How did I get here? What did I do to be blessed like this?
All I'm saying is...
I can think of a million concerts I have endured to be on #TeamBahay just because I was young, penniless, a dakilang palamunin sa aming tahanan. I remember In the Mix Manila back in 2016 featuring The 1975 and James Bay, I remember Cody Simpson back here last 2015, (update: I cannot think of a million bc dory)...all of which I have to pass on for being just a mere dependent kid. So now, if I tell 15-year-old Gieline "you get to see one of your favorite acts, oh, and you're on VIP," she'll probably pterodactyl scream.
My first concert is that of Regine Velasquez'. I was little (probably around 6 or 7?) but I remember parts of it. I remember she had to join a parade first and we were the car before hers. My family laid a blanket in our jeepney and made us lay on it and I remember just peaking through an oval hole below the jeep door and just stare at her. Then, I remember sneaking up late at night to go to her concert (my grandparents chose me to be the apo to go with them. we had to sneak or my sibs will know, they're not invited, limited seating hahaha), and I remember being in the venue and my line of sight to her. My lola's favorite is Giealine but that night, that night makes up for that hahahahaha!
My second concert is Greyson Chance's. At that time, I already had my blog up and had the biggest opportunity to blog about it here. It's my first legit concert, being the one where I can think independently haha. That being said, after the experience, I concluded that Disneyland has got nothing on concerts. That's when I knew that I'll be a concert-goer and that concert tickets are the best thing you can buy for yourself.
Pinanganak kang 𝖻̶𝗈̶𝖻̶𝗈̶ fangirl, lumaki kang 𝖻̶𝗈̶𝖻̶𝗈̶ fangirl, mamamatay kang 𝖻̶𝗈̶𝖻̶𝗈̶ fangirl.
I started stanning BTS back in 2018. I was and am down bad for those boys and made it a personal mission to see them up close. I saved up money while I was in college. I don't splurge and I choose cheap food options. But just when they announced their tour (no Asia dates yet), pandemic happened. They had to cancel it but their online concerts made up for it, and I missed none.
Ff to late 2022: when the pandemic policies got lax and all acts decided to come here and perform. "All acts" is an exaggeration but it came to a point where the PH can summon Michael Jackson and he'd come up from his grave and perform here. There are left-and-right concert announcements. It was only a matter of time before the announcement that will personally impact me comes.
And so it did.
When I saw this come out, the thing that struck me the most is the date (12/11) which is one day before my birthday (12/12). So, naturally, my first thought was "I can't miss this. This is like fate". But...the problem was... I haven't graduated at the time, I was just a freelance layout artist who earns very little, I have no prospects, and I am already a burden to my parents #ifytryk. I already accepted, or at least 70% accepted, that I will have to say pass on this again. It has become like a force of habit so it didn't hurt that much or it didn't mean anything for me to pass on this. But the blessings came through (thank You Lord and Daddy + my mom!!). I remember my mom and I sitting across each other in our dining table. She told me "Yung kay keshi ba yun? Magkano ba yun? Bumili ka ng ticket mo tas bili mo rin kapatid mo". And the rest is history... and will be on the next paragraphs haha.
Come July 18, the day of ticket selling, I asked my sister to help me secure our ticket. No queueing or whatsoever but it was hard to secure two. We wanted two balcony seats but after minutes of trying, the site just redirects us to VIP 2. That's when my sister gave up her seat and let me go to VIP. What a hero (claims to know only one keshi song but i once heard her humming other songs). And she did secure me a ticket! She has better luck. Thank God because the show was sold out.
My mandatory celebratory tweet.
After all that talk, FF to D-DAY!!!
I already have a job at this time so my preparation was on a bit of clutch since I got sick since Friday that week (the concert was on Sunday). I had a year-ender party to attend to that Friday but decided not to come so I could rest (which may or may not be solely for keshi). So I rested up and was good for the con.
Orange is what I associated to hell/heaven. I know everybody else will be in their reds and blacks (as a pick-me-girl). I painted my nails myself!! #proud
Spent half of my phone memory taking selfies in the car and now, I fully recognize that I should NOT have done that.
Also, love my braids because it made the concert super convenient for me. I had super long hair at the time which annoyed me as much as I loved it. #BraidsSuperConFriendly #WillRecommend
NFT is so hard to find?? Like, can you pin yourself on GMaps a little bit better?? Or are we just idiots? Lol.
