sept_four
as the usher lead us to what i supposed was row L, we noticed a woman in her late 40’s to mid 50’s seated comfortably on the seat next to the aisle where one of the tickets we had was for. i stared on keenly as the usher (which I had only properly noted because LA cheekily described him to look like Paul Marazzi) tried his best to talk the woman into vacating that particular seat and moving to another, which apparently, was not situated near the aisle. the woman, at first, only laughed off Paul Marazzi’s plea and continued to sit with folded arms, seemingly insulted with our “interruption”. PM continued with his request, maintaining his cool composure till a fellow usher came along to help him with the situation. the two managed to get the sulking woman off seat #21 after some more begging and finally, LA and I received the cue to lean back and rest our elated butts onto the precious patron chairs.
barely able to contain my excitement, i sat uncomfortably on seat #20 and tried to ignore the spillage in front of me. “must’ve been made by the woman a while ago”, i shrugged it off. i spent time gazing around the place like a little kid amazed by all the twinklings of a starry, starry night. makes sense since the backdrop of the stage was of a star-studded design (we certainly couldn’t afford to have one of those blinking-bulb-filled stage concepts they have in Europe). on the upper boxes, i could only see around half (or less than) the original seating capacity meant for the area. devastation swept over me. “people can’t be ignoring this concert… what will the lads say about this?”
two rows behind me, an almond eyed girl was crowded upon by men who carried lights and by a lady who was talking with a microphone brought close to her lips. an interview, the idea registered in my mind quickly. lucky fan. she spoke with much confidence and composure just worthy for primetime telecast (if you know what i mean). the media people gave her a free bag afterwards and i (sort of) breathed a sigh of relief to find out that it was not Westlife material at all. the freebie was from PLDT, if my memory serves me right. that time, i also told LA to keep my banner rolled because i wasn’t ready to be interviewed just as well. (talk about high hopes…)
on seat #17 was a guy with whom i kept on colliding glances with from the very moment my bestfriend and i were brought to row L. he must be Kuya Sam, my mind chirped excitedly. i tried to look at the girl on his right but I decided to call the idea off because i’d just appear stupid doing it. gathering some guts, i called his attention after a while and stammered, “excuse me po, kayo po ba si Sam?” the lad smiled and nodded affirmatively as i shook his hand. he gestured to the girl next to him who was busy doing an SMS. “this is Esmie”, he said. i waved and gave her an awkward grin which she acknowledged positively. Kuya Sam got back to me and mentioned that Shayne and Aud were still not around. i smiled and reasoned that they were probably just caught in the traffic.
i could not remember clearly whether this incident actually occurred even before i’ve noticed the interview with Ms. Almond Eyes (there go bits of memory flying again). LA, who had been looking around herself, spotted this woman who carried along with her a mass of Westlife CDs. “magaganda ba yung mga kanta nila sa bagong album?” she asked me. i nodded yes and with that, my bestfriend decided to get a copy of Face to Face. i supported (or urged, more likely) her to buy the album even if it was priced at P460 because i also got mine at Odyssey at the same amount. i took out two crisp P20 bills from my Thai pouch and handed it to LA. it was a simple joy to see her gushing over the CD as she held it in her hands. i actually wished she had found the chance to purchase it much much sooner so that she could appreciate the concert more since it was, of course, part of the Face to Face Tour.
i was starting to feel jittery in my seat a few minutes later. i had expected the show to start late but i still felt sweating bullets rushing in my arteries. i could not get the fact that westlife was just behind that starry backdrop off my head. just sharing the Big Dome with them was enough to put me in a whirlwind.
i kept on glancing at my wrist for the time. soon, my bestfriend had contented herself by having her photo taken with a guy from PDA. i couldn't care much when we saw them coming over the first few rows of the patron seats to have their pictures taken for airing later on (they had won tickets to the concert, see?). i hardly knew their names. only one of them was familiar to me since i've seen an episode of the sitcom wherein his wife and son paid him a good visit at the 'academy'. Yvan's the name of the lad.
after posing for the cameras, the 'scholars', as what i think they were called, moved to where their tickets were actually for -- Lower Box A. that was when, a few minutes after, a number of people (including my bestfriend) approached them for their own series of mini-photo shoots. it was also around that time when two girls came along and took the vacant seats between me and Kuya Sam. they were formally intorduced to me and i shook their hands childishly. that instance, i thought the 'message board peeps' were lovely. anyway, i always thought that WL fans were a bunch of nice people. i was happy theses new acquaintances didn't disappoint me.
