Goodbye Sugarfree

This is my tribute post to one of my favorite OPM bands.

Sugarfree had their last performance at the Eastwood Open Park last night.  *sniff sniff*  They've left  us.  Well Ebe Dancel is.  We all know Sugarfree isn't ever going to be the same without him.  The OPM scene is such a darker place because of it.  The damp and rainy weather reflected everyone's mood last night.  The place was PACKED, on a week night no less.  I knew Yuri and I HAD to go, even if that meant being stuck standing in a sea of sweaty people for hours with almost no room to breathe.  Despite our long tiring day at Quiapo and Divisoria, my sore aching legs, and sunken sleep-deprived eyes, I knew that we needed to be there.

 They left behind some amazing songs that inspired a generation of young Filipinos.  Their songs kept me company during solo drives to and from school (back in college), drunken emo drinking sessions with my buddies, and kept me sane on days when my homesickness got a little out of hand (during my few years in the US).  I was first introduced to them at the Freshman Concert at UP Diliman.  I've been a huge fan since then.  I was (and maybe still am) generally allergic sentimental mushy music but their take on it felt real and had, at least, a rock(ish) edge to it.  Their lyrics and songs just seem to capture every sort of extreme emotion you could ever feel.  Shouting out and singing along to their songs somehow makes crappy days bearable and happy days all the more euphoric.  So yeah this sort of feels like losing a good friend.

I managed to record one of my favorite songs, "Kapit Ka Sa Akin", last night.  This'll prolly be the last time I'll be hearing it live.

And so the curtains close.