OPM | LA VIE EN ROSE

It has been more than a year since a friend first introduced me to this Superband (initially spelled it with a space, but then again “Superband” as one word is a title earned rather than an adjective, so it would have been sacrilegious to have spelled it with a space in between *face palm*), and just a few months later I had the opportunity to attend their first concert in our city. Lucky, well yes to have been able to attend it and even share the same flight with them en route home. Although I reluctantly chickened out at the thought of having my photo taken with them at the pre-departure lounge and arrival areas of both airports, since well, I was just too starstruck to muster enough guts to even approach them contrary to what other people would do when they first encounter their idols. So there I was, kicking myself in the behind for not having them all to myself prior to the concert. In the end, well I was not as lucky as I hoped I’d be. First, Lee and I ran out of Franco CDs in local music stores. As soon as a friend tipped me on their upcoming concert, I immediately relayed the good news to a batch mate and fellow Suspitsado, who immediately purchased his copy upon securing his tickets. Although feeling utterly self serving after purchasing tickets the day after I got word of their concert (I purchased the 4th and 5th tickets sold then) and booked our family’s return ticket home to catch the concert in the evening, lo and behold, I forgot to secure CDs. Second, the 2 free beers included in the ticket surprisingly came in bigger sizes so uhh, you get the picture (let’s not discuss this any further).

Fast forward to a year (and a sober state) later, we got word that Abreeza mall was having their back to back Barbie Almalbis concert. Tickets were handed out in exchange for every minimum purchase of Php 500 at any Abreeza outlet or Php 1000 from Robinsons Supermarket during that week when they had their sale. We initially thought we couldn’t make it, until luck finally came our way and Lee’s friend Kath had about 6 tickets. So I finally purchased their CD a week before and score, a local music store had a good supply in stock.

Credits to Abreeza mall for the poster and Warner Music Philippines for the photo

It was our first time to attend a concert in Abreeza. We really loved how organized it was. CDs were sold at the entrance in case people weren’t able to secure their copies, and the artists have a dedicated Meet and Greet session right after the concert. We really enjoyed the Barbie concert, a lot of her songs reminded me so much of high school days. She’s just one of the artists I grew up with. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane.

And of course, the Suspistados flocked the Activity Area even an hour before the show started. The crowd was overwhelming! Never realized we were quite a number here in D.C, but it was great to see so many of us in This Gathering.

Eight Toleran doing his sound check (and all my fellow Suspitsados started cheering)

Only Eight and Franco were present, since Buwi, Jan Jan and Gab had their respective gigs abroad, or as true blue Cebuano Franco quipped “kay naa silay tukar ron sa Singapore” (referring to Jan Jan and Gab of Urbandub, who fronted for the Good Charlotte concert). As soon as Suspitsados caught a glimpse of Eight and Franco peeking from the backstage, everyone started cheering and applauding, which made all the other shoppers curious as to who these blokes were. The minute they got up on stage, everyone went crazy and hurriedly flocked to the front of the stage to take pictures. Finally, without hesitation, I ran to the front and despite getting squished a couple of times, I had my fair share of good shots.

The main man, Franco. As soon as he got up on stage, everyone went wild!

Since everyone armed with cameras started flocking the stage, it was pretty hard to take a good photo up close. I raised my cam up high and got this. I was pretty lucky.

Raised my camera up high again and got this. Lucky streak, oh yeah.

My idol!

Don't be fooled though, here's the actual view from my 5'2 frame. HAHA!

In their element

As soon as they were about to wrap up their closing "Song for the Suspect", we immediately ran in line for the Meet and Greet

The crowd was amazing! The concert was incredible, no words could ever come close to describing how amazing the experience was. Franco totally rocked the whole of Abreeza, even drawing more fans from outside the enclosed concert area. And so finally, we had our chance for the Meet and Greet. Armed with my camera, our CDs and a black permanent ink marker (just in case you know) we lined up and patiently waited for our turn.