I'm starting a new series.
It's called "I Was There" to mask any post concert syndrome or PCD.
I love going to concerts or music festivals, or any stage performance at that.
So here's how Coldplay went down:
I didn't really know who Coldplay was until Paris Jackson kept talking about it on Twitter some years back. Curiosity got the best of me so I downloaded their top hits. I was awed. No wonder people call them "the greatest band".
And then MMI announced that Coldplay was playing here (in the Philippines). I couldn't be more thrilled. My friend and I originally planned for the Gold/Silver section. I had school that day so she had to buy the tickets for us. She was on cue for hours! Apparently the ticketing system crashed because people swarmed SM Malls across the Islands. The more she reached the counter the more tickets sold out until we were left with only Gen Ad. Desperate to attend, my friend and I grabbed the tickets.
This was before the second semester kicked in.
Getting closer to the day wasn't as exciting. I was anxious. Perhaps I've even entertained the idea of giving it up because I had classes the next day. Unlike the previous semester, my Wednesdays are a bloodbath. But I held on. I couldn't disappoint a friend. It was her first time at a concert so she was really looking forward to it, given that she's more a fan than I am.
Came the day and I left the school past 7:30pm because out of all the days, my professor decided to overtime.
I rushed to the venue like I was some superhero. Traffic wasn't joking. My Grab had to drop me of blocks away from Coldplay. Luckily, I wasn't alone. Together with other concert-goers, I walked-ran to the Concert Grounds at Mall of Asia.
I met with my friend and we entered the venue. The show started past 9pm (I got there 8:30) with the song Yellow. Everybody was electrified.
We were far towards the back but it was still worth it. I can barely see the stage but the crowd was just as lit. People knew every lyric and they weren't holding back. Chris Martin's voice didn't screw away from the original track. Their energy was unbeatable.
The show ended before 12mn (quite short for most shows I believe) but then I realized it was a one act concert. I guess I was so used to music festivals that I expected to be home quite late. After the show, I was so hungry that I dragged my friend to Jollibee.
Honestly, I really thought I'd be home before 1am. But this is were the problem arose.
Traffic was still insane. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, there were 50,000 attendees there. Imagine all those people trying to leave the place all at the same time. Globe's data connection was failing miserably. Uber and Grab won't even load up. My friend and I decided to walk around to see if other locations would help with our data connection. Before we knew it was almost 1am and we still couldn't book a ride. That's when we decided to hail a "regular" taxi, but also to no avail. Regular taxi drivers are sick to the brains. They were either A) ignoring us or B) saying no to us.
My friend decided to take her chance at a bus so we parted ways.
I was left there being turned down by taxis and still unable to book a ride. This is where it got worse: my battery percentage. I was down to 20%. My heart was racing. My house was literally 15 minutes away from Mall of Asia but I couldn't retreat there because my smart self decided to keep my Dad out of the loop. I was trying to avoid pointless interrogation there. As far as he's concerned, I'm at my dormitory.
I started to panic. I still needed to sleep because I knew I need to study for the next class. My mind searched for other clever (or stupid) ideas until it reached one. Clever (or stupid) put inefficient. I made my way to the nearest hotel (which was Conrads) and was legitimately asking for an available room. Thankfully, they were fully booked.
I panicked even more. I walked from Conrads to Mall of Asia Arena hopeful that walking around would at least calm my nerves, and also bring me to more clever (or stupid) ideas.
Finally, I decided to try Grab once again. It loaded up but it still won't book me a ride. My battery was down to 13% at this point. My brightness was down to the minimum. Thank goodness I tried Uber next because it finally booked me a ride!
My relief was beyond comprehension. It was almost 2am, at 12%. But who cares, I am getting home! My Uber driver was coming from NAIAX (which was a bit far) but who was I to complain? I was just worried he'd get to me too late (drained battery). I was praying to the Lords of all religion that my phone won't die on me before he gets to the pick up spot. I was completely alone, seated at the pavement of Mall of Asia Arena. Traffic has subsided.
He got to me at 9% but he got to me nonetheless. My Uber driver was friendly enough to ask how the concert was like and what time did it start. Apparently, he dropped a client there from the airport. We had a little chat and before I know it, I was already at my dormitory.
I volunteered to recite the next day.
It was definitely worth it.
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