Manila, Philippines
Oh the Philippines… This was one for the books, thats for sure.
After a long travel day from Japan, we arrived in Manila the day before the show. We were greeted by the promoters of the show, and about 100 screaming fans. The energy these kids had was only a small preview of what was ahead. We made our way to the hotel, checked in and settled in.
I ventured down to the lobby for lunch and noticed about 30 kids just waiting in the lobby waiting to meet the band. Last time I saw this was in Jakarta last year… I had a feeling the show the next day was going to be insane. Lunch was an amazing buffet with more food than I could eat. I headed back up to my hotel room and relaxed for the remainder of the evening.
Show day. I was eager to get to the venue and see what we were working with. Details were kind of sketchy for this one, so I was curious at the least. We arrived into the venue and I was pleasantly surprised. It was going to be a good show, at least from the technical side.
Sound check rolls along smoothly and everything is set in place for a good show. Doors open, and the crowd starts filtering in. After about 30 minutes, I decide to make a trip into the crowd and head to my sound booth to check on things. I make it about 10 feet out from the stage into the crowd before someone screams, and before I know it, half the crowd is headed toward me. I dash out to the sound board, and get bombarded by screaming fans. Every which direction, they’re coming for me! I make it to FOH, only to be surrounded. I decide it’s not wise to stay out here and make a run back for the stage. I get boxed in, security cant get to me, and I’m stuck in the seats. I have to push my way through while people are pulling at me, hugging me, screaming and taking pictures. I make it back to back stage, and I’m a little shaken, but survived with all my limbs in tact. What just happened to me? It was if Alex Gaskarth ventured out into the crowd alone. I could not believe how kids reacted to me, a crew guy. It was unreal, and awesome. Kids were absolutely crazy, and it set the tone for me for the rest of the night. Tonight was going to be a night not soon forgotten.
I did manage to snap a picture while hiding behind the light board after I made it out there:
Show time rolls around, and I head back out to my sound board. This time, I have a security escort 10 people deep. They take me the back way around and deliver me safely. I still could not believe what happened earlier, but at least this time it was uneventful.
The lights black out, and the intro rolls. Holy shit. The screaming begins. It’s loud, VERY loud. The band takes the stage and they are completely overpowered by the crowd singing and screaming along. It was surreal. I’ve done some loud shows in the past, but the 5000+ in attendance tonight gave every past crowd a run for their money.
After a few songs the crowded settled down a little and I was able to get a decent mix going. It was a good sounding show, with a lot of energy. I was happy. The show went off without a hitch and the crowd was top 5 for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better show, and I can’t wait until we can come back again.
