Reunion

My absolute favorite thing about the Eraserheads reunion weren't the songs, although they were brilliant; like a lot of people, I felt that they gave us more than we could ask of them at the time, and wasn't that electric Alapaap opener worth the price of admission already?

But the best thing about the reunion is that the guys are okay. Not health-wise (although we all got the good news that Ely's on his way to recovery), but that the guys are okay with each other. It's no secret that the members, particularly Ely and Raymund, have had a gap. In fact, when Ely had his first heart attack, Raymund was the only Head who didn't send his regards to the old comrade. It's a divide that affected not just the band, but the fans and the rest of the local music scene.

Prior to the group's first rehearsal, Raymund expressed some apprehension about the awkwardness that would surely be present during the session. He did say that he'd approach the preparation for the reunion concert in a professional manner and give it everything he could, but there was no indication that the gap would be bridged.

The rehearsals went well enough after the initial awkwardness, according to accounts by Raymund and Marcus, but again, it could be the guys just doing their job. Then when the situation with the tobacco company was about to boil over, Raymund sent another email where he expressed some frustration about the situation, a frustration that was shared by the rest of the band. He went on to describe the band as a "four-headed hydra" that had awakened, and it struck me as the first indication that there was a chance that we were going to witness the Eraserheads, instead of four guys from different bands who just came together for a gig that paid them a wild amount of cash.

A few hours before the concert, Raymund again posted a message about the preparations, and again, it was encouraging because he cheerfully mentioned visitors during the soundcheck, which included "friends from Pupil." He also wrote about his busy schedule the past few days, which included a visit to the wake of Ely's mom. Then in a post after the concert, he gave everyone an update on Ely's condition and later mentioned that he did visit Ely. He also promised another Eraserheads reunion show as soon as possible.

A couple of days ago, Pupil manager Dr. Day Cabuhat finally posted photos from the soundcheck and backstage before the big concert. And it's the best set of photos from the concert you'll ever see. It wasn't just Ely, Marcus, Buddy, and Raymund. It was the Eraserheads. And they were in UP Centennial hoodies, too!





Yesterday, there was a thank-you message posted on the Circus mailing list from Dr. Day, and she thanked Raymund, Buddy, and Marcus for "being there every step of the way." She added, "It is a reunion in more ways than one can ever imagine."

I know that the Heads won't ever be best of friends, and it's the most natural thing in the world for four guys who met in college, to grow up, to grow older, to grow apart. But it's not so much to ask that they be okay with each other, that they exchange hellos when they run into each other at gigs, that all the animosity is gone. Like the song goes: "At kung sakaling mapadaan, baka ikaw ay aking tawagan, dahil minsan tayo ay naging tunay na magkaibigan."

And that would be enough.


It's provident timing, but tomorrow evening, a week after the Eraserheads, we'll be having a reunion of our own. It's my 10-year high school reunion, and like the Heads, a lot of us have grown up, grown older, and grown apart. Still, it'd be good to see everyone.

Labels: eraserheads, music

- posted by jaemark @ 9/05/2008 09:45:00 PM