Watch this video:

11:33 PM: Okay, it’s over. That’s it folks. Throngs of fans continue to flow out of the concert grounds.

11:30 PM Just before they ended,Ely went down to the pit area, where the stars are. He gave the mic to Tim Yap while singing “Toyang,” and Tim Yap sang the wrong lyrics.

11:25 PM Ligaya, Sem break and Toyang were the last 3 songs. When Ely said: “Talon!” Everyone jumped and the ground LITERALLY shook.If you remember this is a reclamation area.

11:24 PM: From afar, we could hear “Ligaya,” then “Sembreak” then finally (with finger-crossed) “Toyang.” Shoot. It is now difficult to go back.

11:20 PM Ek.They just did an encore.Three more songs.

11:15 PM This is Erwin with Alex Villafania, Lawrence Casiraya, Janie Octia, and Rastle Lozano, signing off.;-)

11:10 PM Thousands of fans walk out of the concert grounds, others who were not able to enter stayed outside and watched from afar, clapping and cheering as the band played one song after another.

11:00 PM The confettis are out.Fireworks are on, as Ely sets the stage ablaze. El Bimbo signals the end of the Final Set.

10:50 PM The band explodes into the “Kaleidescope” as a tribute to Francis M who died Friday after long bout with leukemia.

10:45 PM The band has been playing for more than 2 hours now. Ely then leads the crowd into a modified version of “Alapaap.”

10:42 PM “Mabuhay si Francis!” Ely declares.

10;37 “Sumigaw tayo para ke Francis!”Then they start playing “Superproxy.”

10:35 PM The cameras start focusing on the crowd, the celebrities in the crowd, and a lovely lady who gives her partner a kiss.

10:32 PM:Ely says goodnite but the crowd refuses to go.

10:30 PM “Magdri-drive ako hanggang Baguio..” (Corrections made on lyrics )

10:20 People are grabbing chairs to sit on.Some choose to sit on the grounds.Ely sings Spolarium.

10;14 The people seem to be in a trance,can’t seem to find anyone jumping or dancing to the beat. Or are they just tired.

10:10: Crowd gives Ely and Jazz Nicholas (not Raimund as blogged earlier) a well-deserved applause after their piano-only rendition of Kailan.

10:07 Raimund on piano, as Ely starts singing, “Kailan.”

10:04: People outside the concert sing to “Pare Ko.”

10:02 Pare Ko is on, audience howls.

9:50 PM The next set is on.Acoustic set is on.

9:17 PM Breaktime! Teka lang tama na ‘to. Kami naman ang mag-e-enjoy hahahaha! Salamat Erwin, Lawrence, Alex, Janie and Rastle Joy Lozano!

9:15 PM “Torpedo” is now playing. Ely is back on the mic.

9:07 PM They are now singing “Alkohol.”

9:06 PM Marcus finally decides to take off his jacket, giving in to the heat. He reveals a red shirt within. Audience starts bouncing, Raimund continues to sing.

9:04 PM Raimund sings slow-mo. It’s a country-sounding song with space guitar provided by Marcus.

9:03 PM The crowd howls everytime Raimund takes the mic.

9:01 PM Marcus continues to modify the lyrics of “Huwag mo nang Itanong” while the crowd sings along, swaying. They change the beat to reggae. “Huwag mo nang Itanong…di ko sasabihin sa yo.” The crowd laughs.

8:59 PM Marcus takes the mic, Raimund takes a break.

8:57 PM They take off their jackets except for Marcus. Ely shouts: “TY, ang bait nyo! Kayo muna!” The audience goes wild.

8:56 PM The crowd continues to swell. Some people have brought stools to stand on. Alex lifts up his petite girlfriend who is wearing a skirt to get a better view — I mean the girlfirend, not Alex.

8:53 PM Ely throws his guitar pick to the crowd. What’s next? A tooth pick?

8:52 PM They are now singing “Poor Man’s Grave.” (Corrected title )

8:50 PM Ely asks the audience: “Kumusta na kayo?”

8:44 PM “Maskara” is now being sung.

8:43 PM Ely Buendia takes off his black jacket and throws it to the crowd!

8:37 PM Third song is “Maling Akala”

8:36 PM Except for Marasigan, they are all wearing shades.

8:36 PM Eraserheads are now singing their second song, “Walang Nagbago”

8:33 PM Pati pulis nag-vi-video sabi ni Janie Octia!