LA came back to her seat shortly, laughing at how she and the PDA guy looked in the picture. too much lighting, she chirped. i gave out a laugh and agreed. then, after letting out a deep breath, i excused myself and hurried for the loo. i couldnt afford to miss the start of the show but rushing for relief in the middle of it would be a huge mistake.
upon returning from the comfort room, i got all the more jumpy (from the aura of the whole place, i guess) but i still made it a point to tell another red-vested usher about the spill on my portion of the floor. i got back to my bestfriend and we spent a few minutes yakking about the Irish boys whom we we were wying to see until...
lights off.
the crowd roared zealously. i felt adrenaline rushing to my head. people started to stand up and even LA was quick as a fox to dash to the aisle and make it towards the stage. my mind was instantly in a roll and the next thing i know, i was also running with only my cam and banner in hand. i screamed madly whilst the lads marched up and intotheir respective places. my bestfriend and i actually stood before the middle part of the stage at first. but when Mark made his way to the rightmost side of the dais, he 'magnetized' us along with him!
i didn't actually mind that moment. i even thought i had the best place in the coliseum! LA and i screamed our hearts (and lungs?) out together with other fans while Mark stood quietly approximately 1.5-2 metres acorss us! i couldnt believe my eyes. for the first time, i was gazing at Mark Feehily in the flesh. He was sooo close yet so far!
i pushed on closer against the barrier before me and extended my left arm to wave at the lovely guy while he was waiting for his turn to do the vocals. i took my first video of him and paid no heed to the fact that the video was rather lousy as people around were also in an ecstatic mode and were literally bumping against each other. hence, my shaking hands was no use to keep the digicam still. i noticed the cute bulk of Mark's midesction. i smiled and thought he was still perfect. my eyes darted to the left and instantly, the sight of Nicky wowed me. He looked good in pictures but in person, he was just soo darn finer! He was like a man-made creation, made to look as an object of perfection. like one of those made by the dieties to lure mortals into their end. he was sort of 'an image to behold'... okay, i'm probably exaggerating but i'm definitely positive of the byrning aura Nicky exuded that moment. hotness, i thought.
Kian and Shane were both at the opposite end of the stage during the first two songs (correct me if i'm wrong; my memory that night was extremely selective) so i couldnt really see them well yet. nonetheless, i still shouted their names crazily once in a while. i also love them, you know...
since i was mostly taking awkward shots of Mark with my cam, i didn't know what to do with my (still rolled) banner. finally, i tried to unroll it and unveil the special message inside; much to my vexation, it wouldnt straighten out well! i had expected to have a hard time unrolling the banner since it was of cartolina and the letters were of cartolina (and outlined with glow-in-the-dark glue) as well. i just didn't think it would be that difficult to have it opened up. alas, after several attempts and simultaneous photo/video takings, the red cartolina slipped from my fingers and fell on the other side of the barrier, with only the last line unrolled. the portion where the first two lines were, was still loosely rolled up. i was aghast! even LA was. i swallowed and stuttered that it was alright but things just started to buzz into my head. why did i lose the banner that soon? i've worked on it the Tuesday and Sunday before the concert but now, i wouldnt be able to let Mark get even a whiff of it!
i stared wide-eyed at the 5 letters glowing amidst the dimmed ambience.
K-E-V-I-N
strangely, the name seemed to mock me. i tried to get back to watching the boys again as if nothing had happened. much to my delight, Mark had advanced towards where i was standing and had seemed to be only a stone's throw away. all i could remember was me screaming at the tope of my lungs along with tons of other fans. and i didn't care about how loud i was becoming because i thought i had the reason to be so. we all had.
"Mark, Mark!" from my right, i heard my bestfriend suddenly calling out frantically. she gestured towards the banner on the floor. i watched closely as Mark's eyes darted downwards. for a while, i was quite negative that he saw the glowing name that was actually facing him. but soon after he had glanced below, he flashed those pearly whites of his before looking ahead again.
needless to say, i got thrilled!
barely able to contain my excitement, i sat uncomfortably on seat #20 and tried to ignore the spillage in front of me. “must’ve been made by the woman a while ago”, i shrugged it off. i spent time gazing around the place like a little kid amazed by all the twinklings of a starry, starry night. makes sense since the backdrop of the stage was of a star-studded design (we certainly couldn’t afford to have one of those blinking-bulb-filled stage concepts they have in Europe). on the upper boxes, i could only see around half (or less than) the original seating capacity meant for the area. devastation swept over me. “people can’t be ignoring this concert… what will the lads say about this?”
