Concert Review: Double Treat with Evanescence and Bush

It was a double treat for rock fans last night as Evanescence and Bush played solid drivin' rock music at the Araneta Coliseum.

Things started early, as Bush opened the show with Machinehead by 8:30PM.  The coliseum was not as full as that of Avril's, maybe around 60%, but it's a respectable number considering how many shows there were to choose from this Valentine's season!  I've always had a crush on Gavin Rossdale since before so it was great to finally see him perform live.  Apparently, the band had already broken up but regrouped last year to record a new album and voila, they are now on tour!  Which is just as well as you can see from the audience's reaction last night, that they still had fans.

I'm sure everyone's favorite moment was when Gavin went into the audience and got as high up as the Upper Box A crowd.  He even passed a few rows before me but there were grills and it was impossible to leave the seat to get a better picture. Well, his going around the coliseum was certainly a surprise!

Well, the band played some songs which I wasn't familiar with but they included my favorite, The Chemicals Between Us.  I only remember two hits from the band, Glycerine and Comedown, and they played both too, towards the end of their set.

After the Bush set, Evanescence followed 30 minutes later, opening their set with What You Want - one of my favorite songs from their new self-titled album.  My most favorite though is Swimming Home, which they did with an accompanying cellist!  They also did My Heart is Broken, Made of Stone, The Change, The Other Side, Lost in Paradise and Sick.

As expected, the crowd went wild when they did their hits, starting early with Going Under.  Towards the end of the show, they also did Call Me When You'r Sober and Bring Me To Life, which the audience sang along with, unsurprisingly.  The Evanescence set was further enhanced by the lights which changed constantly, so that the lighting of the band's name as their background would change as the show progressed, from dark blues, to green to yellow and even purple!

Well, they did an encore, with My Immortal and I choked in the middle of the song while singing along with them!  I guess I remembered someone in my past life, knowing that this song used to be special to me - but that was more than 10 years ago already.

Amy Lee came out all dressed in black and you can really appreciate her effort since some of her songs have high notes, and sometimes, she wasn't successful in reaching it.  As expected, when she spoke, her voice sounded raspy and gravel-ly, but she was very thankful for the experience of playing here and did not hesitate to egg the audience on to sing along with her.


After the show, I met up with my classmate from Spanish class, Marez, who came with her partner and his daughter and we posed for a picture.  Too bad they didn't sell any shirts or merchandise.  It would've been cool to have some!

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The Sweet Energy of Gary Valenciano

 

“Teach me to trust in you with all of my heart, to lean not on my own understanding, cause I just forget, you won’t give me what I can’t bear, take me out of the dark, my lord, I don’t want to be there, ooh, ooh my lord.”  Such was the sweet and inspirational lines that served as a “lullaby song” for me during one night of the 80s.  I was alone in the darkness of my room, and as if, a certain electrical powers run through my veins as I was virtually touched by the message of the song.  I didn’t know the singer, but I really felt that he performed the song from the very core of his heart.  In fact , I could sense that the song, mirrored or reflected something about this man’s past life.  Because of my curiosity, I came to know that the man behind the song is no other than Gary Valenciano, Mr. Pure Energy, or Gary V. as he is fondly called.  Born on August 6,1964, to a bicolano father and to a Puerto Rican mother of Italian descent, the boy was christened Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano.(1)  Gary’s mother used to sang opera in manila during 1960s.  It is given that Gary inherited his beautiful voice from his mother.  He attended his primary and secondary schooling at the La Salle Greenhills.  That is why he can be seen sometimes at the gallery of “Animo La Salle” fans during the UAAP basketball games.  The fact that music and singing are very much in his veins and blood, and coupled with gifts of dancing and energy, Gary V, made his debut in the music industry and later, as an actor.  Early on in his career, lady luck already smiled on him by reaping accolades, recognition, and praises not only from the music industry, but also from the movie industry.  Without doubt, Teenagers, young adults, and even the “oldies” idolize Gary’s voice and his signature movements and dance.  The songs, ‘eto na naman (here comes again), ‘di bale na lang (just don’t give a piece of mind),’ were welcomed with so much enthusiasm and fervor.  Imagine Gary V. singing the tunes together with ala Michael Jackson moves, surely, the viewers cannot but be struck in awe and amazements.  I once saw unbelievable energy when he performed at the SM North Edsa, sometime in the 80s.  I was really petrified by his dazzling moves and indefatigable energy.  We have many singers cum dancers here in the Philippines, but, no one magnetize me so much to his mini or major concerts than, Mr. Pure Energy.  He is really enjoyable and inspiring to behold once he performs in any show.  The audience don’t get tired of watching him because they, too, are electrified by his energy.  However, in all of those seemingly “superman” activities of Mr. Gary V, we can also hear some sad, dramatic events, and trials that somehow just exposes the human side of Mr. Pure Energy.  In his 23 year career, one can hardly see that he has a “sweet cross” that he carries with sweetness and serenity---Gary V. is a diabetic.  When Angeli Pangilinan married him, she knew that Gary’ zest and fervor cannot be hindered by this trial.  So, she decided to manage her husband’s affairs so that she could moderate and take care of his health.  The couple even have three kids who are all energetic just like their father.  Another trial that crossed his career was the famous rivalry with Martin Nievera, his contemporary.  Martin is also well-loved by his generations, and in fact, even to the present, Martin’s style is a crowd drawer.  Actually, he is dubbed as the concert king of the Philippines.  With this kind of rivalry, where Gary V. somehow felt the “underdog,” he drifted into a false sense of insecurity.  He pitied himself.  He thought that his career would come to an end.  But God, has other plans for Gary.  He doesn’t want that Mr. Pure Energy’s talents be put into waste.  Hence, Mr. Gary V. reflected again on his composition: “teach me to trust in you with all of my heart, to lean not on my own understanding, cause I just forget you won’t give me what I can’t bear, take me out of the dark my lord, I don’t want to be there.”  Gary V. became a changed man and a singer.  He accepted other’s god-given talents and recognized his own and weaknesses.  He turned to the Lord and offer his talents for god’s greater glory.  Later, Martin and Gary V. became friends and they consolidated their friendship by staging a major concert at the Araneta Coliseum.  Dubbed as “As 1”, they really performed their hearts out to the delight and amusements of their fans.  Indeed, the warrior in Gary V’s person is a child.  A child, because he humbled himself like a little one, so as to be helped and taken out from the darkness of insecurities in life.  The sweetness of his perseverance and his ever enduring courage and energy will actually rub on to his fans and admirers.

Footnotes:

1.    WikiPilipinas

      

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