Strange Days Indeed

Got word that it has been a bad post-Valentines Day Friday night for most organizers of gigs. The Timog Avenue strip for one was nearly dead as early as 1:30 am, the street filled mostly with taxi cabs waiting in vain for passengers. A gig in Manila was actually done by 12 midnight. Some bands were not able to play. So on and so forth.

A few people attributed this to the ongoing UP Fair ("Chong you have the whole of Sunken Garden to fill up"), but then again as far as I can remember this has not always been the case in the past. Friday will always be a Friday. Went around Saturday night to find some bars closing up early as well. So much for payday Valentines weekend.

Sign of the times? Friday is the same day when some ten thousand people trouped to Ayala Avenue, a physical manifestation that not everyone has been numbed forever by rampant graft and corruption among other things, and that there are still many Filipinos wanting change....

At any rate, that night we were at Ten-02 Bar and watched some bands such as Escalator 7
Mobster Manila

Bad Omen (they did covers of Third World Chaos, Urban Bandits, and surprise! Under Blue Skies)
Coffee Break IslandBadburn (at this point the batts of my trusty digicam conked out), plus a surprise visit from Music Front, led by "Justice" Arnold Morales.

spot the differences

And other bands I missed, because by that time we were outside chatting with some folks, eating taho, watching the near-empty street and wondering what is bound to happen in the days to come.

Welcome to another week, people, and may you all be safe. As the wonderful John Lydon said, and in reference to an Irish poem, "May the road rise with you."