Young Star's guide to rock festivals

MANILA, Philippines - W e’ve come a long way from a quicksand of an era when all we had going for our concert scene were either Stephen Speaks or Brian McKnight. Not that either lacked soul — no. There was soul but no diversity, a shortage that would be provided for in due time.

Just last year, we saw the scene grow and up its game, with foreign bands and DJs choosing Manila as their destination. Hype Machine favorites like The Whitest Boy Alive, The Radio Dept., Gold Panda, Lupe Fiasco, and Tahiti 80 were among those acts — the stuff of miracles, you might say. 2010 wasn’t so bad either, having also brought in a mellower lineup, from Kings of Convenience with Jens Lekman to the Handsome Furs.

All this might come off as snobbish or indie inner circle for the uninitiated, but this is only spreading the word about the kind of shows that are soon to come our way. Lined up so far are Toro y Moi (Feb. 15 at Hard Rock Café in Makati), Calvin Harris (Feb. 23 at Republiq), Death Cab for Cutie (March 5 at the NBC Tent in Taguig), and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (details TBA). Even Bush (Feb. 19 at Araneta Colliseum) is making its comeback the same month as Tor-bro and Harris are, that is if you still give a damn about Gavin “Mr. Gwen Stefani” Rossdale.

In line with all this, why not go big and have multiple bands come here altogether for an international rock festival? I do think Manila should cash in on Asia, being the fairly new, risk-averse place for festivals. We ought to scale those hipster heights. We ought to be ready for when Australia’s Future Music Festival (New Order, Mark Ronson vs Zane Lowe, Frank Ocean, among others) selects Asian countries to visit this March. We ought to be ready for bands that will now play anywhere, given the reality that record sales, even digitally, are at their lowest, thereby making performance-based revenue their solution.

In line with this, no past attendee can argue with the fact that a rock festival is a supreme way to experience live music. At best, it carries on the large-scale spirit of the late ‘60s when the Woodstock festival rose to iconic status by promoting peace and music. These days, various acts still gather in the name of song and dance, preferably in an open-air setup just at the foot of the mountains, inciting music fans to be part of something physically massive and infinitely memorable. Just imagine partaking in the emotional camaraderie of singing along to Oasis or dancing to Jamiroquai, for instance.

Mountain rock: Naeba’s Fuji Rock Festival happens in July 2012 with The Stone Roses, Coldplay, Mogwai, Beach House, Wilco, and others. Photo from Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi

And it’s also in these new Asian festivals where this dreamlike sequence comes alive. The Laneway Festival in Singapore, for instance, is only a month away (Feb. 12 at Fort Canning). This should be worth the mini pilgrimage, especially with budget airlines offering as low as $25 (P1,075) for a one-way ticket to Singapore. And with a lineup like Feist, Girls, M83, The Drums and 10 other acts, there shouldn’t be much hesitation to give the hell in.

And there’s no better time to re-experience our own local festivals like the Pulp Summer Slam, Fete dela Musique, and Philippine International Jazz Festival.

With that said (and exhausted), you might want to consider these tips just before you navigate through a major gig or any of this year’s festivals. Besides, it sure beats missing prom for Stephen Speaks.

1. Do cram a pre-concert listening session. That’s if you have little to zero clue about the artist. Acquainting yourself with the band’s hits should do the trick, especially if you intend on actually enjoying the band’s music. Knowing an occasional rarity can even boost your ego. Just don’t go over-conversing about this selected rarity, unless you like falling into social manholes.

2. Do get organized and pack your backpack wisely. For outdoor shows, keep it down to the essentials with maybe an extra shirt, camera, SPF 35-40 sunscreen, and of course, your concert tickets. Do add an extra set of inappropriately comfortable clothes just in case you’re allowed to wear them, too. Tank tops, for instance, can be an advantage at Fort Canning for Laneway Singapore, especially since the weather might be humid and you need all the arm flexibility you can get to call Feist’s attention. Very comfortable footwear is a must as well, as is an umbrella if you hate sporting the wet look.

3. Do feed yourself from vendors at the venue. If you know you’re staying a while, a packed sandwich might not last (i.e., will taste horrible), so trust your environment a little and invest in fresh hotdog sandwiches, pies and rice meals that were meant to complement the outdoors anyway. Be sure to hydrate yourself and eat at regular intervals as well.

4. Do meet people but be wary of turning everything into a personal creepy soiree. Befriending new people can help you get to where you need to go, especially if the stages differ per band, or if you can’t stand being alone. Strangers can also prove to be choice bearers of trivia when it comes to your favorite band. They could also be the next ones onstage, if you’re lucky. Just be careful of the sketchy-looking ones, especially those who look like they could use your recently bought hotdog sandwich.

5. Do chill out and prioritize having fun. Going with the right set of fun-obsessed friends is essential. It wouldn’t also hurt for them to have a similar or open-minded taste in music so you can thoroughly co-enjoy the music festival you’ve starved and saved up for. In terms of safety, you shouldn’t really give paranoia the time of the day anyway. It’s high time to shrug it all off and have a delirious time.