Mission accomplished!
The Gin Blossoms, one of my favorite alternative rock icons in the ‘90s – who earlier claimed that they didn’t know what to expect from the Philippines – came, saw and conquered such uncertainty during their concert at the Araneta Coliseum last Nov. 18 followed by another concert in Cebu City the next day. About 8,000 fans packed the big dome in Quezon City while 4,500 watched the band performed at the Waterfront Cebu.
I personally witnessed the band’s performance in Manila and was overwhelmed by the turnout of Pinoy fans. I never thought that after a long absence from the music scene as the “Gin Blossoms” that the band can pull off a huge concert here in Asia.
Like a celebrated boxing championship event, the early performers that served as undercards in the concert were local artists Delara, 6cyclemind, Cookie Chua, Gloc9, and Fillipino-Australian band Farenheit 43. It was like the ‘90s all over again with the artists singing hits from the alternative decade refreshing my life as a teenager dealing with a conflicting active and passive lifestyle such as basketball and vices.
Although the mood was happy, the crowd remained in their seats, and simply clapped and cheered as well-behaved educated adults should be. I simply told myself that if this was done in 1994, with all these ‘90s youngsters (now in their 30s and early 40s), the celebration would have been wilder! But time goes on. The once laid back ‘90s kids who banged their heads to the tune of alternative music at the comfort of their own rooms are now the working generation. Some, for sure, are now company executives, businessmen and bosses, professionals. They are now earning. How can I say this? Because they can afford to pay these ticket prices: P530; P1,270; P2,420; P3,500; P4,400; and P5,500! (But as for my ticket, oh well, it was a complimentary one.)
Finally, the long wait was over. The band that the ‘90s kids dreamed about for more than a decade emerged on stage and played “Follow You Down” a hyper love song by Gin Blossoms that seemed to have turned the well-behaved young adults back into their teenage years. Fans from the patron seats, including me, ran in front of the VIP area and celebrated like 15-year-olds, hyper, happy and loud. I don’t give a damn if I’m 33 behaving like a high school. It’s the Gin Blossoms. They’re here!
The band kept the mood all night performing a total of 20 songs which includes their classic hits Hey Jelousy, Allison Road, Till I Hear It from You, As Long as it Matters, Till I Fall Away, Hands are Tied and many more. They also promoted their new album No Chocolate Cake featuring their hit single Miss Disarray and a couple of new songs such as “Wave Bye Bye” and “I’m Ready” (oh yeah, I love this new song. Whoa!).
Yet besides the crowd’s number, what struck me was the presence of teenagers, and, believe it or not, some senior citizens! I can just imagine that those teeners who came were mostly still “babies” during the ‘90s, or perhaps weren’t even born yet during Gin Blossoms’ prime. But how about the lolos and lolas? Hmmm… maybe they’re just monitoring curfew on their teenage-grandchildren, or maybe just plain hardcore fans? There was no time for an interview as the place was simply jam-packed.
With the band having teenage-fans at present, it occurred to me that this could be a testament to Gin Blossoms’ greatness. That this band formed in 1987 from Tempe, Arizona in America, has achieved a certain “immortality” legacy stuff as artists whose music (which they themselves described as “gibberish”) is now timeless – to be appreciated, imitated and celebrated by generations to come.
But only one thing is certain, the Pinoy fans love Gin Blossoms and the band loves the Philippines. Gin Blossoms shared in the concert how warm Filipinos are and felt how very much welcomed they are. The band’s front man Robin Wilson promised that they will return in the near future for another big, or rather bigger gig.