Eraserheads The Final Set

I've always said that I'm a Parokya Ni Edgar fan. But before that, I used to be an Eraserheads fan. If I can remember it right, I was in high school when eraserheads became popular. Their first song "Pare Ko" earned so much noise beacuse it had a line with an emphatic curse:

"O Diyos ko
Ano ba naman ito
Di ba Tang ina
Nagmukha akong tanga..."

Whoa! With that, the band Eraserheads became the talk-of-the-town. Critics had commented that the band's songs can be a bad influence to the youth.

Back in the day, songhits were still around but I didn't need one because I knew their songs by heart. Their tune was catchy. Most of their their lyrics, had an underlying meaning. Not too obvious, nakakalusot! There was even a time when they were called satanic because some people had tried backmasking one of their songs and found that there were demonic messages. C'mon! We're way more intelligent than that. That did not stop eraserheads from making albums and having several hit songs.

The first rock concert that I attended to was an Eraserheads one. It was a concert for freshmen at UPLB's Baker Hall. Anyway, I wasn't seated in front when the concert started but when Eraserheads came out, I was pushed and found myself in front of the stage. Ely Buendia was about a meter away from me. Right then and there, I was in-love with Ely Buendia. I love the beat of "Pasensya Na". I turn up the volume each time I hear it.

unfortunately, Eraserheads disbanded. First, it was Ely who left the band. Rumors circulated that the members had a falling out with Ely. The popularity had gotten into his head and had an attitude problem. Later on, he was replaced with a female vocalist. But that was short-lived. They eventually went on their separate ways. When that happened, I hated Ely Buendia. Eraserheads no more. The members went on with new bands. Ely is now with Pupil. Buddy Zabala is now part of The Dawn. Markus Adoro has Markus Highway. Raymund Marasigan is part of Sandwich, Pedicab and Cambio. Of the four, Raymund was the most successful. Raymond became my cool dude. He and his bands were making a lot if hits.

Last year, there was a buzz regarding a reunion concert of Eraserheads. I was discussing that with a fellow UP grad. We were thinking that we missed Eraserheads and seeing them perform together would be a treat. we didn't know if the concert was going to push through. Before I knew it, Ely was already in the hospital after experiencing chest pains during the Eraserheads reunion concert last August at The Fort. We thought we missed big time. The concert was cut short. Around September, Raymund and Buddy mentioned in an interview that they were hoping that they can continue the show in another time. Fans did hope for that.

Prayers have been answered since early this year it was announced that there was going to be another Eraserheads reunion concert. My officemates were game and even excited. We had decided to buy the cheapest ticket, in case something happens to Ely (bad namen noh?!).

ERASERHEADS THE FINAL SET.

March 7, 2009 was the date. SM Mall of Asia Grounds was the venue. We had our game plan then on how to get there really early since our tickets' area is the farthest. Unfortunately, none of the agreed meeting time was followed. For some reason, it was traffic everywhere that day. The parking was hell. I was overly stressed when I got to the concert venue. But you know what, it was all gone when the concert started. There was no reason to complain. It was worth it. We enjoyed. We were singing along. It brought back high school and college memories. That time I was proud of being a UP grad. The Eraserheads members were UP students. Gosh they passed UPCAT! Though they did not graduate, they always say that their starting grounds was the University of the Philippines. Anyway, another remarkable moment of the concert was their tribute to Francis Magalona, who was supposed to be a special guest. Everyone was cheering for Francis Magalona. Also, there was an encore. When the audience thought that it was over, they came back and sang 3 more songs. Grabe! Just to add, I fell in-love with Ely buendia again.

I am glad that I was part of that historical night. It was truly a memorable event.