rd and 24th) kaya relax muna kayo“. His blog post entitled ‘Relax’ assured fans that they will be informed on what will happen. Marcus reacted on Raymund Marasigan’s message to the mailing lists regarding the possible postponement. Well, I would understand postponement but cancellation is different. Postpone means that the date will just be moved however cancellation means it will never happen. Be careful of your words dear!

Ey by the way, Karla and I got our Reunion shirts. Whether or not this pushes through we still have the shirts! Thanks Noytee!

Raymund Marasigan just emailed the Cambio Mailing List this message:

dear wizards and witches

there is some disturbing news at the ministry of magic. the dementors
are doing everything they can to stop the show.

be safe

aldus dumbledore

Dare not to stop the show. It’s the law that has a flaw, Phillip Morris was able to seep into the loophole.

Now the question would be: Would you say that the fans who want this show to push through are “unintelligent” just because they don’t f*cking care whoever sponsors or ‘organizes’ the show?

I remember when I was in college, my thesis was about fandom. I wanted to do a different kind of study and portray fans as ‘intelligent’ beings in this world as opposed to the common notion of fans being the “commoners”, ” unproductive” ( meaning all they do is stalk with their idols) and justify that their idols actions are always correct.

The Frankfurt School theorists ( rooted from the believers of Karl Marx’s theories) would insist that fans are products of mass culture. As for them, mass culture is bad, monstrous and only makes people fantasize about the impossible and ‘alienates’ people from the reality of life. Mass Culture as for them operates with different apparatuses that would control the recipients of mass culture ( i.e. the fans). In this sense, we are led to have the common notion of the fan to be just mere passive audiences. If you will try to analyze it, it is somewhat a one-way relationship when fans just get pleasure from their idols and nothing can be no intellectual or cultural production can be produced from their idols. ( Try thinking about your biology in high school, it’s a symbiotic relationship called commensalism wherein only one benefits while the other doesn’t benefit at all). This kind of notion is pathological since they are the kinds of fans that media shows us.

I beg to disagree that I am like that. I am not that kind of fan. I want the show to happen.

Fans have the power to resist within their domain. Whoever the sponsor of the event is, fans will still support the show. Fans have the capability to resist whatever the motive of the sponsor is. If Phillip Morris is indeed the real sponsor ( which was by the way already confirmed), fans can still attend the event and not accept whatever Phillip Morris advocates. It’s just simple logic, it’s non-sequitur! It does not follow that if a person attends this event then people will advocate smoking. Wow, isn’t that illogical?! By the way, people have individual brains and can decide for themselves. The problem is, we are always concerned about the structural and always neglect agency ( or the individual). People are focused only on the economic structure being the big bad wolf when in fact there are other structures where we can work on. Focus on the ‘is’, capitalism or consumerism IS already here ever since and what we can do right now is to work WITHIN capitalism. Now, don’t mistake me as an elitist, I am just being pragmatic.

I understand other people’s orientation that personal is political. I accept that. But that is not always the case.

I am a fan, a logical fan.

Raymund Marasigan has just emailed the Sandwich mailing list:

Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:58:47 AM
Subject: [subsandwich] the magical mystery show

dear kids

the paranoid wizards at the ministry of magic forbids me to speak of
the great quidditch tournament.

but i have reason (version4) to believe that it is true. the
information regarding the date , venue and how to join the
celebration is out in the interweb.

its free and its out there. but you have to be cunning and smart.look
for clues.

look for the head sandwich sherpa. she will lead you to the peak of
destiny.

the muggles will get in your way. the death eaters will hunt you down.

may the four be with you.
and i will see you there

aldus dumbledore

Let’s try to decipher the message. Who are the paranoid wizards? Most probably the organizers of the event. The Ministry of Magic most likely are the ‘promoters’ of the show ( Phillip Morris) . Eraserheads Reunion Gig was named as the “Quidditch Tournament”.

I just don’t get the “look for the head sandwich sherpa. she will lead you to the peak of
destiny.” I don’t know if what I am thinking is correct. Hmmm. Anybody knows?

update: read Jim Ayson’s post in Philmusic.com confirming Phillip Morris as the Sponsor of the Eraserheads Reunion gig.

It’s already August and I am really getting impatient on how to get the tickets for this gig. Just recently read Azrael’s blog post today and also got to read his disappointment for the long wait. I recently checked Karla’s profile in Marlboro.ph ( well, I couldn’t remember my user name so I checked hers instead ) and still the same page is still appearing ( That Michael Buhay winning a Ducati 848 hehe). According to some Circus Mailing Listers, when they called the Marlboro Hotline, they were informed that the official announcement for the Eraserheads concert will be announced today. Meaning, the phone representatives themselves had already confirmed that it is indeed them who will be sponsoring this event.

Read the rest of this entry »

A message from Raymund Marasigan from the Sandwich Mailing List:

From: raymund marasigan
To: subsandwich@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:19:36 AM
Subject: [subsandwich] fake tickets

attention!

details will come out first week of august.

there are fake tickets going around online and on the streets. dont be
a victim. there are no tickets out yet.wait for the official release.

raym<s>

Is it really confirmed? 

YES, it is already confirmed in the media by Ely Buendia ( from the you tube link above) and by Raymund Marasigan: Read the rest of this entry »

This was a blow by blow account of my experience with the Eraserheads while they were shooting the “Maskara” video for the Carbonsteroxide ( their last) album. I tried to find this in the Circus mailing list, glad it’s still there… This was back in 2001, I was in 4th year high school then. Neneng pa. lolz. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the negative of the pictures taken here, jolog pa nun eh, no digicam yet. Hehe. In the video, I was part of the “party people” and one of the victims of the “face snatcher”. Read the rest of this entry »