Thursday, July 22, 2004
To the BEP yo!
Lapit mga kaibigan at makinig kayo… Ako’y may dala-dalang balita galling sa bayan ko…
20 years earlier this lines would not have meant anything except that it was the first lines of the first local music that I was able to listen to. My uncle, still sporting a mane of hair then and a more flat tummy, unknowingly introduced me to Asin during his stint as a young aktibista. I never imagined that after almost 25 years, I would be listening to these same lines from another group who called themselves the Black Eyed Peas.
I never was into hiphop music until recently. I caught a whiff of Black Eyes Peas when local radio staions started churning out their hit songs Where Is The Love, Shut Up, Hey Mama and others. It was not like just any other hiphop music, it had a distinct style, it had sense and I was fast becoming a fan. What was more fascinating however was that one of the group's member (one of its founding member and songwriter) is a Filipino. After watching his life story which was aired by a local TV station, I was convinced that I had to watch Black Eyes Peas if ever they perform here in Manila.
I was not sure whether it was this Filipino pride, or is it their excellent brand of music, or both that had us fumbling for tickets upon learning that indeed there will be a Black Eyed Peas concert here in Manila. I finally got a couple of tickets after some prodding from my girlfriend (I told you I was gonna get them ;P) and after some assurance from the saleslady selling the tickets that yes, there are enough tickets to accomodate every one. We arrived 3 hours early not wanting to be caught in on the weekend traffic and to get us a good spot. After some merienda and some excellent coffee, we trooped to the CCP Open Grounds as the front act is already in full throttle. We later found out that we still are too far away from the stage to view anytthing significant and for us to be able to fully enjoy a hiphop concert. Deciding to look for ways, albeit illegal to move a little closer up the field, we tried bargaining our way in on the area for VIP ticketholders. We almost got in in fact, had it not been for the uber-vigilance on one guard. We decided not to argue, not wanting to be thrown out and fnally settled on the fence area separating the VIP area and those who are willing to/can pay less. There were some notable bands that played during the front act; different genres, all excellent!
When Black Eyes Peas finally got on stage, we knew it was going to be an experience. Their music, their energy, their playfulness was totally contagious. They can never fail to get a crowd on its feet. I can still remember the tiniest of details - the different colors of the barongs that they were wearing, Will spread-eagled on the floor kicking wildly, Apple making up some Tagalog lines but coming up short, Fergie's heavenly tummy, Kayan dancing... It was definitely an experience and after almost 3 hours, there was never a let up in energy level. The crowd began to disperse, the performers had said their goodbyes, we were heading home but I can still feel the throbbing inside me. Maybe it was the coffee, maybe it was the music, maybe it was the Love, maybe it was Filipino pride...
Maybe it was all of them.
20 years earlier this lines would not have meant anything except that it was the first lines of the first local music that I was able to listen to. My uncle, still sporting a mane of hair then and a more flat tummy, unknowingly introduced me to Asin during his stint as a young aktibista. I never imagined that after almost 25 years, I would be listening to these same lines from another group who called themselves the Black Eyed Peas.
I never was into hiphop music until recently. I caught a whiff of Black Eyes Peas when local radio staions started churning out their hit songs Where Is The Love, Shut Up, Hey Mama and others. It was not like just any other hiphop music, it had a distinct style, it had sense and I was fast becoming a fan. What was more fascinating however was that one of the group's member (one of its founding member and songwriter) is a Filipino. After watching his life story which was aired by a local TV station, I was convinced that I had to watch Black Eyes Peas if ever they perform here in Manila.
I was not sure whether it was this Filipino pride, or is it their excellent brand of music, or both that had us fumbling for tickets upon learning that indeed there will be a Black Eyed Peas concert here in Manila. I finally got a couple of tickets after some prodding from my girlfriend (I told you I was gonna get them ;P) and after some assurance from the saleslady selling the tickets that yes, there are enough tickets to accomodate every one. We arrived 3 hours early not wanting to be caught in on the weekend traffic and to get us a good spot. After some merienda and some excellent coffee, we trooped to the CCP Open Grounds as the front act is already in full throttle. We later found out that we still are too far away from the stage to view anytthing significant and for us to be able to fully enjoy a hiphop concert. Deciding to look for ways, albeit illegal to move a little closer up the field, we tried bargaining our way in on the area for VIP ticketholders. We almost got in in fact, had it not been for the uber-vigilance on one guard. We decided not to argue, not wanting to be thrown out and fnally settled on the fence area separating the VIP area and those who are willing to/can pay less. There were some notable bands that played during the front act; different genres, all excellent!
When Black Eyes Peas finally got on stage, we knew it was going to be an experience. Their music, their energy, their playfulness was totally contagious. They can never fail to get a crowd on its feet. I can still remember the tiniest of details - the different colors of the barongs that they were wearing, Will spread-eagled on the floor kicking wildly, Apple making up some Tagalog lines but coming up short, Fergie's heavenly tummy, Kayan dancing... It was definitely an experience and after almost 3 hours, there was never a let up in energy level. The crowd began to disperse, the performers had said their goodbyes, we were heading home but I can still feel the throbbing inside me. Maybe it was the coffee, maybe it was the music, maybe it was the Love, maybe it was Filipino pride...
Maybe it was all of them.
