My First Pulp Summer Slam

Last April 30 was the first time I went to the annual Pulp Summer Slam without being among the performers. My band, Twisted Halo, played at the previous four Summer Slams but was excluded this year, albeit in good faith.

I attended anyway, not only because I wanted to see my other friends’ bands perform, but because I had to. You see, this year’s Summer Slam was also my first experience of the Slam as a Pulp magazine staffer. I was required (or "highly encouraged," as some of my workmates put it) to be at the Amoranto Stadium prior to the start of the year’s biggest rock show (which was scheduled to commence at 1 p.m.), until it ended at around past three the following morning.

In the last four years, my band was regularly scheduled to go onstage sometime in the mid-evening. This year’s Slam was the first occasion that I showed up at the venue in broad daylight. Arriving in Amoranto at half past noon, the heat was at its peak. Despite the scorching temperature, almost everyone in the crowd was decked in black from head to toe, some even wearing denim jackets and trench coats. As seas of black-clad rock fans poured into the stadium’s center field, I realized that I was having my first glimpse of the Summer Slam’s extraordinary audience, after years of performing hours past sundown. Amid the dark-shirted punkitos and metal heads were a number of standouts – including a few misfits in altar-boy robes, and the juvenile Slam veteran known only as Tenga, with his giant plastic ears. With the magnitude of people already present at high noon, the scene was beyond belief. I couldn’t help but wonder what possessed these kids to show up so early in the afternoon in heat-absorbing garments. Even I wouldn’t wake up that early on a Saturday. All for the love of Pinoy rock & roll, I guess.

Personal hassles notwithstanding, the kids got what they wanted. From start to finish, the bands delivered in spades.

Kiko Machine, a young six-piece comedy rock ensemble with UP Diliman origins, had the unenviable dual tag of being both Summer Slam rookie band and opening act. But they ended up giving one of the most memorable sets of the entire show, with their matching red jumpsuits (save for the bass player with the Spiderman outfit), and comical tributes to Val Sotto and, most fittingly, Pulp magazine. Other Slam first-timers, like Sheila and the Insects (from Cebu), Nuncyspungen (from Cagayan de Oro), Orange & Lemons (from Bulacan), and Jeepney Joyride (from uh, Manila), also left lasting positive impressions.

Naturally, the more seasoned bands ruled Amoranto Stadium. The likes of Chicosci, Agaw Agimat, Kamikazee, Greyhoundz, Bamboo, and The Dawn gave one impassioned performance after another. I found myself watching the show, unlike in past Slams when I would just wait backstage for my turn to play. Not only was I watching bands I wouldn’t normally go out of my way to listen to, but I was also enjoying their sets immensely. The briefly reunited POT, which played four songs, provided an early but fleeting highlight for the evening, neglecting to render their hit version of Yugyugan Na, but leaving a smile on my face nonetheless.

Everywhere in the venue, one could feel the frenzied energy of the crowd, perhaps brought about by the free bottles of Pepsi X that were given away to all ticket holders. At one point, even the Pizza Hut personnel were requesting for bouncers to help control the kids who were going mad for their complimentary slices of pizza. The kids went mad for memorabilia as well, grabbing the free souvenirs from Globe, and the official Summer Slam shirts by Tribal Gear, which were sold out by 7 p.m. Of course, the Summer Slam would not have been complete without the booze, and Red Horse provided lots of it. There were even reports that some individuals being completely inebriated by as early as 5 p.m. Throughout the pandemonium, Amoranto’s employees were busy cleaning up after the kids as the show progressed, and having the stadium ready for the weekly Jesus Miracle Crusade rites the following morning.

The year’s most ambitious rock show finally ended at around 3:45 a.m. and soon after the last band unplugged its guitars, the Pulp staffers regrouped at the food booth, hoping to partake of leftover pizza or whatever was left unclaimed by the bands and crew. As soon as the last remnants of the over 30,000-strong audience vacated the premises, we decided to head for home. Despite my physical presence at the previous Summer Slams, I felt that this year was my first real Pulp Summer Slam experience, having actually witnessed it from beginning to end.

