Monday, March 17, 2008

Shadows Fall - Live in Manila 03.15.08

Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band formed in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1996. Although the band has experienced several lineup changes, for most of its recording career Shadows Fall has comprised of Brian Fair (vocals), Jonathan Donais (guitar), Matt Bachand (guitar), Paul Romanko (bass), and Jason Bittner (drums).

Since its formation, Shadows Fall has released five studio albums, two compilation albums, and one DVD. The band's first album featured Philip Labonte on vocals, although he was soon replaced by Fair. Shadows Fall's first two studio albums featured David Germain playing drums, but in 2002 Bittner joined the band full time. The band is currently a Grammy Award nominee in the category Best Metal Performance for the song "Redemption" off the album Threads of Life. - wikipedia



ONE FUCKING HELL OF A NIGHT!
The only perfect sentence that can describe the experience when i was on the a. avenue on makati the night of march 15, 2008.

i admit. im not really a fan of shadows fall, i only went as a chaperon to my boyfriend. at first, i felt like i was an outcast. who wouldn't be? almost everyone wore black shirts, tops and jackets with black/camouflage, then shorts and pants plus the famous different colors of chuck taylor. i on the other hand was very much normal. i wore a green top, skinny jeans and tsinelas. i had my menstruation too which would explain why i can't move much, scream or jump around. BUMMER. it's frustrating, I KNOW.

around 8pm we arrived at the venue. the line was long and the security was tight. they wouldnt allow digicams. fortunately, i bought a big bag with me because i have a test the next day. (yes, its sunday. my school is super weird!) we were able to get the cam inside.

the venue was good. its worth the pay! its well ventilated, cool and comfortable.
hindi siya masikip.

everyone was free to move around.
there was free beer together with the tickets. i didn't use the tab. haha! i dont drink. i bought a shadows fall t-shirt instead courtesy of tribal gear as a memento.

there were celebrities too like dylan (the host and vj of jack tv.) - she's small but beautiful. and talkative too. sib was also present (the mtv vj). he's suplado but cute. and kat alano who was absolutely stunning that night! haha! she experieced the mosh pit and was able to laugh it off afterwards. haha!

when we got there, the bands were already playing.
gayuma, valley of chrome, intolerant and sin.
gayuma, the band winner of musiklaban 2008 didn't gave an impact to the audience. i think they failed to flare up the kids.
valley of chrome came in next and gave energized performance. the vocalist even pulled the cord of the microphone because of widly jumping around the stage. atleast, they made the kids dance around and bang their heads.
then intolerant, i wasn't impressed really. the look of the vocalist gave me an impression that he was tired or sleepy. plus, they were constantly playing and said nothing.
and last but not the least, sin. i think, they were the best opening act. i mean, the white kids were impressed. they even gave him the hand after their set.

around 10pm, all the opening bands were finished. the long awaited show is about to begin. the lights were off and it took some time to set up the stage. the black curtain dropped and there was a huge statue of a mutilated man. the kids were restless. they were shouting "shadowsfall" every now and then. but here's the funny part. they even shouted "emo sucks". its a metal scene, so yeah. its obvious. i just pity those who were there that was emo. its like "OUCH". haha!

and after a few minutes. BOOM! they played. the first track was "Redemption" from their new album "Threads of Life". They gave it all. I couldn't ask for more. We were even singing together with them.

All the world will hear you, Our voices can't be bound, All the world will hear you, Redemption in the power of the sound.

Nobody cared what you wore that night, if you were metal or not. As long as you jive and bang your head to the rhythm of the music. IT'S FINE!

Brian never failed to be with the crowd, talk and shake hands. He was dancing on stage. It was amazing that he can move his head with those big dreadlocks of his. He even gave a statement that made the audience roar! "We're bringing you true metal. you won't have to hear anything from a whiny little b-i-t-c-h about a girl breaking his heart. fcuk the emo trend we're bringing you metal! " He enjoyed singing for us and even took his shirt off. Yummy! haha!

Jon Donais was so good with the lead guitars! You can hear the every note. A handsome guy. Nakakatunaw yung ngiti. Haha!
Jason Bitter gave a drum solo. A powerful performance. Just like Jon, you'll never miss every beat.

Too bad i can't describe all of them.
Haha! Bitin?
We were at the right side watching and me being such a small person can't see the other guys playing on the left side.

And here's the playlist too.
redemption
venomous
the light that blinds
burning the lives
storm winds
thoughts without words
enlightened by the cold
of one blood
failure of the devout
forevermore

fleshold
destroyer of senses
what drives the weak
inspiration on demand


They gave us an encore when we shouted "more, more". And of course, they gave in. It was nice of them.

At the end of the show? They threw away their arm bands, pics, drum skins and other valuable memorabilia that a fan would die for. Unfortunately, we couldn't grab one.

And oh yeah. There were hilarious moments too. Like a girl being trampled by guys on the mosh pit, walked away pissed and swerving and a drunk man vomiting his intestines off. haha!

I will never forget this day.

THE PICS!
(other pictures are courtesy of filipino metal forums)

the ticket



Valley of Chrome



Intolerant



Sin


SHADOWS FALL






















The most important part? Seeing my boyfriend happy from the arrival until the departure.
Worth every bit of my penny. A perfect gift.
Memory. Forever treasured and remembered.
I love you dhie. :)

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