Monday

Awesome

Unlike most people, I look forward to Mondays. While everyone else heads back to the salt mines, I'm kicking back and enjoying my second day-off of the week. Usually, I spend the day running errands, or I just stay in and watch DVDs, then go out with the Monday edition later in the evening. I had planned on meeting up with my best friend in Makati that particular Monday. While getting dressed, it's become a habit for me to put on some music, and on that day, songs by U2 ("All I Want," from the Reality Bites soundtrack), Fastball ("Out of My Head"), Gavin DeGraw ("Crush" and "Dreams") and Jeff Buckley ("Last Goodbye") blared from the CD player in my room.

I was a little early for my meet-up, so I took that chance to stroll around Glorietta. Not surprisingly, I found myself in Tower Records. Lots of interesting new releases, but they still didn't have the Garden State OST that I've been looking for since I saw the movie. Over at Music One, it was the same story. But then I couldn't help it and bought two CDs: The Killers' "Hot Fuss" and a compilation CD called "Cool" (with songs from Pete Yorn, Howie Day, Bic Runga, Josh Kelly, Los Lonely Boys and others), which I later gave as a birthday present to an officemate (on the note I told her I wanted a copy of the CD for myself, so she should lend it to me ASAP).

Later I finally got to our meeting place: Makati Cinema Square (bring those raised eyebrows down, my friend works in an advertising agency, and her office was just a couple of blocks away from MCS). She was late (as usual) so I hung out at the pirated DVD section (you didn't know they had a pirated DVD section?!). While browsing through the concert DVDs in one particular stall, I gave a silent cry and almost jumped up in surprise when I saw what for me was a treasure: a copy of "Jeff Buckley: Live in Chicago" DVD. Almost instantaneously I snapped it up (along with "U2: Go Home, Live in Slane Castle, Ireland) and paid the stall-lady.

After dinner with my friend, we hung out and chatted for a while. Then I had to go back to Quezon City because I had another appointment: an interview with a band for an article I was writing for a magazine. I made a quick trip back home to drop off the stuff I bought, then went straight to 70's Bistro where I was meeting Bridge. Everybody was outside waiting when I got there. The place was packed; Rivermaya was playing that night. I called up an officemate and friend who had been dying to see them again and, of course, she said she wanted to go. But first, I had a job to do. Seeing as we couldn't squeeze ourselves inside Bistro, the band members and I ended up huddled around a small table inside a nearby Adobo place. It was a good interview; the guys were pleasant and easygoing. Of course it helped that I already knew Johnoy the vocalist from the many, many times my friends and I have seen him perform.

Afterwards, while everybody else left, Johnoy and I hung around for a while at the Adobo place waiting for my friend to arrive so we could go catch Rivermaya. We talked some more about his plans for the band and I couldn't help but wish they'd make it in the big leagues soon. (With their talent and determination, there's no reason for them not to succeed).

Johnoy and I finally decided to go back to 70's Bistro after I called my friend up and found out she got stuck at work. We caught the last few songs of 7FootJr before Johnoy said he had to leave. My friend got there just in time to catch Rivermaya's first song. I've seen them perform before, but I've forgotten what an energetic and charismatic performer Rico Blanco is. My friend and I got the big surprise of the night when, during a lull in the set, Rico began singing Buckley's "Last Goodbye." If we were on a cartoon, my friend would have been picking my jaw up from the floor. Rico pulled it off magnificently as I stood there in a state of shock and disbelief; it was incredible. Afterwards, everything was just icing on the cake. My friend had work the next day, so we went out before the band finished their set. But just as we were about to pull away, we heard the faint strains of "214" and we couldn't help but rush back inside. I just had to wait for the band to do "You'll Be Safe Here." And they did. Finally, we could go home.

(PS When I got home, of course I had to watch my new Buckley Live DVD. I've never actually seen him perform on anything before and my admiration and respect for him only intensified after watching that show. Simply put, the man is awesome. Too bad he had to die so soon).