Summer Slam V: World War Five Survivors speak out

Everyone of us in Jeepney Joyride was excited since it was our first time ever to play in the much-awaited slam. However, as much as we were excited, we were also a little bit nervous since we didn’t know how the crowd would react to our performance. It was scorching hot when we played about 3 p.m. Fortunately, there was a 10-minute break before our set so the crowd had their much-needed rest and right after the net in front of the stage was rolled down, we went onstage. Before we knew it, the crowd was dancing to the songs we were playing. The crowd didn’t mind the heat, it was really unbelievable. That was one gig we wouldn’t forget. Astig talaga! – Norman Bernardo, vocalist of Jeepney Joyride

If you dropped a bomb on one of these occasions, you’ll surely wipe out the entire rock industry. Opening for the Summer Slam 5 is definitely a Kiko Machine slum book moment! We’re very grateful to Pulp. This event was such a big help for the band especially because we’re releasing our first album soon… hopefully this July. – JP Cuison, vocalist of Kiko Machine

Magagaling ang mga banda, ganda rin ng stage pero mas humanga ako sa crowd: ang bait ng mga tao – kahit tanghali, naki-slam na ‘yung iba. Ang ganda nila panoorin lalo na ‘pag nag-i-slam na sila sabay-sabay. ‘Yon siguro ang pinaka-astig na perfomance na nakita ko. Sobrang sarap ng Summer Slam. Sarap ng mga banda. Galing ng crowd. Sarap ng beer! Enjoy. Sana makaulit kami. – Bheng Densing, vocalist of Kiko Machine

Lahat ng tao nakaitim. Sarap pumirma ng autograph sa mga T-shirts, bimpo at brief! Okey talaga ang event. Masaya! More power! – Spiderdan, bassist of Kiko Machine

The thing I liked most about this year’s Summer Slam was the fact that more bands from the provinces were given slots – good slots, mind you – and were given the chance to play an arena-sized rock show that simply can’t be matched locally. I’m actually hoping that each year, more and more bands from the other provinces of the country can be included in the lineup…and that in a few years time, the Slam could possibly, sort of, be a show wherein each province has a representative.

I must also commend this year’s audience- because a lot of them stayed till the end of the show and supported the last few acts. Obviously, rock fans are getting more and more open-minded to all types of music, and audiences are finally learning how to be friendly in the mosh pit.

As a musician, it was of course, fun to perform in front of a lot of people…but I do hope that the sound improves…I notice that metal bands aren’t given as much juice sound-wise…and that sort of sucks because the name "Summer Slam" sounds undoubtedly heavy metal…so I’m hoping we can be louder next year…and that metal bands can see more action, as well as the hardcore bands, the punk bands and the other carelessly labeled "un-marketable" bands who have the balls to take chances. And another performance from P.O.T. would be killer, by the way... – Joey Dizon, guitarist for Skychurch/Pulp managing editor

I guess everyone goes through the same apprehension that we had, since we really didn’t know what to expect. But we were absolutely determined to get up there and perform before the humongous crowd that only Pulp could assemble. Adrenaline rushed instantaneously the moment we set foot up on the whopping stage. Our performance lasted only 10 minutes or so, but I tell you…it was a 10-minute dose of "psychoactive virus" – elation that was airborne – as well as the water bottles. (The) thumping crowd of kids chanted my infamous "Jologs!" And that only confirmed that after all these years, they’ve missed the bastard. We had mixed reactions from the young herd, but for whatever it’s worth, we damn rocked and will keep rolling because we believe that music has no social boundaries. We’re absolute in realizing our dream – rock Manila! – Diether Ocampo, vocalist for Blow

We had a great time playing sa Slam! Asteeg! Dream come true na sa amin. Hope maulit ulit. Ayuz lahat… God bless. More power sa Pulp. – Pinay Escobedo, vocalist for Milk N Money

We’ve been doing Summer Slam for years now and every year it has always been very tiring, but it is simply overwhelming to see people who make it a point to watch the show. Kada taon alam mo ‘yung extent ng pagod na mararamdaman mo pero ‘pag nakita mo na kung gano kasaya ang mga tao, parang nakakataba talaga ng puso. Summer Slam has already been a tradition for some music lovers so I hope that in the coming years we can still give them their money’s worth and we’ll still give them the kind of shows that they want and deserve. – Denise J. Mallabo (production coordinator for Pulp/ stage manager)

First and foremost, I would like to thank Mr. Vernon Go for believing that I had the capabilities to handle such a big event. Without him all this would have not been possible. 

