TME: The Script: For the First Time (4.16.11)

For the first time I've paid for a concert.

For the first time I set foot on the actual Araneta coliseum.

For the first time I've seen a celebrity (-ies) I'm s

o fond of.

All because of The Script.

I've only heard of the concert weeks before I've already set my budget for another concert I wanted to give as a gift to someone special (hihi!) so I was a bit disappointed to not have anticipated such expense and missed buying patron seats. I would have but I felt rushed on buying one ASAP so I bought what I can afford that time:

Thank you whoever SM girl you are who informed me of a better seat (middle)

Fast forward to April 16, since the concert was not until 8pm, we set the day to get ourselves busy before the big night. I won't elaborate it here. but to make it short, we were in Megamall that time when we decided to finally go to our last pit stop of the day.

A quarter before 7 we were already in the MRT Ortigas Station but we were kind of stuck. All the trains that arrive are fully packed and add to the misery is that no one seems to want to go out. It's Saturday for Pete's sake! What's wrong with these people?!

We were now ready to change course, by doing the bus route (which I have no intention at all to take before because I'm tad scared of traffic) but since I'm becoming desperate. We haven't even had dinner. And by dinner no ones talking about fastfood, or so we believe.

The third train came and my patience is running out, I started pulling my date out of the station. But before we even reach the exit, he convinced me to try another time... I call it lucky but I know someone out there may call it cheating-- because we literally squeezed ourselves just to fit in. This is just one of those moments where I have to shed a little bit of OC-ness off because I could not afford to miss this concert. Not today I say! So for two stations I sucked it up, no man sweat or pressure or pushing around will ever back me out. So when the doors finally opened to Cubao station, I wasn't only relieved, I was now able to breathe freely again. Literally.

If I wasn't any clear with the opening lines above, it's no brainer that we had a wrong decision by going in before having a proper dinner. Don't look at me it's not my fault (whistles). My date never voluntarily takes me to a fastfood but since we had no other choice and we're already inside (thanks to ahmm...), I just stirred him towards a hotdog stand. Everywhere else (fastfood kiosks) is just fully packed and I was eager to make it inside 8pm sharp. I was looking forward for Wendy's but man, the line is just super long.

And so we We lined up at this hotdog stand because so far it's the thinnest line ever. But then it's already 730 and we were still in the line waiting to be served. I was getting anxious. How long are they taking to serve anyone anyway?! Someone'sprobably hoarding hotdogs!! Argh!

To temporarily rein my anxiety attacks, I was noticing this makeshift booth of a table selling 60php worth of binoculars and The Script albums. I was voicing this dilemma to my date and he was telling me that I already own those so why even bother. I was reasoning out how the covers were different from what I have and he ended up laughing at my unusual dilemma. But I'm so dead serious about this!! (Another) Argh!!

So back to the hotdog business. I know I'm hungry but I was more excited in going in to really breathe in the ambiance. The feeling of being next to thousands of The Script supporters is something I don't experience everyday. I only know one who I BELIEVE is also a fan (so that's a bit of a minus right there) and the one I'm with wasn't exactly one of them (although he admitted he enjoyed and he said they were good== to my delight of course. Reminds us of the story the band shared last night :-)). I should also take the liberty of writing it here that of all the times I posted that as a shoutout in the office online messenger, they were like 'The Script? What's that?' (Rolls eyes).

And so we finally got our hotdogs. As soon as we were out of that line my heart is so filled with happiness I feel like bursting when we stepped in and sat in our corners. A few minutes to 8, I was practicing how far my camera can zoom in and I was really really expecting them to start anytime soon. They have no front act (you have NO idea how awesome is that) so I'm totally excited. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes... 30 minutes later and they're not on yet!! Why?? What's taking them so long? Were they stuck in traffic again?? Was there some VIP who didn't want them to start on time? What?? What's wrong?!

Half of me is dismayed with this and I feel helpless not knowing what's wrong. Sure there were a few screaming (me included) when someone stood out to do sound and light checks. And then a few minutes later, like ants rushing towards food, the moment the lights went out, everyone on the patron seats rushed towards the gate near the stage together with mass screaming, and I was like, "this is finally it, they're now performing!!!"

Print screen of First song through my recording: 'You won't feel a thing'

Most of the concert I documented were recording via my camera and the show was not even half way there when I realized in horror that I only have 21 MINUTES in my memory card!!! Oh no oh no!!! Why did I ever forget!! We were in Megamall for a few hours and we've been going around for quite sometime and why did I ever forget packing mbs?!

So I decided to cut off my recordings to 1 minute each. I am not partial with all their songs (honest!) but I can't help but to have top favorites among all the favorites. The night has just started and you can hear in the recordings (on top of singing) are my complaints how stupid of it is to me to ever go to a very important event without complete ammo.

And then I took the chance of recording via my phone. It was another stupid move of mine to have thought of this later! Never mind how bad the video is, I recorded it anyway. It wasn't until the song 'Nothing' have I thought of doing it.

Print screen of video: The Man Who can't Be moved sing-along

After a little bit of teasing, they sang: Nothing

And good thing that I did!!! The camera stopped on the second stanza because I consumed the tiny bits of mb left. I was in heaven at this point, two of the top songs in each album back to back. I was voicing out how I was really happy and contented now, until they sang more songs I'm bursting at the seams.

Watching my videos, although the audio of the dome is excellent, my recordings weren't. Most of the time the sounds are from the chorus of the throng of fans who kept on singing on each and every song, hence the screenshots and not the actual videos. You can literally hear everyone of us singing along even if the band weren't instructing us anything.

The last song was Breakeven. No one knew if it was impromptu because the signal for the song was after the chanting of fans who realized that one of the songs in their old album which I cannot recall if it ever came out on radio but excellent just the same wasn't even played yet. I had small doubts they would play it since they just performed 'For the First Time' (debut single of second album) but then they did perform that song which made the crowd go wild. Even I have to stand up for the last song!

You guys have no idea how much I'm still grinning till now. They promised going back (maybe another tour in 2012, assuming every two years they release an album) in Manila and I promise that a patron seat for sure would be mine that time. Unless of course the world ends that before that day of course :-D

Note: To save you time and you still don't know the Script, they're an Irish band trio, made up of Danny O'Donoghue (vocalist, plays the guitar and keyboards), Mark Sheehan (guitars too) and Glen Powers (drums). We first heard them through the song 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' and since then legions of fans were swooned off their feet due to their style in songs which was never about sex or drugs or anything with the old line of lyrics - "I love you with all my heart and soul". Most songs of theirs are quite personal that listening to them alone makes you imagine all the stories that you can somehow relate to. So far I haven't heard of them releasing an album with a remake so that's a huge plus for me. I don't know if this would ever make you consider listening to them (yes you if you're not a fan) but they're so worth your time.