8:32 PM Despite the ban on cameras, people at the VIP area are shooting away with their digicams and cell phones. Four screens above the stage are showing each of them.

8:30 PM Raimund is wearing a red jacket. The rest are wearing black. We see Director Robert Quilao of Dayo.

8:29 PM All lights are open!!! They are singing “Magasin” — the first song of the concert. Crowd sings along with them!

8:29 PM The Eraserheads are now onstage! Janie Octia is getting goose bumps!!!

8:27 PM Crowd cheering louder and louder as rehearsal video clips are shown. Countdown starts from Z to A!!! Ay wait, the countdown stops at E!!!

8:25 PM AVP still playing. MTV International Viewers’ Choice Award for Asia shows Eraserheads victory. We see Jericho Rosales.

8:20 PM AVP still playing on the big screen with interviews and video clips taken from the ’90s. We see Jay Manalo. MOLA at MOA!

8:15 PM Eraserheads AVP and intro to the concert now playing on the big screen.

8:14 PM We see Quark Henares at the VIP section. C’mon let’s go, let’s go, start na!!!

8:10 PM Concert has yet to start. VIP section is now full, we see Angel Aquino walking around.

7:57 PM Fans are still coming in, lining up.

7:45 PM Droves of fans are going to the concert grounds.

7: 15 PM We just witnessed a dazzling display of fireworks. Is that really meant for the E-heads fans?

7:11 PM Tip for those looking for parking: The parking areas near the venue are all jammed. While you still can, swing around to the side where SMX is located, there are still lots of parking spaces there, P40 parking fee. However, you need to walk a bit. Work those legs and burn off that fat. Yes, I’m talking to you.

7:07 PM Traffic near the concert grounds is getting crazy. Also, saw some concert goers dropping by cafes to have a quick bite. The concert is scheduled to start at around 8PM. We also saw this poster.

7:04 PM Saw some scalpers selling tickets. Gold A ticket worth P3,000 sold for P1,000 in one minute, according to one of the concert-goers.

7:01 PM: The media briefing is over. There is a designated “media pit” where cameraman and photographers are authorized to shoot. INQUIRER.net reporter Lawrence Casiraya is going to be one of them.

6:54 PM: People are lining up outside of the concert grounds. The VIP section looks empty but the other sections are filling up with fans.

6:09 PM: FILIPINO rock icons the Eraserheads is staging their “Final Set” here at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds.

This is a continuation of last year’s reunion concert that was cut short when frontman Ely Buendia was rushed to the hospital after suffering from fatigue.

Incidentally, Filipino rap king Francis Magalona who died Friday after his long bout with leukemia, was supposed to play with the band. Magalona has been featured in one of the E-heads’ songs “Superproxy.” Recently, he and Buendia started collaborating on a new album.

Fans who have started to line up here at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds are anticipating a tribute to Magalona who is considered one of the country’s music icons.

Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

MARK this date, March 7, 2009.

This is the date for the much-awaited second reunion concert of the Eraserheads –perhaps one of the most successful and revolutionary band in the history of original Pinoy music.

According to the former members of the local rock band, the concert is tentatively named “Final Set” since it is considered to be a continuation of last year’s reunion concert, which was cut short when frontman Ely Buendia was rushed to the hospital, allowing the band to finish half of their intended set.

But during Monday’s press conference, the former members stressed that the scheduled concert will be “different.”

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Emjay Polina

“OK pa ba kayo dyan?” This was one of the very rare moments Ely Buendia spoke onstage (and this was midway through the first set). It would have been the perfect question to ask him: Was he still fine? His calm demeanor onstage all throughout the first 15 songs belied the unstable mental and physical state he was in. We didn’t know his mother just died 2 days ago and we did not know how extremely pressured they were to push through with the concert with just less than a week’s preparations.

Here’s the video of that night’s events:

Ten minutes before Lally Buendia (Ely’s sister) went onstage to announce that the show has to be cut short, our friend Di said she was feeling weird about something.

“Kinakabahan ako. Ewan ko basta kinakabahan ako,” she said over and over again that I almost strangled her. I jokingly told her she’s not going to get raped on our way back to Quezon City and to told her to stop. But to our great shock, the unthinkable happened — there are no more 2nd and 3rd sets. Ely had to be rushed to the hospital due to severe “emotional and physical stress.” Raimund took the stage first, his voice a bit shaky it sounded like he’s going to break down any minute. He handed the mic over to Buddy and Ely’s sister for the formal announcement that would break all of our hearts. It took a while for the disbelief to subside. We left the field after an hour of debate and “pagmumura.”