I’ve been heading the technical team of the production since Summer Slam 2 (2002). Every year is a new learning experience for me, trying out new designs that we cooked up alongside with my suppliers for almost the whole year. Setting up for the slam is like "boot camp" – (it) usually takes about four days to set things up and two days to take down everything, it’s such a nice feeling to see the crowd and the bands enjoying the show and usually gives all of us a shot of adrenaline to keep the show going. I consider this to be one of my biggest projects I’ve ever handled and look forward to the next one. 

The backbone of the production, which is handled by the Pulp staff (Michelle, Beulah, Manny, Etc) has greatly improved since they took over during the Summer Slam 3 (2003). They keep us going with the gasoline we need during ingress and egress. All the suppliers owe them a lot because without them we would have never made it through.  

This year, the stage managers Denise Mallabo and Joey Dizon did a wonderful job in keeping everybody off their seats with a very good lineup of bands. I’m sure the 30,000 pax people that were there really enjoyed it. 

The security also is a far cry from the one we had during the Summer Slam 2, where a lot of people got hurt. This Summer Slam WW5 seemed really peaceful – despite the number of the people who attended the ruckus were contained in the middle right in front of the stage – where all the slamming usually happened.  

I would also like to thank our suppliers Sound Qoncepts (Doc and Pongga De los Santos, Rose, and Lainna), Power Plant (Arnold and Lina Chung), and Stage Riggers (Manny Emurable, Nandy, Tina, and Ren). Jiboy Albultra our FOH Engineer and Nino Cabulong Our Monitor Engineer for the event. 

Kudos to Everyone Involved and till next year, rock on!!! – Yordi Cui, technical director for PULP Summer Slam V

The last time we got to play at the Summer Slam was two years ago (Summer Slam 3). This was also held at the Amoranto Stadium and since then, it seems that Pulp has made a home there. The show has probably become much more manageable within Amoranto’s walls. Security didn’t seem to be that big of an issue like it was for some of the earlier Summer Slams. And there’s plenty of room for everybody to relax or mosh – whatever the case may be. This year, it also seemed like more members of the crowd were really getting into it: There were more people wearing masks and (various) get-ups and everyone was having a great time. It made me think, maybe the free VCD that came with the pre-Slam issue of Pulp convinced some people to get all dressed up for this year’s show – so if ever another VCD would me made next year, they’d be dressed for it (laughs). Backstage was great with all the bands and things went smoothly just like they did the last time we played. Kudos to all the guys keeping things going throughout the night: Stage managers, coordinators, sound crew... Things were running with only a little delay at most, and the food and beer was great! I think we had something like 35 stubs. All the bands played well with no real big problems to mention whatsoever. (Each piece of) equipment was huge and magnificent. It was so cool to plug into those huge amps. I don’t think I’ll ever have an amp that big. And f@#%ing P.O.T.! My God, that brought back memories.

So here I am writing about the recent world war – World War Five! I can’t believe it’s over already. We had 10-15 minutes to play our songs that day and I was anticipating it for month ever since Joey (Dizon, Pulp managing editor) invited us. You guys gave us another chance to play for the show of the year and it was unforgettable. We played right after Chicosci and the crowd was going wild as we were setting up during their last song. It was just unreal looking out into that sea of heads, as every last one of those kids sang Miggy’s lyrics back at him – and you just have to think that you’re f@#$ing lucky to be able to experience a sight like that. I think this show is some kind of a landmark or something – our answer to all the huge Stateside tours we read about online or watch on pirated concert DVDs.

One thing’s for sure: PULP has really raised the bar for our country’s shows and events – quality, efficiency, fun. It’s just amazing to see this thing come together every year and it’s only getting better. On behalf of my band Cog, thanks so much for the opportunity to experience this event, it’s the kind of memory you tell to your grandchildren over and over and over. – Eric Perlas, guitarist for COG

The Summer Slam is a celebration of what OPM has accomplished through the years. Attendance was overwhelming. Audience had fun, artists had fun, organizers had fun… it reflected our nature as Pinoys: Festive and fun-loving. And that day could very well be a celebration of being Pinoy. – Yael Yuson, vocalist for Spongecola