Ely Buendia was in a reasonable and very legitimate position to ask for it. The guy just lost his mother and was under a lot of stress, mentally, emotionally, and from the exhausted look on his face, physically as well. Having suffered a heart attack not too long ago, he also was not in the best of health to begin with.
I don’t have any personal knowledge if he and the rest of the Eraserheads asked for a postponement of their much awaited reunion concert. He at least was certainly well within his rights to do given the circumstances. After all, tickets were only made available two days before the actual event, so it’s not like there were a lot of refunds to worry about. I’m not sure if it’s a contract thing or simply in the spirit of “the show must go on," but the Eraserheads led by their enigmatic front man went on and played, looked, and felt like the gig of their lives.
Revisiting a back catalogue of big hits, high tides and oh yes, fond memories, the Eraserheads, our very own Fab Four, perhaps the most celebrated and arguably most influential musicians of their generation, performed an abbreviated show that will likely to be more remembered for what actually played out than for what might have been.
For those of us who were old enough to remember, the Eraserheads were gangling musicians who hardly can play at the start of their careers. The only upside for them back in the day was that their knack for unforgettable pop hooks. In my book, this band has always been more about soul than technique. But last night, in a rare and amazing marriage of form and substance, the Eraserheads played with inspired virtuosity that prompted Ces Rodriguez, my editor at the long-defunct Jingle Chord book magazine, to exclaim, “Where is this coming from?"
It certainly does not hurt that their confidence, instincts and overall musical chops have been fully honed over the years of not just playing together but also by their subsequent association with a lot of other talented musicians after The Split. “Alapaap," which opened the show, was riveting. “With A Smile" was simply mesmerizing. An updated “Toyang," with Ely now singing, “They tried to tell us we’re too old," got the crowd in a state of euphoric frenzy. The supposedly second-tier hits like “Ligaya," “Kailan" and “Shake Yer Head" sounded first-rate. Even the relatively obscure “Light Years" from the less heralded Fruitcake CD had a majestic feel to it.
Never mind if there was uncomfortable silence in between songs. Never mind if the lack of onstage banter between the guys led to a teasing chant of “Group Hug!" from the full house throng. They played their hearts out and that’s all that mattered. The E-heads played like a well-oiled, cohesive unit that it’s hard to believe that they haven’t played these songs together for years. I guess some things are just like riding a bike.
Raimund Marasigan was visibly elated and banged his drum kit with his usual gusto, Marcus Adoro’s guitar solos was more than spot-on and Buddy Zabala was well, Buddy Zabala, providing the remarkably tight rhythm section with his steady bass backbeat.
Ely Buendia? Looking like an Ivy League schoolboy with a sweatshirt over a white shirt and tie, he once again displayed the trademark nonchalance and matter-of-factly, strictly business demeanor that many of us were never ever comfortable with. But not even the seemingly disinterested look on his face which he tried to cover up with those oversized aviator shades can conceal the obvious—he was glad to be an Eraserhead again even if for only one more night, and it showed. Given his personal loss, what he did was a gallant stand of incredible proportions when an easier decision was to simply live and regroup to fight (or in this case, perform) for another day. Yes, he wanted to do this, too.
Too bad his body can only stay in sync with his resolve for so long. We all know what happened next. There’s no point wondering what might have been if Buendia still had the energy to stick around long enough in time for the band’s Big Guns, “Ang Huling El Bimbo," “Magasin," “Torpedo," “Overdrive", “Julie Tearjerky" (my own personal favorite) and yes, “Pare Ko," to bring the house down again and again. The answer to that is either we’ll never know or we’ll only find out if and when the Eraserheads, all four of them, decide or rather, agree to do this again.
Sources: GMA
I don’t have any personal knowledge if he and the rest of the Eraserheads asked for a postponement of their much awaited reunion concert. He at least was certainly well within his rights to do given the circumstances. After all, tickets were only made available two days before the actual event, so it’s not like there were a lot of refunds to worry about. I’m not sure if it’s a contract thing or simply in the spirit of “the show must go on," but the Eraserheads led by their enigmatic front man went on and played, looked, and felt like the gig of their lives.
Revisiting a back catalogue of big hits, high tides and oh yes, fond memories, the Eraserheads, our very own Fab Four, perhaps the most celebrated and arguably most influential musicians of their generation, performed an abbreviated show that will likely to be more remembered for what actually played out than for what might have been.
For those of us who were old enough to remember, the Eraserheads were gangling musicians who hardly can play at the start of their careers. The only upside for them back in the day was that their knack for unforgettable pop hooks. In my book, this band has always been more about soul than technique. But last night, in a rare and amazing marriage of form and substance, the Eraserheads played with inspired virtuosity that prompted Ces Rodriguez, my editor at the long-defunct Jingle Chord book magazine, to exclaim, “Where is this coming from?"
It certainly does not hurt that their confidence, instincts and overall musical chops have been fully honed over the years of not just playing together but also by their subsequent association with a lot of other talented musicians after The Split. “Alapaap," which opened the show, was riveting. “With A Smile" was simply mesmerizing. An updated “Toyang," with Ely now singing, “They tried to tell us we’re too old," got the crowd in a state of euphoric frenzy. The supposedly second-tier hits like “Ligaya," “Kailan" and “Shake Yer Head" sounded first-rate. Even the relatively obscure “Light Years" from the less heralded Fruitcake CD had a majestic feel to it.
Never mind if there was uncomfortable silence in between songs. Never mind if the lack of onstage banter between the guys led to a teasing chant of “Group Hug!" from the full house throng. They played their hearts out and that’s all that mattered. The E-heads played like a well-oiled, cohesive unit that it’s hard to believe that they haven’t played these songs together for years. I guess some things are just like riding a bike.
Raimund Marasigan was visibly elated and banged his drum kit with his usual gusto, Marcus Adoro’s guitar solos was more than spot-on and Buddy Zabala was well, Buddy Zabala, providing the remarkably tight rhythm section with his steady bass backbeat.
Ely Buendia? Looking like an Ivy League schoolboy with a sweatshirt over a white shirt and tie, he once again displayed the trademark nonchalance and matter-of-factly, strictly business demeanor that many of us were never ever comfortable with. But not even the seemingly disinterested look on his face which he tried to cover up with those oversized aviator shades can conceal the obvious—he was glad to be an Eraserhead again even if for only one more night, and it showed. Given his personal loss, what he did was a gallant stand of incredible proportions when an easier decision was to simply live and regroup to fight (or in this case, perform) for another day. Yes, he wanted to do this, too.
Too bad his body can only stay in sync with his resolve for so long. We all know what happened next. There’s no point wondering what might have been if Buendia still had the energy to stick around long enough in time for the band’s Big Guns, “Ang Huling El Bimbo," “Magasin," “Torpedo," “Overdrive", “Julie Tearjerky" (my own personal favorite) and yes, “Pare Ko," to bring the house down again and again. The answer to that is either we’ll never know or we’ll only find out if and when the Eraserheads, all four of them, decide or rather, agree to do this again.
Sources: GMA
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