My Journey in Space with Paul McCartney

It was a boring weekend sometime last year. I was lazily browsing music videos and concert footages of The Beatles on YouTube when I came across this amazing video - Please, Please Me performed by Sir Paul McCartney and his band during his The Space within US concert tour last 2005.

I hate doing comparisons when it comes to music but I thought to myself that Paul’s performance of Please, Please Me in this concert is better than the original recording on the 1960 album of the same title. Don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of the four Beatles - Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starr - and their music but I think, this performance brought the song to a new level. Maybe because of technology (musical instruments, gears, effects, production) or maybe because of the diverse crowd that the song became livelier. I may be wrong but I think Paul and his band made this 1960 song apt for his 2005 audience and listeners.

After repeatedly raping the replay button of the abovementioned video, I searched and watched the other videos from the same concert that were uploaded by the same user. I got goosebumps when I heard the head-banging guitar riff of Helter Skelter (which, they said, is the best live version of the song); I felt that I was with the crowd when I watched the opening song Magical Mystery Tour; I felt like floating in the air with the love anthems I Will and Till There Was You; and I immediately went in front of my piano and play the song a la McCartney after I heard Penny Lane.

After seeing the videos, I told myself that I should wath the whole set of that concert. Unfortunately, the YouTube channel didn’t upload the other songs from the concert. So I find a way to obtain a copy. It took me more than two (2) weeks before finally getting myself a clear copy (you know, connection and seeders issue, if you know what I mean) but it was worth the wait. After repeatedly watching the whole concert, I never looked at Sir Paul McCartney the same way again.

The Space within US is a concert DVD by Sir Paul McCartney released in november 2006. It is composed of the footage from his ‘US’ tour in 2005 in the United states in concurrence with the release of his chaos and Creation in the Backyard album. Joining him in the tour are his band members Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Paul “Wix” Wickens, and Abe Laboriel Jr.

The DVD gives us a close and personal view on what Paul McCartney’s 2005 tour looked like. It showcases his music, behind the scenes (backstage, the soundcheck, trips inside a private jet and a touring bus, and his surprise visit to a family whose three generations are fans of his), and interviews with some prominent persons such as Jay-Z, Paul Stanley of Kiss, former US President Bill Clinton, Tony Bennett, Cameron Crowe, and Steve Jobs.

The song opened with the Beatles classic Magical Mystery Tour and Paul played his his other hits - from The Beatles, Wings, up to his solo career - throughout the whole set of 28 songs and ending it with a bang with the abovementioned video Please Please Me.

Paul McCartney is a great and talented musician - there is no question in that. But what struck me most is how his influence spanned almost three (or four) generations of fans and musicians. Watching the concert video, I see families watching his show. There are also teenagers and young kids who were born long after Paul’s heydays in his stint with The Beatles and Wings. One writer remarked that the same audience who went screaming at The Beatles’ performance at the Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960’s (during their first visit in the US) were also the same audience watchin Paul’s 2005 tour - together with their children and grandchildren. A musical career spanning for almost fifty years? That is just, wow.

My other favorite part of the concert video was when they did a live broadcast at the International Space Station. Yes, a live broadcast miles above the earth when Paul serenaded two astronauts, William McArthur and Valeri Ivanovich Tokarev, with the song English Tea as their ‘wake-up call’. One of them even described Paul as an ‘explorer’ just as they are because all of them are ensuring a bright future for all the kids of the earth.

I may have not watched the concert with the crowd at Anaheim, California but watching the video felt like being one with them, traveling in the vast space with Paul’s great music. Watching and listening to his concert felt like being carefree and floating peacefully in outer space.

This concert changed the way I view Paul McCartney. Yes, he may not be my favorite Beatle (it will always be John), but his music and legacy puts him on a certain, special place for my musical heroes.

And today, on his 70th birthday, I salute the ‘greatest composer of the millennium’, the ageless Beatle, the Knight, and the other half of the Lennon-McCartney musical tandem. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the great anthems. I salute your legacy, good Sir.

I will always be a fan.

Ecce cor meum.

______________

Let me share you a personal experience on why we should teach today’s generation the difference between great music and crap. During one of my classes with my third grade students, I showed them a picture of The Beatles and asked them if they know who the Beatles are. After a few seconds of silence, one of them raised his hand and asked me,“Sir, are they trying to copy the hairstyle of Justin Bieber?”

Paalam Pilipinas: A Sugarfree Documentary

“Sila lang ang bandang hindi Hari ng Sablay” - Robert Javier, Musician, Producer, and Sound Engineer

It was January 7 of last year when I first heard the sad news. It came from atweet from Sugarfree’s frontman, Ebe Dancel. He will leave his band. During that time, it was still unclear if the band is breaking up or its two remaining members, Kaka Quisumbing and Jal Tuguibao, will continue being a Sugarfree minus Ebe.

