On the night of the gig, I met up with my tag-teammate / partner photographer, Bijan Gorospe. We arrived at the venue pretty much on time. The gates have already opened and a mighty lot of people are waiting in line to get inside the tent. We chatted with Aspen Sañez, one of Random Minds‘ project managers, and he said that all the tickets were sold out! It was a bit surprising (in a good way) because I didn’t know that The xx had that amount of followers in Manila. But yes, it was definitely a full house that night!
We immediately claimed our media passes so we could check out what was inside. It wasn’t that long when the first local act band started playing — Taken by Cars. They were followed by another homegrown band, Up Dharma Down. Both bands did an awesome job of perking up the crowd before the main event and they were warmly received by the audience.
We took bathroom breaks in between songs and we casually talked with friends and acquaintances who we saw in the crowd. People went to and fro the booze stalls, stuffed their guts with beer, rum cola, and iced vodka as they waited for the night’s superstars. It was a Tuesday night; everybody would be going to work or school the next morning, but no one cared. Everyone was having a great time. I looked at my watch — it was 10 PM when The xx finally walked on stage.
 
 
When the terrific trio started playing, everyone roared like animals in high spirit. Everybody was singing and swaying along their music.
The xx has a certain shade of charisma. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim effortlessly swept the audience off their feet with their suave looks and voices. They crowd swooned every time they played their guitar and bass face-to-face, sometimes they even intently stared at each other for a while. They were intimate to watch.
Aside from Romy and Oliver, what really caught my eyes and ears was Jamie Smith. He is, like, the main man of The xx and he constantly juggled in between instruments all throughout the night.
I began listening to The xx only a couple of years ago. I confess that I’m not a die-hard fan of them but I sincerely like some of their songs. My heart literally skipped a beat when they played “Heart Skipped A Beat.” When they sang “VCR,” all I could say to myself was, “Sh*t, I never thought I’m going to see this band play live.” But I did. And I was glad.
One of the things that I like about big concerts is the amazing stage lighting. During The xx’s show, I was really awed by their dynamic lights. The psychedelic visuals added drama as they alternately played tracks from their two albums. A lot of people were dancing in their places. Everyone was minding their own businesses and having fun.
While Bijan was busy scouring the room to take photographs, I couldn’t help but giggle every time they play something from their first album, though. Because it was pretty obvious that everyone in the crowd seem to know the first album much more than the new one. (Not a bad thing, though!)
 
 
We also spotted a lot of familiar faces in the audience. Bianca King was there, Sam Oh from ETC Channel was there, and so did Saab Magalona, Diego Mapa, and Jun Sabayton. Bijan also claimed that he saw Kim from the famous online seller, Kimstore. It was funny seeing random people, especially the ones who you really never expect to be there. Perfect example — Nancy Binay. Well, we didn’t actually see her but she posted concert photos on her Instagram account, which circulated the world wide web later that night. Many were thrilled.
Another funny thing about watching concerts these days is that every single person in the crowd holds a photographic gadget. It’s like watching a “sea of smartphones” from the back. To be perfectly honest, I don’t understand why most people bother recording the whole thing on their gadgets when they can just have the time of their life as they witness the real show in front of their eyes. To be able to re-watch later on? Taking a few photos every now and then is okay but recording everything is quite ridiculous. Or maybe it’s just me? Haha.
 
 
I really had a grand time watching The xx. After the show, it really isn’t a wonder how these Londoners have gained a generous amount of followers here in our country. In those short-lived two hours of non-stop music, they simply made everything feel good. In the midst of their performance, I remember them saying that they didn’t expect what they saw from the Manila crowd. They were pleased and thankful. Everyone got what they hope for that night.
Nothing beats seeing the real thing. Going to gigs is always the best way to know how well musicians can connect to their listeners. That’s the way how rock n’ roll should rock and roll.
Thank you, Random Minds and thank you, reader. I hope we’ll get to see you at the next big concert in Manila!
All photos in this article were taken by Bijan Gorospe.
Coexisting with The xx
