5 things I learned attending my first gig in two years

Earlier this month, I went to my first gig—my first in two years and my first ever in the Philippines. 

Spending most of my life abroad, I’ve never gotten the chance to experience the live music scene at home, only ever living vicariously through my friends’ Instagram posts and the fascinating stories from the Bandwagon PH team. 

But after two long years of dealing with lockdowns across two countries, it was finally time to venture out into the real world and see all the magic for myself. I was headed to 19 East to see Carissa Ramos, Clara Benin, and December Avenue.

My “Filipino gig” debut was a memorable one, here are some things I learned. 

Attending live shows takes dedication

To keep a long story short, it was a journey getting to this gig. Not only was it was pouring rain (thank you to the strangers in line who offered me shelter under their big umbrella haha) but the venue was already at full capacity only minutes after doors opened. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by 19 East (@19eastbar)

And while many decided to spend the rest of their Saturday night somewhere else, tens of people decided to stick around (with the rain still trickling down) hoping to get into the venue. There was even a small crowd that hung around and tuned into the performances outside the gates of 19 East for the whole night.

I've forgotten how much effort it took to go on a night out, but it was definitely worthwhile. 

Live music is a lot more about the community than the artist

Throughout the night, all you heard around the courtyard of 19 East was “Hoy, long time ah” and random snippets of conversations about the last show people saw each other at. 

It’s an aspect of live music that I completely forgot, the community—the momentary friendships you make over the band on stage, the familiar faces you only ever see in the dark setting of late-night gigs, and that bond you share with strangers you’ll probably never see again. 

everyone singing along to @decemberave was such a magical experience, what a memorable first gig hehehe 🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/tdPVe9EFpJ

— franchesca judine (@choodine) March 13, 2022

It’s what makes live shows so special, regardless if you’re the one performing on stage or one of the many faces in the crowd; that no matter what, those couple hours unites you all. It’s especially endearing after spending two long years indoors. 

Nothing can replace the experience of live music

Two years is a long time and by the end of it, you get used to a lot of things like online concerts and virtual shows. So, going outside and seeing people perform in person seemed like an entirely alien concept. 

In pandemic-stricken years, we’ve all gotten used to the oddity of online concerts, finding the rare beauties (like getting to cook Butter Shoyu Chicken during a BTS show or catching a festival from all the way across the world in your pajamas) of tuning into a show from the comfort of our homes along the way. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Lawrence Jay de Guzman (@xjayplipx)

But seeing Carissa Ramos rock out her guitar solo and hearing Clara Benin's dreamy vocals for the first time reminded me exactly why live music continues to be an irreplaceable experience. While online gigs have their own eccentric charms, nothing beats the feeling of your heart thumping along with the bass and hearing the song you've played countless times in your room live.

You don't have to know the artist to enjoy their performance

I came into the show not knowing a lot about Carissa Ramos and only ever hearing her collaborative track '360' with Ely Buendia once; but by the end of her set, I had a new admiration for her emotive vocals and added whatever of her songs I could to my Spotify playlists (and also adored her pink Hello Kitty guitar). 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Carissa Ramos (@kalesaramos)

It brought me back to my pre-pandemic adventures where I'd catch random weekend sets at the Esplanade in Singapore for the heck of it. With COVID-19 still being a pretty serious situation, even amidst relaxed measures, a lot of us are pretty picky with the gigs we venture out to these days. But at that moment, it was nice discovering a new artist in person. 

Music can be a testament of how far you've come

I set out for this particular 19 East show because of December Avenue; they're one of my favourite bands and also one of the artists that soundtracked my move to Singapore for college in 2018. In a time where I was moving to a completely new place away from everyone I knew, their songs were my sense of home and familiarity.

I remember distinctly listening to 'Sa Ngalan Ng Pag-Ibig', 'Bulong', and 'Sleep Tonight' on my commute from class after spending the day with people who didn't grow up the same way I did. It made adjusting to a new country as a scared student a little easier. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by December Avenue (@decemberavenue)

So, to hear those very songs live at a different phase of my life was a surreal experience (I may or may not have teared up haha). I learned, in a post-show high at 2 AM, that music (as cheesy as it sounds) played a much bigger role in my life than I realised.