[Read the rest of this entry »]

IN a heartfelt letter to fans posted on the Subsandwich mailing list, Raimund Marasigan assured fans that Ely Buendia was okay and thanked the fans for their concern.

He also hinted that he was ready to do another Eraserheads show.

Before anything. I just spoke to Day Cabuhat and she informed me that Ely’s condition is now stable and they’re very thankful for all your concern.

Thank you very much for coming t the show. We really felt the cheering and the singing and the love you all gave.

Thank you for understanding that the show had to be cut short.

Ely was in no condition (emotionally, physically) to play but he did. And he gave it his all which is more than we could ask from him. Given the circumstances he was in.

We all wish him well. We are all confident that he will recover soon.

I promise to give you another Eraserheads show as soon as possible.

Again thank you very much

Rayms

For those who missed the show, here are three of the songs they’ve played.

Eraserheads perform ‘Ligaya’

Eraserheads perform ‘Alapaap’

Eraserheads perform ‘Sembreak’

More words from Raimund and his new motto, which he posted on Subsandwich list:

After the first set i was so hyped. i went looking for buddy to check up on him cos his bass effects was malfunctioning.

I found him coming out of Ely’s tent and said Ely was rushed to the hospital.We were all stunned and after a quick production meeting and meeting with his family we had to announce that the concert had to be cut short.

We prepared 3 sets. The first was just a warm up. The remaining two was going to be the fun part.

There were more videos and light shows and pyro in store for everyone.

After getting fans family and friends safely out of the venue maps I headed over to Saguijo bar to meet Sandwich, Pedicab, Cmbio and some friends to hang.

After a few beers Buddy arrives so we decided to play the second set on borrowed equipment. Thanx to Mark Maya for the stix. We had a little help from ebe, kris, vin, aia and tani. by the time we were playing el bimbo Marcus shows up so he got to play also.

I guess we just did not want to go home to our posh hotel rooms all down and defeated. I’m thankful we have great friends to support us, cheer us up when we’re sad, pick us up when we’re down.

here’s my new motto: drum now ask questions later.

By Erika Tapalla
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Eraserheads Reunion Concert was cut short Saturday night when lead singer Ely Buendia was rushed to the Makati Medical Center after collapsing backstage during a 20-minute intermission of the planned 30-song concert.

The concert’s sudden end was announced by Buendia’s sister Lally who went onstage with Ely’s band mates Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro and concert organizers stating that the band’s lead vocalist and songwriter was in poor health. The band members apologized to the audience for cutting short their performance.

MTV Philippines President Francis Lumen asked the crowd for a minute of silence to pray for Buendia’s health.

“He had a slight attack because of stress due to the recent passing of his mother (Lisette Buendia), and their sound check which lasted till 3 a.m. today (Saturday),” said MTV Philippines and Radiohead director for marketing Ronald Esguerra in an interview with INQUIRER.net. “But we have received word that Ely is now in stable condition.”

Organizers also belied erroneous reports that Buendia is undergoing triple bypass surgery, adding that the Eraserheads frontman actually wants to check out of the Makati Medical Center and go instead to his personal doctor.

Esguerra confirmed reports that Buendia was transferred to the Philippine Heart Center last night after he requested to see his doctor. “But he is okay and in stable condition,” Esguerra told INQUIRER.net in a telephone interview.

According to Jing Garcia, former music journalist and currently technology editor at Manila Times and a friend of the Eraserheads members, Buendia collapsed backstage after the last song before the intermission, which was “Lightyears.” The band had already played 15 songs by then.

Buendia suffered a heart attack on January 7, 2007 and had already undergone surgery.

The concert, which was staged at the Fort Bonifacio Global City open field in Taguig, started at around 8:15 p.m. and paused for a break at around 9:30 p.m.

The Eraserheads opened their much-awaited reunion concert with “Alapaap” and “Ligaya,” complete with fireworks display.

After waiting at the open field for an hour since the intermission hoping for further developments, loyal fans of the band calmly left the concert area after being treated to a thrilling first set.

MTV Philippines’ Esguerra said that while he is hoping for a second Eraserheads reunion concert, there is still no word on whether another one would be staged.

“We have received no word of a Part Two but we also hope there will be one,” he said.

With a report from Pocholo Concepcion, Philippine Daily Inquirer