5/26/13 - Circuit Fest 2013

So hot in here, Manila.

That seems to be the line of the day

I woke up with a great feeling. Despite the lack of sleep from the night before, I still felt excited and a bit pumped up.

I originally planned to leave the house at 11 am but due to some delays, I left quarter to 12 pm. Fortunately, the travel time going to Glorietta wasn't as long and it only took me around 45 minutes.

I haven't been to the venue before but I had a vague idea of where it is from a quick Google search and it would be very accessible from my office. Knowing the duration of the event, I planned to have lunch at the mall before heading to the concert grounds.

As I arrived, I strolled around to look for a resto to eat in until I saw a group of Americans that looked familiar. It dawned on me that they were the guys from The Downtown Fiction, one of the bands that will be playing later! I  can recognize Cameron Leahy, their vocalist, so I know it was them. I followed them a while, hoping I would get to see the others or would get to greet them but when they were going to another place, I just decided to eat instead. They had bodyguards anyway so I don't think I could get near them.I just felt happy to see them up close since I won't get the chance to do so anymore. I regret not bringing any of my cds or merch, I could have gotten them signed.

As I continued to go around, I also saw Yellowcard's drummer eating in one of the resto with his bodyguard. The rest of the band was nowhere in sight though.

I finally decided to eat in Mcdonalds and what do you know, I saw two more band crew with their bodyguard and they were eating on the table beside me so I ate slow just in case other band members arrive. Just not sure from which band they belong to but I'm sure I've seen them already.

At around 1 pm, I decided to leave and go to the venue. I took the same route I take to go to work then followed the instructions from the net which is just basically to go straight down the road when I reach the Makati Fire station. It took longer for me to get to the venue as I didn't realize it was going to be a very long road but I didn't get lost as the road leads to the venue.

The venue wasn't developed yet aside from the concert grounds itself so it was not as pleasantly-looking yet. There was a long line at the venue when I arrived but they were starting to let people in. The line for the boys were shorter so I got in immediately.

I was greeted by a huge field with many booths! I tried to go the merch booth as I was looking forward to buy some band items but the items were few and disappointing so I decided not to buy anything. I looked for a spot to sit on and chose one that is near the railings to be as near as I could.

People started to come in as the show is about to start but they weren't too many. In fact the moshpit section had such huge space, even when the show was about to start that I was hoping I could get upgraded but I wasn't but it's okay. I still had a nice view from where I was staying.

The A+ Dropouts opened the show. I saw them last year at Liv5 and they were still quite good. The crowd was quite entertained during their set. They had ome merch being sold at the booth and I was thinking of buying them but they were already sold out by the end of the show.

 Youtube sensation Megan Nicole was the second act to follow. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of her youtube covers but a lot of people were happy to see her and she seems like she was having a good time. She performed a lot of covers with a mix of original songs. This is her first time to be here and I wouldn't be surprised if local promoters start bringing in more youtube artists. She had a quicki mention of how hot it was in the country.

 One of the crowd favorites performed next. This is my second time to watch This Century after their show here last year. I enjoyed their set and crowd did too. They performed some old songs and some new songs from their latest album. Unfortunately, by the end of this set, raindrops started to fall which was unexpected considering the heat earlier in the day.

 The Downtown Fiction was up next and honestly, they were the ones I was looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, the rain started to pour so we had our umbrellas up. Luckily, I was in front of the railings so my view wasn't blocked. I do apologize if I blocked the people at the back. I tried to raise my umbrella higher so they can still see but I don't know if that helps.

Mark Salling came out to the crowd as he was supposedly the host. He tried to cheer up the crowd while the stage was set up. He introduced the skaters and asked questions to the band after every set. I'm not so convinced by hi hosting skills though. He just kept saying the same thing over and over again and asked the same questions repeatedly. But he was such a lady charmer and he knows how to play with the crowd. Willy Santos and Riley Hawk were also introduced to the crowd as they were one of the highlight in the billing. It's a shame that the weather was uncooperative so they weren't able to skate all the way through.

The crowd went wild during the next band. Before You Exit, another Youtube sensation, seems to have a lot of fans here in Manila and most of them are the girls. It seems like they're another One Direction prototype but to be fair. They are quite good and I do have their songs on my music library. They played a lot of their original songs and also did a lot of covers that they are known for. The rain slowed down at the beginning but started to pour heavy again at the end of the set.

 We Are The In Crowd came up next and they were great. The rain has finally subsided by the time they started. I saw them last year but Taylor seems to have more energy this time around since she isn't sick. The crowd was really into them as they performed a lot of their songs. Taylor was really pretty too.It's unfortunate that there was something wrong with the sound system at the beginning and words coming out of Tay's mouth were unrecognizable.

 I felt bad for this set. It seems like the crowd were dead even if the music was very upbeat and Zach had actually good vocals. It's most likely because 1. Everyone was anticipating Mayday Parade 2. They had a Disney affiliation 3.  Zach is dressed up like an old dude 4. The crowd just didn't know them. Either way, the people seemed bored but that didn't stop me from enjoying the show. It was just annoying when the couple of friends beside me was making snide comments about how they want the set to finish already.

Mayday Parade was the second to the last act of the night. They were really great as always and the crowd was really explosive. They performed the same set of songs they sung during Bazooka Rocks last year, save for two songs, Stay and Miserable at Best, which needed piano accompaniments. They had great energy and everyone sang along to every word they sang.I'm confident that they will return in the future.

The main event of the show was Yellowcard and they deserve it. They really are an amazing act and their longevity in the music industry comes as no surprise. They are very good live performers as the crowd sang along to every song they performed which came from their multiple albums from the past decade. I was also looking forward to them singing along with Tay Jardine for Here I Am Alive which is one of my favorite songs. Even the other bands couldn't stop supporting them as they watched from the sidelines. This is their second time in the country but this is my first time to see them as their previous one was years ago. They're one of my favorite bands and I'm so happy to see them live.

Overall, my concert experience wasn't as good as it should be. The weather, the crowd, etc. could be better but as for the performances, they were really amazing. I really hope to see these acts again. Maybe next time, the venue should have roofings to avoid problems from Mother Nature. Every band have also spoke out on how hot it was in the country. The ventilation of an outdoor event wasn't enough apparently. It is also ironic that I didn't have a signal on my phone despite the venue named after my service provider, Globe. There were also a lot of bats flying around the area but they weren't dangerous. I'm just so lucky to have this opportunity to go to the event.

I still have other concerts that I'm looking forward to. I am hoping that I could enjoy them too.