two rows behind me, an almond eyed girl was crowded upon by men who carried lights and by a lady who was talking with a microphone brought close to her lips. an interview, the idea registered in my mind quickly. lucky fan. she spoke with much confidence and composure just worthy for primetime telecast (if you know what i mean). the media people gave her a free bag afterwards and i (sort of) breathed a sigh of relief to find out that it was not Westlife material at all. the freebie was from PLDT, if my memory serves me right. that time, i also told LA to keep my banner rolled because i wasn’t ready to be interviewed just as well. (talk about high hopes…)
on seat #17 was a guy with whom i kept on colliding glances with from the very moment my bestfriend and i were brought to row L. he must be Kuya Sam, my mind chirped excitedly. i tried to look at the girl on his right but I decided to call the idea off because i’d just appear stupid doing it. gathering some guts, i called his attention after a while and stammered, “excuse me po, kayo po ba si Sam?” the lad smiled and nodded affirmatively as i shook his hand. he gestured to the girl next to him who was busy doing an SMS. “this is Esmie”, he said. i waved and gave her an awkward grin which she acknowledged positively. Kuya Sam got back to me and mentioned that Shayne and Aud were still not around. i smiled and reasoned that they were probably just caught in the traffic.
i could not remember clearly whether this incident actually occurred even before i’ve noticed the interview with Ms. Almond Eyes (there go bits of memory flying again). LA, who had been looking around herself, spotted this woman who carried along with her a mass of Westlife CDs. “magaganda ba yung mga kanta nila sa bagong album?” she asked me. i nodded yes and with that, my bestfriend decided to get a copy of Face to Face. i supported (or urged, more likely) her to buy the album even if it was priced at P460 because i also got mine at Odyssey at the same amount. i took out two crisp P20 bills from my Thai pouch and handed it to LA. it was a simple joy to see her gushing over the CD as she held it in her hands. i actually wished she had found the chance to purchase it much much sooner so that she could appreciate the concert more since it was, of course, part of the Face to Face Tour.
i was starting to feel jittery in my seat a few minutes later. i had expected the show to start late but i still felt sweating bullets rushing in my arteries. i could not get the fact that westlife was just behind that starry backdrop off my head. just sharing the Big Dome with them was enough to put me in a whirlwind.
i kept on glancing at my wrist for the time. soon, my bestfriend had contented herself by having her photo taken with a guy from PDA. i couldn't care much when we saw them coming over the first few rows of the patron seats to have their pictures taken for airing later on (they had won tickets to the concert, see?). i hardly knew their names. only one of them was familiar to me since i've seen an episode of the sitcom wherein his wife and son paid him a good visit at the 'academy'. Yvan's the name of the lad.
after posing for the cameras, the 'scholars', as what i think they were called, moved to where their tickets were actually for -- Lower Box A. that was when, a few minutes after, a number of people (including my bestfriend) approached them for their own series of mini-photo shoots. it was also around that time when two girls came along and took the vacant seats between me and Kuya Sam. they were formally intorduced to me and i shook their hands childishly. that instance, i thought the 'message board peeps' were lovely. anyway, i always thought that WL fans were a bunch of nice people. i was happy theses new acquaintances didn't disappoint me.
LA came back to her seat shortly, laughing at how she and the PDA guy looked in the picture. too much lighting, she chirped. i gave out a laugh and agreed. then, after letting out a deep breath, i excused myself and hurried for the loo. i couldnt afford to miss the start of the show but rushing for relief in the middle of it would be a huge mistake.
upon returning from the comfort room, i got all the more jumpy (from the aura of the whole place, i guess) but i still made it a point to tell another red-vested usher about the spill on my portion of the floor. i got back to my bestfriend and we spent a few minutes yakking about the Irish boys whom we we were wying to see until...
lights off.
the crowd roared zealously. i felt adrenaline rushing to my head. people started to stand up and even LA was quick as a fox to dash to the aisle and make it towards the stage. my mind was instantly in a roll and the next thing i know, i was also running with only my cam and banner in hand. i screamed madly whilst the lads marched up and intotheir respective places. my bestfriend and i actually stood before the middle part of the stage at first. but when Mark made his way to the rightmost side of the dais, he 'magnetized' us along with him!
i didn't actually mind that moment. i even thought i had the best place in the coliseum! LA and i screamed our hearts (and lungs?) out together with other fans while Mark stood quietly approximately 1.5-2 metres acorss us! i couldnt believe my eyes. for the first time, i was gazing at Mark Feehily in the flesh. He was sooo close yet so far!
i pushed on closer against the barrier before me and extended my left arm to wave at the lovely guy while he was waiting for his turn to do the vocals. i took my first video of him and paid no heed to the fact that the video was rather lousy as people around were also in an ecstatic mode and were literally bumping against each other. hence, my shaking hands was no use to keep the digicam still. i noticed the cute bulk of Mark's midesction. i smiled and thought he was still perfect. my eyes darted to the left and instantly, the sight of Nicky wowed me. He looked good in pictures but in person, he was just soo darn finer! He was like a man-made creation, made to look as an object of perfection. like one of those made by the dieties to lure mortals into their end. he was sort of 'an image to behold'... okay, i'm probably exaggerating but i'm definitely positive of the byrning aura Nicky exuded that moment. hotness, i thought.
