Title: The Rough Drive to Incubus Live In Manila
Written and Photos by: Allyn May Canja
How far will
you go for your favorite band?
Your answer to that
question wont matter. I bet you a ticket
for the next Incubus Live in Manila concert.
When you find yourself in the situation that question wont even cross
your mind.
It is safe
to say that Incubus is one of my top one favorite bands, along with Nirvana and
The Beatles (both stand no chance of touring). I grew up along with their
sound. When they were nu metal, I loved loud music. When they were
funk, I was tasting other kinds of music. When they were singing about
positivity I was trying to make myself. Their songs are a huge part of my
existential evolution.
I first
heard about their If Not Now, When? tour from a friend. Without confirming it
on their website, I am already set to attend.
The
first and the major bump on the road is the road itself. Iloilo City is a
fourty five minute plane ride away from Manila. I was jobless and of course
pennyless too. We have to book a hotel room and we cant just starve in a city
so overwhelmingly different from home. Despite all of these, the journey to the
Incubus concert is definitely going to happen. Even Rapture has to be
rescheduled to make way for us.
By the
end of April we already have an iterinary. It took us three months of
preparation. We even had to upgrade tickets since General Admission were
already sold out just three weeks after availability.
My
boring days are suddenly filled with excitement. Every time I hear an Incubus
song, I imagine myself jumping along to the Araneta Colliseum crowd. I was
seeing the sun that was invisible to others.
Two
days before the concert, the weather was evil. We were expected to land in
Manila along with a superstorm. Think fiction movies with plane slicing a dark
sky, cruising past the lightning and dancing along to thunders. It is almost
like suicide. But the airline thinks they are angels, so they rescheduled the
flight, an hour before the concert.
We have
to gamble and hope for the best. The adrenaline rush has killed my humanly
fears. Plus, I have discovered the secret to flying during a bad weather,
meditation.
It was
a huge, “If Not Now, When?” moment.
We were
able to land safely in Manila but we have to travel an hour to get to the
venue. We took the fastest route, but halfway thru the ride the train went to a
halt because of power outage. Our next option was a taxi ride, the problem is
we dont know where the earest taxi bay is. We were running late, badly. I could
wish on a star, but there was none on the building covered sky. I was already
frustrated and ready to give up.
It was the most heart breaking taxi ride I have ever
experienced. The what ifs in my mind were frustrating. It was like the universe
conspired against us.
When we
arrived at the Araneta Colliseum, the crowd was more of screaming than singing.
I saw Brandon Boyd, Mike Einzinger, Ben Kenny, DJ Killmore and Jose Pasillas on
the stage. Suddenly, the hardships evaporated. Brandon vowed and kneeled at the
end, it was as if he knew what we just went through.
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If you want to share your memorable concert stories and experiences, email us at concertgoerofthemonth@yahoo.com. Include your name and don't forget to attach pictures or videos from the show.
1 comment:
Thanks for posting this!
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