It was later confirmed in the succeeding days that Ebe Dancel would pursue asolo career and Kaka and Jal would do their own stuff. Sugarfree’s last weeks as a band were spent by doing farewell gigs on different bars and schools.

I was fortunate to watch one of their farewell gigs (which, unfortunately, my first time to watch them live) when they performed at the UPLB Feb Fair last February 17. 2011 (Technically, it was already February 18 when they performed). It was a ‘going back home’ performance for Ebe who was an alumnus of UP Rural High School. Together with hundreds of fans, I jumped to their opening song Kung Ayaw Mo na Sa Akin, I joined the crowd in singing Mariposa, and I screamed when they played the crowd-favorite Hari ng Sablay. It was a beautiful night of celebrating the music of Sugarfree. I went home that night with a smile, thankful for having watched Sugarfree live before they part ways; but with a heavy heart because the gentlemen who made the anthems of my College years, would play together for the last time in a few weeks’ time.

And so the inevitable happened. On March 1, 2011, at the Eastwood Central Plaza, Sugarfree bade goodbye to their fans with the farewell concert, Paalam Pilipinas. I was not able to attend the concert but thanks to Jam 88.3 (who played an important role to stage this one) who aired the concert live, I felt that I was also there, drenched in the ran, singing, and shedding a tear for my heroes. 

During the entire concert, I stayed in my room, headset plugged to my ears, shutting the world. I also have a small piece of paper and a pen, scribbling the title of the songs from their set list. I did not let the other members of the household see me on the verge of tears. I sang. I cried. I smiled. After singing their last song Burnout, I told myself that’s it, we have lost another legend. Maybe because the members are too burned out and they need to rest. We never knew the exact reason of their breakup. It just happened. But at least, unlike others, they formally said goodbye. But as in all ending, there is a new beginning. Life must go on.

On August 1, 2011, five months after the farewell concert, Ebe Dancel released his debut album as a solo artist entitled Dalawang Mukha ng Pag-ibig. And as for the two (2) remaining members, Jal Tuguibao continued his studies while Kaka Quisumbing did his own stuff. I am hoping that the remaining two would resurface on the music scene but that thing is yet to happen.

From time to time, whenever I feel reminiscing the good old days, I still listen to Sugarfree. I have almost forgotten the farewell concert but not their music. I have almost forgotten the pain of my heroes’ breakup. It has been almost a year and Ebe is achieving great heights as a solo artist.

Earlier yesterday, while browsing the news feed of Facebook, I saw a post fromAtTheWomb.com. the music hub of pelicola.tv, about the premiere of a documentary about Sugarfree’s farewell concert. And to add to my excitement, the premiere was yesterday (though they didn’t put the exact time). During the past months, I have resorted to the videos on YouTube to watch Paalam Pilipinas. But I told myself, there must be someone who documented the whole event. It must be shown for the benefit of thousands (or millions) of Sugarfree fans out there. I patiently waited (to the point of repeatedly refreshing the website) until they finally put up the videos at around 10:20 in the evening. And it was worth the wait.

Paalam Pilipinas: A Sugarfree Documentary, tells about the final moments of Sugarfree as a band - from the band members’ respective houses, to the soundcheck, to the events backstage before the concert, and up to the emotional final song Burnout. This is a documentary featuring how the band broke up and not why the band broke up.

The documentary is divided into four parts. The first part shows Ebe Dancel and Kaka Quisumbing at the start of the day. Kaka shares his experience on the band’s farewell tour while Ebe shows his preparations for the final show. The second part shows the soundcheck and Jal Tuguibao giving his thoughts on the band’s breakup. The third part shows Jal at his home and what his parents have to say about Sugarfree. It also shows the what was really happening backstage while the crowd was waiting for the concert. The fourth, and probably the most emotional part, shows Quark Henares giving introduction before the start of the concert (and the emotional happenings backstage) and the band’s final performance, Burnout.

I watched the documentary twice last night and the emotions I felt during the first time that I watched it was the same, if not more intense, than the first. It’s as if watching over a beloved on his deathbed. It’s as if seeing the love of your life for the last time. It’s as if losing a member of your family.

What moved me most, as what I have written above, was the last part. Though not the whole concert was shown in the film, it captured the emotional performance of the group. It also showed an emotional Ebe Dancel when he left the stage after the concert. But what broke my heart most (Spoiler alert!) were the lines ‘They were immediately ushered out of the stage after the concert. They parted ways as soon as they were brought to their separate exit points. There was no after party’. With that, I broke into tears.

I am no film nor movie expert but I can say that the cinematography was good. It captured (almost candidly, which was good, in my opinion) the emotion of the members and the music fans very well. I also have a problem with the audio on some parts but to sum it up, the documentary captured the essential - how Sugarfree said their goodbye to the fans and how the fans were affected - and influenced - by their legacy.