Oh, my kuya drove me for this which I am super thankful for. We rented a car because ours needed tire replacement. Also thankful for that aid because if I have to commute, it will k-word me. I have commute anxiety, as a nagma-mayaman. But kidding aside, as I have mentioned, work got the best of me so I was sick that week and I just know that commute will make me a million times worse so we opted to just rent a car. Thank You Lord for the supplication!!
Saw his poster/tarp along the hard-to-find hallways!
Told myself I had to get me a penlight because at the time (puro at the time ah), we already had the SVT ones, a story for another blog, but yeah... the first order of biz was this. Sayang wala ng red pero that's what you get pag pa-tumpik tumpik ka sa Malolos ng anong oras na.
Organized by Live Nation. As they say, "dili na lang ako mag-talk".
Got in and secured my spot!! Close but not so close (bc may VIP 1 pa) but yeah.
It'll be too long before I get strapped again for a con so I'm flexing this.
Opening act time! Rei Brown- who I discovered through a prior research for hell/heaven. Wanted to come prepared so I learned his songs and it was not much of a chore considering how good he is. My personal faves of his are
white honda and
Could I Be Somebody.
Waiting for keshi and bopping to pop and hiphop songs with the crowd + Dynamite.
Ofc, there has to be Dynamite!!
If I remember it correctly, originally, there was no B.Y.S in the previous setlist. I remember listening to the og setlist and going like "may kulang eh". I didn't mind it too much bc duh!!! Privilege na makanuod choosy ka pa!! But yeah, I just thought the setlist could use a War with Heaven (but rights are Marvel's so it's impossible) and B.Y.S. Keshi then updated his setlist for the latter part of his tour, GIRLLLL. B.Y.S made the cut because of how eager fans are to hear it daw!!! And GIRLLL. My sister once asked me "if you wished it was you who wrote the song, what song will it be?," to which I answered "right here by keshi" because...basta yun, pakinggan nyo na lang siguro tas i-decipher nyo na lang kung bakit if curious kayo hahahahaha. So to have it coupled up with B.Y.S then LIMBO (my fav song in Gabriel, his latest album), ANGEL (hello?? I thought you were an angel and lost myself when I caught sight of you????), and 2 SOON (don't even get me started on 2 soon pls)???? I was and still am freaking out. I just know. I just know I am gonna have a blast.
And here he issss!!!!
With the most epic entrance ever. Linking the vid after all the pics.
The LED screen has some effect or wtv that does not correspond well with my phone (or my eyesight).
Hated that bit but was still making the best of what we were given with.
Linking my wrap-up vid
here
CONCLUSION:
Keshi is already ma-adlib in his songs but live???? Make that x9999. His voice was so raspy and much more sexier than it is in his studio versions T^T. Also, the man does not stop to catch a breath istg. His show went on so fast because man went song after song after song with no breaks. Personally, the best songs he performed live were GET IT (the mf hype and fun we had here!!!) and ALWAYS (him playing the keyboard with the spotlight just on him, so ethereal huhu). The crowd was amazing but his target market (which I am a part of, so considering me bashing myself also on this) are BGC boys and e-girls so you put that two together...HFNAHJDHAHHD jk it was all fine except for the random shouts from the bgc boy(s) pwe djfhsdhfhsh. Anyways, back to the topic, all in all, if I were to describe the #HellHeavenTour experience using three words, it'll be ascension, lightning, and karaoke. Thank you, keshi, for coming to our concert! HDHShHD. Thank you, Keshi, for a lovely lovely night. If I availed the m&g package, I would have told you this...
"The day your tickets went up for sale is the day I also found out that I was graduating as a Cum Laude so my mom was much happier to buy me tickets. On top of that, it's my birthday tomorrow so everything lined up so perfectly that I knew I had to be here. I just wanted to tell you thank you for your songs. It got me out of dark places that would take me longer time to get out from if you weren't there to console me and I know others have their share of the same story. Take care of yourself because you take care of us in a lot of ways you might not be aware of."
Might be too long for a m&g session but just take it as what it is.
Thankful for this opportunity and thankful that even if I'm just by myself, it didn't feel like it. It was fate that it be one of those life events that I had to experience on my own. I had the best time not being a #TeamBahay. To see one of my most fav acts, I couldn't believe it even now. I was just once soundtripping at 3am, playing keshi songs on Spotify with a canvas of him in red light while performing, swiping up for the lyrics, and screaming the lyrics in my head. I was just once playing his songs for my friends. I was just once reposting his posts of his pics featuring his sleeve tattoo on IGS. And now, I have already seen and heard him perform live.
Thank You, Lord, for this blessing! You truly are our great rewarder.
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