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SilentSanct Gig Report: Malolos Bulacan

The atmosphere of the entire night was a bit off. First of all, there were armed soldiers in fatigues carrying very, very big guns, ostensibly to keep things from getting too rowdy.

Apparently even that wasn't too sucessful, because one bouncer apparently got bloodied when someone from the audeince threw a rock on stage while Mayonnaise was playing and got beaned. It was actually meant for (Mayo vocalist) Monty Macalino but he luckily ducked just in time.

It was so bad that the host of the evening had to publicly address the crowd and warn them that if this sort of shit continued, the show would stop, and pleaded for anyone to turn in the thrower. After Sugarfree rocked the house we took the stage (already a tough act to follow) but we dutifully went onstage to set up.

Things started getting wierd because after we were about to start playing, we got word from below telling us to get off the stage (leave our instruments onstage) for a bit. We didn't know what was going on, but we were going to comply; I had even unplugged my guitar from my amp before they told us again to just go ahead and play.

Because of all the bands that were still scheduled to perform, the show was predictably running long, and they told us to just do a short 3-song set. We started off with YesterJester, a good choice because it immediately kicks off at a high tempo. I was trying a new thing where I was wearing an earplug on one ear again so I could pay attention to my own notes whether or not I could hear myself on a monitor (which is always tough to call in live performance depending on the venue).

The downside of that is that I couldn't really hear much in terms of the audience. After we finished the song (which I think we did rather well, actually) we were met with pretty much indifference. Crowd connection, for whatever reason, was just not there, but we played on na lang. Did new song Ingat Ka and finished off with Pink 5ive. Again with only a minimum of response.

There may have been something going on that we didn't know about, because after we got off the stage, the host told the crowd the show would be pausing a bit as they would have guards go through the audience to check for ticket stubs and stamps signifying that they paid to get in. This was wierd because while gatecrashers and linejumpers are a fairly common occurence in shows, one does not normally stop a show to conduct a search of the audience (by armed soldiers no less).

I guess that one rock throwing incident really threw (bad choice of words) things out of sync. Malolos' mayor was there (he apparently put the show together or something) and apparently he was determined to make sure that the things that he may have traditionally thought about rock shows didn't happen. Unfortunately that was not the case.

The funny thing is that as a band, Silentsanct played things pretty much flawlessly for the set. And it didn't seem to matter. The crowd energy and interaction was not there. Admittedly, some of it can be attributed to the fact that we weren't "kilala" enough for the crowd yet, but we have played for other crowds (St. Scholastica is the best example I can think of) where the reaction was awesome even if they may or may not have known us, so I refuse to accept that it was merely a matter of recognizeability. Zarah said that the well-known Valley of Chrome also had a smiliarly anemic set after us, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because of that.

We've had gigs where things didn't quite get together musically but the crowd response was so great it didn't matter in the end. This was like the opposite of that: a technically flawless set with a poor crowd interaction. I keep trying to think if there was something we could have done to make it better, but in the end, I have to conclude that there wasn't.

We played to the best of our abilities; the audience, for whatever reason, just wasn't there. It was an interesting experience overall; my first gig of that nature. I'm sure there will be others of that type to come, as I rack up the shows and gain more and more experience.

It makes me sick that ONE person with no breeding and no intelligence can ruin a show like this for an entire crowd of people. I don't know if they do it because they are so fucking insignificant in their everyday life that they feel the need to do some shit like that so they can feel like they've accomplished something, even if it's something as negative as this.

Because really, what kind of pleasure can they derive from it? "Haha, did you see how I hurt that guy?" "Wahoo! I stopped an entire show, all by myself! I rawk!" It's just so fucking pathetic. And they keep going to rock shows. How come? I never hear about someone getting stabbed at an R&B show, or when Christian Bautista or somesuch sings.

But noooo, it's ALWAYS the rock shows that attract freaks like this. Twisted talaga ang mentality mg mga tao na ganito: I love this band so much, I'm going to stir up shit at their shows, ensuring that they never get booked anywhere! I have to think that bands like Cheese and the Greyhoundz face this quandary. Fuck, if that's the case, I'd rather have the fanbase of the people who DO go for Sarah Geronimo and MYMP. Their fans may not rock as much as the rock crowd, but you never hear any news about people getting hurt at their gigs.

And don't try to tell me it's because of the energy. I know very well the catharsis of rocking out, both as a performer and as a fan. But intentionally hurting someone isn't rocking out, it's criminal behavior, pure and simple. And anyone who tries to use rock music as a fucking EXCUSE for his shit should be forbidden from listening to ANY music that rocks out even a little bit, and must be forced to listen the soundtrack to The Sound of Music looped nonstop for the rest of his natural life.

I don't get it. I really don't get it. Nakakadismaya.