This documentary is a must-watch not only for the die-hard Sugarfree fans but also to those who are affected, in a way, by their songs. Even Ebe Dancel jokingly offered this concert to those who illegally downloaded their songs. It shows us how to properly say thank you and goodbye to the people who supported us and help us be put at the top.

I was lucky to grow up with the songs of Sugarfree. I was lucky to be influenced by their music. Their songs were my anthem of my college years - the period of my life when I was discovering my passion for music. Their songs were simple and honest. They touch the lives of their fans. and in my opinion, that is what a music or a song is all about.

Sugarfree may have gone but their music is what keeps them immortal.Listening to their music will help us bring to the happy memories of being a Hari ng Sablay, having a good time at Mariposa, reminiscing our Prom, singing the lullaby Tulog Na, and teling to someone, Huwag Ka nang Umiyak.

Maraming salamat Direk King Palisoc at sa bumubuo ng AtTheWomb.com sa dokumentaryong ito.

Maraming salamat Ebe Dancel, Jal Tuguibao, Kaka Quisumbing, at Mitch Singson sa musika at alaala.

Maraming salamat Sugarfree.

_________

Paalam Pilipinas: A Sugarfree Documentary - I know that you did not read this lengthy post so here’s the link of the documentary. Enjoy. Reminisce. And spread the word.

Elsewhere:

• Paalam Pilipinas: A Sugarfree Documentary - Blogger and music photographer Niña Sandejas writes about Paalam Pilipinas and her regret of not following the band as much as others did.
• Must Watch: Paalam Pilipinas: A Sugarfree Documentary (FHM.com.ph) - Director King Palisoc, in an interview with Gelo Gonzales, talks in detail about the documentary and the last days of Sugarfree.  
• Paalam Pilipinas: A Sugarfree Docmentary (Teaser) - A sneak peek of the documentary from AtTheWomb.com. Of course. 

Remembering The Final Set

It has been three years since The Eraserheads gave us their final set. Three years after their record breaking concert. Three years since they formally bid us goodbye. Three years after their last bow. Three years after their last concert, and probably indeed their last.

Perhaps, this is one of my biggest regrets as an Eraserheads fan. I was not able to watch their two (2) post-breakup concerts.

During their first concert at The Fort in August 2008, there were doubts if the concert would push through or not. One of the major sponsors backed out a few days before the concert due to a threat of a criminal case from the Health Department. There were no formal announcement of the selling of tickets. There were no formal promotion on the tri-media - just a press release from one of the major broadsheets. I could have made it to the concert. If only I were not drunk somewhere in Calamba that night.

My first attempt to watch them turned out to be a failure.

But as we all know, the first concert was cut short due to Ely Buendia’s health condition. After that, there were speculations if the concert would still push through for a second installment. And the fans got what they wanted. The band will work on their ‘unfinished business’.

The second concert, The Final Set, happened on March 7, 2009, a day after the Master Rapper died, at the SM Mall of Asia concert Grounds. Compared to the first one, this has a bigger venue, a formal promotion, and more or less a hundred thousand tickets available to accommodate more fans. It is said that this is one of the biggest concerts in our history.

Did I make it to the concert? Obviously no. I was then stuck at the Seminary’s confines, punishing myself by studying for our comprehensive examinations. My College Diploma depends on the result of that exam. Bitter as I was, I just resorted to listening to the songs of the Eraserheads on the radio. (I think it was the now-defunct station NU 107 who played Eraserheads songs the whole day in anticipation of The Final Set.)

It was just a consuelo for those who were not able to attend the concert to watch  The Final Set on GMA-7. The network aired it a few weeks after the concert. And I did not waste that opportunity. I watched it with the whole family. But there is still something lacking, something missing within me. Regrets. I could have watched them live. 

And so it happened. March 7, 2009, Saturday, was an unforgettable event in Philippine music history. The Eraserheads, the music hero and inspiration of a generation, performed and bowed for the last time in front of their fans.

It was also during this date that Ely Buendia set flame to the famous “Sticker Happy piano.” You know, the one with the naked Joey Mead from the cover of their album “Sticker Happy”.

And for those who are asking the whereabouts of the sticker piano, the last time that I checked, it was at 70’s Bistro (46 Anonas Street Project 2 , Quezon City).

Photo courtesy of Sir Chris Linag. For additional information, please read the article by Aldus Santos here.

Thank you Eraserheads for being a part of our childhood. Thank you for being the soundtrack of our growing up. Thank you for the good music. Thank you for being our heroes. Thank you for the memories.

Maraming salamat Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, at Buddy Zabala! The Eraserheads will never be erased from our heads. That is influence at its finest.