#IWASTHERE: Chroma 2.0 ~ Thoughts by Design

So here's how Chroma 2017 went down:

I wasn't really planning on getting there. To me, Chroma was just another music festival I could miss. I didn't really pay attention until a friend of mine asked if I was going. Being my Filipino self, I said I'll think about it.

Fast forward to about a couple months later, Facebook slapped me int the face with Chroma's amazing lineup. Jonas Blue was among their guests. That automatically changed the game.

I found out about Jonas Blue when Perfect Strangers rose to fame. And then Fast Car, and lately, By Your Side. I found myself anticipating new songs from the guy.

So finally, I packed up my courage and invited my friends. Surprisingly, they were down for it. We waited until a couple weeks later for the Buy 2 Get 1 ticket promo.

Chroma was in the same week as Coldplay so the hype was real. The last time I was at an outdoor (legit) music festival was at Closeup Forever Summer. I almost forgot how it was like: CRAZY (but so much fun).

Road to ULTRA was nothing compared to Chroma Music Festival. But that's another thought.

I left the house early because I was worried about parking. I always hated that kind of inconvenience. I was willing to wait for my friends for hours for it. I arrived around 3pm and my friends arrived around 5:30? They were supposed to be there 4:30 for the powder toss but it's fine I expected worse.

Commercial was the earthquake that struck while I was in my car waiting. I thought I was just making it up but apparently not. The car was literally moving. Thank goodness it was way calmer than the one in the epicenter (wish everybody's safe there).

Time went by so fast, I barely felt it.

When my friends arrived we didn't get in as quickly. I decided to eat at Army Navy because I'm expecting golden priced food and beverage in the venue. Around 6:30pm, we decided it's time to get real. The entrance took a lot longer than normally. VIPs were segregated from the Gen Ad, but it was still taking time. I suppose security at music festivals has since gone stricter since people died at the 2016 Closeup Forever Summer. It was my first time being instructed to put down my bag at a mat so the dog can sniff on it. I haven't heard of such security measure, so I admit I kind of find it absurd.

Chroma is definitely priced lower than most music festivals. A VIP ticket cost only Php1,500. Imagine that. You get 4 free bottles of Tanduay Ice, two powders, and a free T-Shirt! The perks was definitely worth it. Circuit Makati was spacious. Compare to the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, Circuit Makati is bigger and wider.

There is one thing Chroma is widely known for: the powder toss! But what I didn't expect was the awful smell it came with. To me it smelled like wood and chemicals. Combine that with sweat and heat, oh boy.

When we arrived, Rave Radio was on stage. VIPs had access to the mosh pit but they're also free to roam around (except for the VIP tables). We joined the pit for like an hour before we got hungry.

This is what I remember vividly. Around 9:30pm, we were seated right next to the food stalls, bidding our time. We were discussing who was going to end the show and we decided it's probably Jonas Blue because he's the most commercially known International DJ on the list (Although I was also looking forward to seeing Dyro and HeadHunterZ). And then all of a sudden, By Your Side started playing on stage. Everybody went frantic including me and my friends. It all happened so fast. I grabbed my phone and powerbank and tossed it in my bag, then ran for the pit. I remember I was holding my bag wrong but I didn't care. I just ran. And everybody was doing the same. It was crazy fun. Such adrenaline rush. It was long before I realized my friend and I could lose each other in the crowd. I found her running towards me and I pulled her to the VIP entrance. While this is happening, I remember my lace was untied. I told her about it and we stopped for a second, just enough time to grab my shoelace. I was practically tying my lace while hopping (a combination of walking and running). We got in in just the right time and we found a good spot. It was crazy filthy fun! We stayed the whole set and although it was the most eeky sensation being in the crowd literally swimming with colored powder that smelled like hell, drenched in sweat that could or could be yours, and gulping for air in between beatdrops, we simply didn't care. We danced like there's no tomorrow, screamed like there's no tomorrow, and jumped around like fools like there's no tomorrow. He played his hit songs but he also played us a new song (coming next month he said). His set ended around past 10:30 and our legs were sore. We preceded to the girls lavatory to clean up and thank goodness I decided to bring a towel.

We could have stayed longer but right then and there we decided to leave. Jonas Blue was our main and since he came out early, we're good.

We spent time at the parking lot just reminiscing because that's how we roll. It appears we have our own version of the Fun Run and it was funny as hell.

I got home past 12mn still laughing about it.