VERBATIM

"New Rule: There's no explaining love. If Charles and Camilla prove one thing, it's that she must be the greatest lay in history. She must do things to him that make Angelina Jolie look like your hand. Love is inexplicable, so let's not put any laws about marriage in our Constitution."

- From the "New Rules" transcripts of the HBO Show Real Time with Bill Maher

GMA TEXTUBE: THE AFTERMATH

Quick n' dirty critique: Better than my MTV Lokal performance. I STILL get nervous at the first verse of Ikaw Lang before finding my way. Blew a few notes on Rebound but I wasn't exactly the only one. We didn't practice for that gig and it showed, but all things considered, fairly okay given the circumstances. But ultimately; Good enough, isn't.

After finally seeing the taped performance, I now know the answer to the question "How fat can I look on camera?" And the answer to that is: EXTREMELY. God dammit, I looked like I needed a freaking BRA in that shirt.

Bleah. I think I'm going to have to give up eating. Either that or go all the way and start wearing low-cut blouses to show off my man-cleavage.

OVERHEARD

"When a man tells you who he is through his actions, listen."

GUESS HE'S COMING TO DINNER

Saw Guess Who last monday with the Praline Bear, along with the Spongebob Squarepants movie. Not being an Ashton Kucher fan, I didn't really expect to like this and was pleasantly surprised that I did. Him and Bernie Mac both have good chemistry, and while it probably won't be as fondly remembered as the original movie its' based on, it is a worthwhile use of 2 hours of free time.

For those who aren't familiar with it, the movie is a remake of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, and the twist in the modern remake is that the racial roles have been reversed; with a white suitor trying to win over the family of his black girlfriend, who clearly did not expect him to be white.

I want to see another remake of this movie a few years down the line, where once again the plot revolves around a hapless guy and his fiance. Only instead of exploring racial tensions with a black woman & white man, the couple in question would be 2 GUYS instead.

I only hope I'll still be around to see that movie when it gets made.

SILENTSANCT UPDATE

Silent Sanctuary's appearance on GMA TexTube will air this friday night, on April 15, 2005! Woohoo!

Since TexTube usually airs late (usually past midnight), that would technically make it saturday morning. So all you nightowls and insomniacs can catch it, and even you gimikeros out there can still go out on the town and watch it. In other words, No excuses!!

Tune in this friday and see from how many angles I can look fat in!

VERBATIM

"You never fall in love with the people you think you will fall in love
with. And it never happens at a convenient time."

--Will & Grace's Debra Messing

WRITE, LISTEN, LEARN

As someone who'se consistently under writer's block, this post from Augie de Blieck's web journal is something I really should take to heart.

Writing, Briefly

Write a bad version 1 as fast as you can; rewrite it over and over; cut out everything unneccessary; write in a conversational tone; develop a nose for bad writing, so you can see and fix it in yours; imitate writers you like; if you can’t get started, tell someone what you plan to write about, then write down what you said; expect 80% of the ideas in an essay to happen after you start writing it, and 50% of those you start with to be wrong; be confident enough to cut…

"I think that penultimate quoted tip is the most important. It’s what happens to me every week when I write Pipeline. I start arguing with myself on what I believe and what I can defend. I’ve had good reviews turn into bad reviews, and vice verse, under such a spotlight.

The first tip is also a key. Get started. No matter how bad it is, it’s important to get something down on “paper.”

The art of writing is rewriting, after all."

THE TOP OF THE ROLLER COASTER

Here we go again.

LA LUNE

   I
Stars in your eyes
Moon in your smile
I’m paralyzed
Can you stay for a while?

Taking my chances
I ask to go dancing with you
Don‘t know what to say or do
Losing all sense of time
Forever in a moment I’m fine
With your hand in mine

[CHORUS]
All the moons and stars in the sky
Can’t compare to the light in your eyes
Can’t believe this is happening
How you changed my whole life
There’s no place I would rather be
Than in your arms tonight

   II
Stars in your eyes
Moon in your smile
I’m in paradise
Can I stay for a while?

Future looks promising
Songs for you I will sing here
I promise you I will have no fear
Love in the days of yore
Yearn for the taste of your kiss
Can we stay just like this?

[CHORUS]
All the moons and stars in the sky
Can’t compare to the light in your eyes
Can’t believe this is happening
And you changed my whole life
There’s no place I would rather be
Than in your arms tonight

   III
Stars in your eyes
Moon in your smile
Can I stay by your side
For the rest of my life?

[CHORUS]
All the moons and stars in the sky
Can’t compare to the light in your eyes
Can’t believe this is happening
How you changed my whole life
There’s no place I would rather be
Than in your arms tonight

[CHORUS 2]
I have waited for so long to be here tonight
For this moment to finally arrive
All my anger now falls away
All that I’ve ever known
You’re the one that brought an end to all of my pain
And I’m no longer alone
No longer alone

I’m not alone.