THIS ain’t the Stone Age for them to be unremembered…. A lot would agree, I say. They were already musical epitomes when we first heard them onair. They were the genesis of a romantic spur that came before high-pitched autotunes and low-blow adrenaline—exactly uncanny to one’s ears.
On top of the bill, every one was sashaying on a Saturday night with their 1990s signature hippie yo-yo. This wasn’t time traveling—or was it?
Kidding. There was no room for the misfit; one could easily identify in what year one was born…. Ha, ha, ha!
This year’s Playback Music Festival, organized by Super Awesome Productions, was definitely one for the books. The young-at-heart could relate to the timeless classics, and so are today’s youth. Even those tracks played on the stereo once more seem obscure to the young; “hypebeast” is the trend among them—they would thank themselves for checking out what the 1990s and early-2000s had to offer.
If you were a fan of Rivermaya, MYMP and Moonstar 88, among those of the greatest Original Pilipino Music (OPM) bands, you knew what it meant of spending an entire day jamming out with friends while strumming the guitar, plus hitting those suave falsettos back in the days meant.
I, for one, have been a fan of Juris, MYMP’s first lead singer, and there were days when I felt apologetic with her song, “Tell Me Where It Hurts” (pardon my emotional franticness; I don’t even know why!). There was this complete strangeness, yet it almost wrecked me as if I’ve completely been longing for someone else—my naivety plays a big role here!
On the latter part of the show, everyone was in for a musical treat by none other than Stephen Speaks. And oh! Those sugary smiles and fluttering eyes were just so much to consume. “Out Of My League” and “Passenger Seat” made us believe in a fleeting romance once in a while, until we found ourselves having the same cup of tea. What a way to share one’s joyful bliss.
Yeah, everyone was chanting a lyrical musing that was worth savoring.
Leigh Nash of the familiar Sixpence None the Richer and Vertical Horizon were strangers when I first saw them live. But when “Kiss Me” and “You’re A God” took to cue, respectively, my childhood was just ruined! All the while, I knew their songs and, all this time, I’ve forgiven myself for not really going into the details. Surprisingly, I laughed at myself. I laughed at my own stupidity.
Anyway, I was just a child then humming to their tunes, not knowing what those sounds really were. Excuse me for that one!
Capping the entire show were Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe, also known as the all-American boy band Blue. There were no accompaniments this time, except for four chairs, four microphone stands and their uplifting souls. With their chart-topper hits “One Love,” “All Rise” and “The Best In Me,” among other tracks, every single body was singing their hearts out and, before everything ended, Cinderella didn’t really have to run away before midnight. Got my point? None would take half-baked chances to see them on stage for once and for all.
And there went my inner fangirl… Ha, ha, ha! We lived in the era where love songs weren’t just about thug life and sex. They a from the heart. Those chills and smiles are products of one’s sentimental reminiscences. Nevertheless, you could never go wrong with old school.
The whole Circuit Lane in Makati City was well-suited for a night of love and a regal tribute to our music saviors. They might have been silent over the years, yet they’re just in our heads, steadily reminding us that age is nothing but trivial when it comes to music.
Image credits: Dixie Garcia