Kian and Shane were both at the opposite end of the stage during the first two songs (correct me if i'm wrong; my memory that night was extremely selective) so i couldnt really see them well yet. nonetheless, i still shouted their names crazily once in a while. i also love them, you know...
since i was mostly taking awkward shots of Mark with my cam, i didn't know what to do with my (still rolled) banner. finally, i tried to unroll it and unveil the special message inside; much to my vexation, it wouldnt straighten out well! i had expected to have a hard time unrolling the banner since it was of cartolina and the letters were of cartolina (and outlined with glow-in-the-dark glue) as well. i just didn't think it would be that difficult to have it opened up. alas, after several attempts and simultaneous photo/video takings, the red cartolina slipped from my fingers and fell on the other side of the barrier, with only the last line unrolled. the portion where the first two lines were, was still loosely rolled up. i was aghast! even LA was. i swallowed and stuttered that it was alright but things just started to buzz into my head. why did i lose the banner that soon? i've worked on it the Tuesday and Sunday before the concert but now, i wouldnt be able to let Mark get even a whiff of it!
i stared wide-eyed at the 5 letters glowing amidst the dimmed ambience.
K-E-V-I-N
strangely, the name seemed to mock me. i tried to get back to watching the boys again as if nothing had happened. much to my delight, Mark had advanced towards where i was standing and had seemed to be only a stone's throw away. all i could remember was me screaming at the tope of my lungs along with tons of other fans. and i didn't care about how loud i was becoming because i thought i had the reason to be so. we all had.
"Mark, Mark!" from my right, i heard my bestfriend suddenly calling out frantically. she gestured towards the banner on the floor. i watched closely as Mark's eyes darted downwards. for a while, i was quite negative that he saw the glowing name that was actually facing him. but soon after he had glanced below, he flashed those pearly whites of his before looking ahead again.
needless to say, i got thrilled!
"oh my gosh!" i mumbled out loudly and just stood there for a while, awestrucked. he saw it. he definitely saw it and he even smiled because of it. it has seemed as if God has wanted the banner to drop facing the stage for my sake after all. He's just brilliant, isn't He?
LA and i gushed at what just happened. even she kept on screaming and repeating about how Mark had acknowledged the red banner with a smile. a warm feeling ran from my deepest gut towards the peripheries of my body. it was a feeling of unexpected happiness, i suppose.
"baka naman akala niya 'Mark loves Kevin' yung nakalagay sa banner..." my bestfriend said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.
i only shrugged it off and just stared ahead at Mark who had then moved to a spot in the middle of the stage, "kahit na.." i told LA.
the boys were singing their 3rd song for the night (when you're looking like that) when a tall, robust man happened to walk across us by the other side of the steel barrier. an idea popped into my head immediately and so when he finally paused in front of where i stood, i gave him an unhesitant tap on the shoulder. "can you pick up my banner for me, sir?", i asked when he stirred. the man bent over, took the half-rolled cartolina and handed it to me without any word. i thanked him and beamed at my bestfriend.
i asked her to help me unroll the red thing and at last we managed to pull the banner open. LA and i got hold of two corners each and held the wrinkled cartolina as high as we could. we called Mark by his name, an attempt that seemed pointless at first. but as if it was all meant to happen that way, Mark looked at our direction amidst the noise and sure enough, he spotted the banner AND the complete message it had wanted to convey in the first place. i thought i saw his eyes studying every letter of the short sentence that glowed lightly. when he was done analyzing what was on the dingy cartolina, he smiled again and that time around, he added a wink that sent me and LA screaming even louder! i felt like fainting. it was one of the loveliest parts of the evening. in fact i think the whole banner experience was truly unforgettable!
i wish
i were
KEVIN
oh yes i do, Mark! :P
i could not explain in words the joy and excitement that swept over me. it was just... bliss.
all the time i've been screaming and finding a way to unroll the stubborn cartolina, a little voice in my head has kept on nagging about the blue plastic bag i had left on my seat when i dashed for the stage at the start of the concert. inside the bag were my
1) Thai pouch (with my money and mobile phone inside it)
2) F2F CD
3) tickets (including LA's) to the event
4) 'love-you-back' teddy which i had brought to throw on the stage (for Mark, of course)
alas, i convinced myself to risk losing the special spot where i had been standing
posted by shamrock at 10:06
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