I actually had one other thing to post first prior to this one. But I think I'll skip that one for now and get right to blogging about the awesome Incubus concert I watched back in July 28, 2011.
I took a halfday leave from work that day just go to the concert. Joseph, Sarah, and I got into my trusty suki cab driver's chariot around 7:00PM to head to Araneta Colliseum. When asked Bert (the cab driver) if he thinks we'll make it to the concert venue by 8:00PM (music start), he looked at me and said "matrapik eh". But Joseph told me to not despair as concerts always have a opening act and they never start on time anyway.
We were so excited to watch Incubus that we didn't even wait to pull up to the gate of the venue yet. We got and started walking instead of putting up with the last leg of traffic. When we got to the entrance, the guards apparently do not allow cameras to be brought in the venue. This presented a problem for Joseph and Sarah as they just bought a DLSR. I brought my Zoom Q3HD which fit nicely in my pocket. So the guards didn't bother flagging me about it. I headed inside and stepped out to the smoking area to talk to Joseph through the metal barricade. With all the confusion of other people trying to get in, I told Joseph to just hand me his DSLR. So that they can get past the gate easily. That worked. LOL!
Joseph and Sarah were about to head to the entrance where our seats were the closest. But I stopped them saying "Okay, I need to buy a shirt before going in. They'll run out for sure by the time we come back out after the concert." So that's what I did. Luckily, the shirts being sold were actual concert tour t-shirts. I'll be wearing that shirt proudly to work tomorrow. ;)
By the time we got seated. The opening act just started playing. To my surprise, it was "superband" Franco that was fronting for Incubus. No wonder Gabby from Urbandub was tweeting that he was already at the venue watching Incubus do a soundcheck. That was the first time I have ever seen Franco play live. And I became an instant fan. I've been crunching over their song "Castaway" obsessively since then. The sound of the band was similar to Urbandub given Gabby and Jan-jan were at the helm for guitars and drums. But the difference is the vocals. There was something smooth about the vocals that makes the vocal melodies permeate in your head.
After a short break, Incubus finally came on stage. This is when I realized that the venue was sold out and packed, because of all the cheers, shouts, and screams when Incubus came up. I readied my Zoom Q3HD so I can take video. I also prepped my Belkin Tune-Talk/iPod combo so I can record audio for the entire concert for good measure.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My Fête de la Musique 2011 Experience
I was actually waiting for my good friends Roland and Millet to send me copies of the pictures they took that night before I blogged about it here. But it's been a few weeks since this night already. So I figured I'd get around to posting this today on a rainy/gloomy Sunday afternoon.
This particular post is my experience gigging at Fête de la Musique 2011 at Bonifacio Global City last June 25, 2011. This is an exceptional double treat for me. I got to gig with a very skilled big band called Jack Versus the Crab. AND I got to play on the "main stage" of Fête de la Musique. The few times I got to play at a Fête de la Musique event was always on the "alternative stage". So being able to gig up front and center of the main stage was a dream turned reality.
I only had 1 studio practice with the band 2 days prior to the gig (first practice with them ever). We were planning on playing 5-6 songs. So I had to practice during the afternoon of the gig day itself just for added measure. I was already nervous early that day. If I wasn't practicing along the few songs that I either had recorded or the band posted on the net, I'd just be listening to those tracks while eating or surfing. I got to a certain point that late afternoon that I just told myself that was the most prepared I was ever going to be given the lack of time to completely immerse myself with the band's music.
My good friends Roland, Joseph, and Sarah came along with me to help me with my gear and cheer me on for that gig. Joseph volunteered to bring along my Zoom Q3HD and camera stand because we both knew that handshakes are very evident when taking video with my Zoom.
Finding parking was surprisingly a lot easier than in Fête de la Musique's of the past. I guess that's because the main stage was a little further away from the rest of the stages that night. When I got to the artists' lounge, I noticed that the band was already in full force. All 9 of them were already there. We gave each other high-fives when I entered the room. Waxie handed me my artist's ID/pass so I can easily get to the artists' lounge or backstage without any hassle from security. One more Fête de la Musique Artists' ID for my collection. Yes!
This particular post is my experience gigging at Fête de la Musique 2011 at Bonifacio Global City last June 25, 2011. This is an exceptional double treat for me. I got to gig with a very skilled big band called Jack Versus the Crab. AND I got to play on the "main stage" of Fête de la Musique. The few times I got to play at a Fête de la Musique event was always on the "alternative stage". So being able to gig up front and center of the main stage was a dream turned reality.
I only had 1 studio practice with the band 2 days prior to the gig (first practice with them ever). We were planning on playing 5-6 songs. So I had to practice during the afternoon of the gig day itself just for added measure. I was already nervous early that day. If I wasn't practicing along the few songs that I either had recorded or the band posted on the net, I'd just be listening to those tracks while eating or surfing. I got to a certain point that late afternoon that I just told myself that was the most prepared I was ever going to be given the lack of time to completely immerse myself with the band's music.
My good friends Roland, Joseph, and Sarah came along with me to help me with my gear and cheer me on for that gig. Joseph volunteered to bring along my Zoom Q3HD and camera stand because we both knew that handshakes are very evident when taking video with my Zoom.
Finding parking was surprisingly a lot easier than in Fête de la Musique's of the past. I guess that's because the main stage was a little further away from the rest of the stages that night. When I got to the artists' lounge, I noticed that the band was already in full force. All 9 of them were already there. We gave each other high-fives when I entered the room. Waxie handed me my artist's ID/pass so I can easily get to the artists' lounge or backstage without any hassle from security. One more Fête de la Musique Artists' ID for my collection. Yes!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Wolfgang Live at the MET
This post is long overdue as is the increasing backlog of things I'm supposed to blog about. So I figured I'd cut into that backlog once again. This particular post is about the awesome night I had with my friend Joseph and his wife, watching Wolfgang live at the ol' Metropolitan Theater last June 18, 2011.
Although the venue itself was old and in severe need of repair (to the point that the upper deck was closed off because it couldn't support the weight of people to be watching from that area), the production value of the concert was surprisingly one of the best I've seen for any local band. The lighting was well choreographed with spot lights on each of the band members to highlight them when it was their time to shine (i.e. a guitar solo).
Below are videos I took from that awesome night. My trusty Zoom Q3HD really pulled it off well especially in the audio department. I posted these videos on Facebook as well and got instant praise from a lot of Wolfgang fans on the clarity of the video and the audio. It's too bad some idiot named Danny Matta decided to rip off my videos and upload it on his Facebook as if it was his own. The guy obviously can't even spell since he works as a "BRODBAND Retention Coordinator" at Smart. But most Wolfgang fans knew the videos were mine. Anyway, on to the videos.
Left Alone
Hiwaga
Although the venue itself was old and in severe need of repair (to the point that the upper deck was closed off because it couldn't support the weight of people to be watching from that area), the production value of the concert was surprisingly one of the best I've seen for any local band. The lighting was well choreographed with spot lights on each of the band members to highlight them when it was their time to shine (i.e. a guitar solo).
Below are videos I took from that awesome night. My trusty Zoom Q3HD really pulled it off well especially in the audio department. I posted these videos on Facebook as well and got instant praise from a lot of Wolfgang fans on the clarity of the video and the audio. It's too bad some idiot named Danny Matta decided to rip off my videos and upload it on his Facebook as if it was his own. The guy obviously can't even spell since he works as a "BRODBAND Retention Coordinator" at Smart. But most Wolfgang fans knew the videos were mine. Anyway, on to the videos.
Left Alone
Hiwaga
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