Eraserheads reunion concert cut short

The Eraserheads mean much to my generation since they became a big hit after emerging from the alternatative music scene of UP Diliman in the late 1980s. For those who graduated from college at that time, things were very uncertain. Gringo had his failed coup against Cory. The betrayal of EDSA 1986 was in full force (recall that the college students were at the barricades) The half-a-day brownouts were the rage.

Jobseekers had very little opportunities. There were no call centers. There were no cell phones(where you can text to express your rage via text jokes) and there was only one library in the country (it was located in Makati) where you can send email in the just emerging Internet.

The Eraserheads encapsulated all these angsts in their songs sans the political colour (But one of the last songs before the breakup "Para sa Masa" had that typical UP Diliman angst and political commentary). That would a years later be done by another band from UP Diliman, "Yano" These bands played to a post-EDSA I generation that came to maturity just before cell phones, the Internet, YouTube, Blogs, Friendster,Multiply etc and all cyberwhatever became part of our lives. The only electronic dog tag we had was the beeper and this was immortalized in one of the lines of the E-heads hit "Torpedo". (When the song was re-made for the SMS txt generation, the line was changed into "nag riring ng ang cellphone mo)

The E-heads songs consequently became hits and some songs like Alapaap were the subject of controversy. By then I was a postgraduate student in Australia. When I came back, EDSA 2 and 3 had happened,and there was SMS txt! Also the E-heads had split.

But I was able to follow the E-heads though the emergent Internet, although media streaming was primitive then.

So when news about the reunion concert spread through Pinoy cyberspace, I was interested.But being a non-smoker, I don't think I would qualify for a free ticket. But the tobacco company had to back off from the sponsorship as required by law and the concert was open to all. But unfortunately, I had no time.

The Inquirer soundtrip reports that the concert was cut short because lead vocalist and band mainstay Ely Buendia was rushed to hospital. Buendia had a heart attack in 2007.

The show didn't go on. This was a big letdown to fans, who reports say, said a prayer for Buendia.

With that, I think the E-heads are on their way to being part of our own Rock mythology.