We didn’t stop to rest after Sonic Boom because we had to drive straight to the airport for our return flight to Cebu. The exhaustion finally caught up with us after the check-in ritual. After finishing a styrofoam bowl of the most expensive Lucky Me instant noodles at P89, all three of us ambled towards the lounge area near our gate, lied down and promptly slept. Or at least tried to.

The booze and the rush of the performance blurred my memory of the gig. I remembered the set though -- Lemerson, Maude, Everyday Drive, then we closed with Quick to Panic. Someone held up a sign asking us to play Happenstance. We didn’t practice that one though so we couldn’t oblige. And we had a four-song cap.

We’ve been away for so long that I had forgotten how it felt to be up there on the stage. The lights burn you to melting point. I would close my eyes, not to feel the rush of the moment but to fight the sting from my sweat. If it didn’t make me look stupid, I’d wear a sweatband around my head during gigs, like when I play basketball.

But other than weak monitors and strong lights, I couldn’t complain. The gig was well worth the quick trip. (I counted us staying only 15 hours total in Manila – not even a full day) I think the crowd enjoyed our set. I know I did up there. Our biggest thanks to Alex Lim’s production for inviting us and putting up one rocking show. Special thanks to Gino also for driving us around town and for the Count to Ten sampler. Thanks also to Louie for inviting us to Darkus Nights. Turbo Goth blew me away. Too bad we couldn’t stay to watch the rest of the bands.

Hopefully before the year ends, plans push through that SATI gets to do a few smaller gigs over a weekend. The intimacy is different for bar gigs, not better, just unique. A big plus -- the lights won’t be as harsh.

(reposted from www.sheilaandtheinsects.blogdrive.com)