Disclaimer: What follows is a narrative entirely my own, and as such doesn't represent anybody else's opinions (but I'm sure at least a couple more felt the same way).
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All odds - that's what I was up against, but then again the will was so strong that I made it. Drenched in all-day rain, I felt that if I missed this one, I'd probably regret it, if not cry over it all night. You see, I'm not just a mere fan - I'm a diehard follower of the Fab Four since the day my mom played that vinyl with a picture of a green apple in the middle. The tribute to The Beatles held a lot of promise for me, and I expected that I'd be all dreamy when the night ends. So what if I'm soaked and freezing to death.
But alas when Gen and I reached Metrowalk, we felt a little lost. I have nothing against Pinoy rock but hey, I thought we're to have a 60's rockin' good time that night. If I hadn't stayed I would have believed that the entire universe had played a prank on me. It wasn't until Orange and Lemons played their first Beatle hit that I was convinced I was actually in the right place at the right time. It's the Beatles Tribute night tonight, alright.
The band played good and I should say they gave justice to the songs I love. Their version of Across the Universe was a personal favorite. I would've screamed for more had I not been waiting for The Bloomfields' performance. But mother of all unpleasant surprises, another group had to play before The Boys.
Again I have nothing against personal touches and improvisation, whatever they call it, but when you take the beat out of The Beatles, it's just not as fun. I had to sulk in my misery waiting for each and every prolonged instrumentals to fade. Basically, the excitement that has been building up in me for two weeks started to seep its way out of my system. It's just not right to put this set in between two rockin' bands. Again, I have nothing against the second group (I believe in artistic freedom, and it really doesn't matter whether I like their style or not), it just didn't feel right to put a relatively "milder" group that killed the rock and roll spirit. It would have been better if this group played first. That way, the energy could've built up better.
So what do you expect when The Bloomfileds took the stage? The crowd was already in a slightly sedated state. The Boys had to work extra hard to pump up the life out of everyone. It wasn't the usual Aruba experience. Deep inside though, I'm rejoicing. What could be a better experience than The Boys playing Beatle songs, or at least mostly Beatles'.
I fell in love with their Nowhere Man the first time I heard them play it at Aruba. I Feel Fine was a crowd favorite, unless my friends and I were the only crowd there. Hehe... I guess we're a little too noisy that night, as always. Long Tall sally/I'm Down was my favorite that night.
And after what it felt like ten minutes of heaven, the band had to leave the stage. Great, just when I was already getting what I came for! Sobrang bitin! Gen, Grace and I wanted so much more. It was disappointing, not because the perfomances sucked, on the contrary they were great. It's just that there's still this ball of explosive energy in our lungs that wanted so bad to get out. Next gig perhaps? Unfortunately, we won't be able to attend one in probably the longest dry spell we'll ever have.
If I'm to blame any one I'd blame the organizers. The Shindig, as the hosts ever so consistently referred to the event, lacked so much love from the part of the organizers. Hello, they are only paying tribute to the greatest band EVER, why should they make it fun for a snotty fan like me?
