Eraserheads concert most well-attended at World Music Fest
They screamed as they rode the sand dunes of Dubai, posed with Pinoy clerks at the Dubai Mall, checked out the souks and the world’s tallest building, and one may have gyrated alongside a belly dancer.
But they weren't just tourists. Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro were in the United Arab Emirates to become, once again, the Eraserheads. They may have brought along spouses and kids and sneaked in some shopping and sightseeing, but the once defunct band was in Dubai mainly to play the 2013 du World Music Festival.
Unsurprisingly, with Dubai being OFW country, the band packed the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre with 11,000 "enthralled" fans, according to a Yahoo! report from Dubai.
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On their second reunion world tour in as many years, the band, which broke up in 2002, played a 2.5-hour show consisting of 27 songs. Theirs was said to have been the most attended during the two-week festival, which featured a diverse lineup of music stars including Guns N’ Roses, Train, Natalie Cole, Andrea Bocelli and other local acts.
The band also featured a "fifth Eraserhead" Rommel Sanchez on lead guitar. Rommel joined the 'Heads, too, on their 2012 North American tour. During the Dubai concert, Ely dedicated the song “Lightyears” to the OFWs.
READ BLOG: Marcus Adoro: From Eraserhead to paperback writer
"Throughout my life I have been to countless concerts – most of them – no all – were in English,” said the review which ran in Yahoo! “This one I assumed would be no different. Turned out the guys spoke for most of the concert in Tagalog, which is entirely reasonable, it’s their country’s first language, just happens I don’t and so didn’t understand much of what was said or sung. But the sound and the atmosphere alone were enthralling.”
‘The biggest and best band’
The reviewer added, “Before I attended the concert I had asked Filipino people I know about Eraserheads, each time they told me ‘this is our biggest and best band’ - on Thursday I saw why.”
Confused as to why the band had to break up in 2002 in the first place, the reviewer quoted from the daily newspaper, Gulf News. “I think that was a healthy thing to do back then,” Marcus had told the paper.
Kudos from Rolling Stone
It wasn’t just Gulf News that covered the boys. During their press conference, reps from Dubai TV were also present, as was Adam Grundey, editor of Rolling Stone Middle East.
In his review of the show, Linus Cruz of Rolling Stone ME said, “Pop-heavy ballads, riff-chugging instrumentals and deafening call-and-responses flowed seamlessly together. Though, in all honesty, Eraserheads could have turned up with a toy keyboard and a triangle and the audience would have gone nuts.”
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Even with the Dubai success, the Eraserheads have not been booked for other dates this year.
The band is said to "wing it" or go by "feel" when accepting offers.
What about a concert in PH?
As to the eternal question of whether the band will ever play the Philippines again, there are no plans in the foreseeable future for that to happen, either.
In the meantime, Ely Buendia continues to collaborate with other bands, just as he did with Hilera to form The Oktaves.
RELATED: Three decades of Pinoy rock unite in The Oktaves
On April 13, Saturday, he plays at 19 East in Parañaque with the “hobbyist” Beatles tribute band The Eggmen, featuring Camerawalls’ (and former Orange and Lemons) Clementine.
Called Babies in Black in reference to the 1966 Beatles song "Baby's in Black," the two-hour show will feature the band’s versions of the original Fab Four.
All photos by Raymond Ramos for DVent Productions.
