IT WAS A NIGHT OF love. They asked us to sing along, and we did, since we knew the songs by heart. They asked us to wave our hands, and we raised them in the air. Asked for a group hug, they said we should do it first. ?Kayo muna,? Ely told us. And we could have given just that if there weren?t a hundred thousand people in the gig of the one Pinoy band that mattered.

?Eraserheads: The Final Set,? March 7, at SM Mall of Asia was the gig of all gigs.

It has been showered superlatives?phenomenal, massive, intense, hardcore. A week has passed and we?re still not over it.

Inquirer Super talks to three ?Heads?Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro?and honorary ?Head?Jazz Nicholas of Itchyworms. Since we know you still can?t get enough of the Philippines? Fab Four, here they are?or at least, most of them?in their own words.

Raymund Marasigan
Drummer

What was the first thing in your mind when you saw the extreme number of people?

I was going around lunchtime pa lang. Masaya! The crowd was hanggang dulo. It?s the biggest show I?ve played.

What made you guys do the bonus three songs, ?Ligaya,? ?Sembreak? and ?Toyang??

A few things. Kaya pa namin e. Ako, personally, bitin pa. We wanted to give more. Gusto pa naming magbigay. We were just glad to finish the show. Napagkwentuhan namin before na baka hindi tigilan [ng crowd].

Was it some sort of a secret playlist?

Not really, we discussed right there and then on stage what to play. [We chose those songs because] ?yun ?yung madali e.

Which was your favorite part in the gig?

First song pa lang! Then ?El Bimbo,? destroying the piano. I love ?Alapaap.?

Some fans pinpointed mistakes online, not that we mind.

Yes, there were mistakes. Madaming na-hold back so we could push on with the show. We were trying to pace it. Napapaisip ka na minsan and getting unsure. But we were having fun and trying not to get distracted with technical glitches.

Were you nervous?

I wasn?t nervous. But conscious because you know you?re being recorded and video-ed, and you?re playing in front of family and friends.

Was the burning of the ?Sticker Happy? piano part of the plan?

I?ve heard that Ely [Buendia, Eraserheads vocalist] wants to do that. Kaso may mga electric fan around us so hindi nagsindi agad. Bringing in the ?Sticker Happy? piano was supposed to be in the first show. Noong umalis si Ely sa Teacher?s Village, nalipat ?yan sa ?70?s bistro, it has been there forever.

How did you feel about it?

Piano naman n?ya ?yun e.

The acoustic set was really refreshing and surprising, we loved it!

Someone suggested pushing it for the second set. We were asked to do 20 songs under contract.

We noticed you were wearing a Team Manila shirt in various colors while you were playing.

The set list was printed on the back. Those weren?t released before the gig but are being sold now.

What?s your plan after the ?Final Set??

Back to playing with Sandwich, Pedicab and Cambio. I have a band called Gaijin, we have a Japanese drummer and an American singer. I?m also producing for The Dawn, Francine Prieto and Yeng Constantino.

Where were you after the gig?

We were in the Smart and MTV after-party gig at 7 Pecados, then we hung out at Saguijo [in Makati] with friends. We were too tired to play. Ely, I think, stayed in the hotel to rest.

The crowd clamored for a group hug, we thought we?d finally see it.

?Di naman kami show biz [laughs]. ?Di ba sabi ni Ely ?Kayo muna?? If you guys group-hug total strangers, siguro we might have done that. ?Di naman kami mapipikon sa group hug chant, matatanda na kami [laughs].

How?s your relationship now with the rest of the ?Heads?

Civil. Madami na kaming pinalagpas. But better because even sa rehearsals it was less tense. Si Buddy naman kabanda ko e [with Cambio], so I see him almost every day. ?Yung mga drama namin amin-amin na lang ?yun.

Buddy Zabala
Bassist

What was running in your head when you got up on stage and saw the throng of people?

Masaya. I was looking at the sea of people and I can?t see where it ends.

Palabas na kami no?n and we were surprised when you did an unexpected encore.

You know that rule to ?leave the crowd wanting for more?? We broke that rule, we?ve gone back and did more.

When you guys bowed on stage, we really thought you were going to do a group hug.

That?s what I wanted to make clear. We?re not exactly the group-hug kind of band. Can you imagine some band like U2 doing that? People who say that don?t know the ?Heads.

It?s a classic case of what you do will never be enough. Ely singing would never be enough, Raymund singing would never be enough. Marcus singing would never be enough. Me singing would never be enough. The sets will never be enough. Three more songs will never be enough. It?s the momentum. It?s the nostalgia that makes people ask for more. We fall in love with that kind of thing.

Was the acoustic set done to give Ely some rest?

Yes it was a conscious effort not just for Ely but also for the band to get some rest. Kaya rin kumanta si Raymund and Marcus.

We were chanting ?Buddy! Buddy!? noong ikaw na lang ?yung hindi kumakanta.

Kumanta naman ako ah! [pertaining to a few lines he sang on stage].

Bakit hindi mo tinuloy?

Dapat kakanta ako ng ?Tama Ka? from the ?Natin 99? album but it couldn?t find its way in the set list.

How different were you guys in the ?Final Set? from the first reunion gig?

Generally we?re looser on stage. This time there was less tension. Mas may team effort and we did our best as individuals.

We noticed the band made some mistakes during the show.

That?s how the ?Heads have always been. But it was less tense.

How were you right after the event?

I had to kick back, ?decompress.? I was with Raymund and Marcus at 7 Pecados. Then we transferred to Saguijo.

What are your plans after this big gig?

The Dawn has a new album. I?m producing for Silent Sanctuary and Sugarfree.

So how are you guys now? Do you see yourself hanging out and stuff?

You know that?s a good question. It?s like how we have left off dati pero mas relaxed. There are no expectations. We?re talking to each other.

So that means you guys got more mature?

Well, we?re older. Maraming unanswered questions but as you go older you just let it go.

Marcus Adoro
Lead guitarist

Fans were in full force in the ?Final Set,? what can you say about it?

The show of support was overwhelming. Of course, you can?t also deny the fact that they were there because it was supposed to be the last. Nonetheless we are really thankful. Salamat talaga.

Raymund asked us to call you when the three of them were on stage for the encore and we were chanting ?Marcus! Marcus!? where were you then and did you really hear us?

I was with family back at my tent. My tent had become the kids? hang-out tent and I was there mingling and having my celebratory beer. Tapos dumating na ?yung taga-production, aakyat daw to do more numbers. Yeah, I kinda heard that as soon as papalapit na ako ng stage.

Your cute Hello Kitty guitar got our attention. Tell us about it.

I bought it somewhere in Galleria. I just got to have that cute guitar and my intention was to use it for the punkiest of our numbers which were ?Insomya,? ?Alkohol? and ?Slo Mo??the song had a line that goes ?tumatanda na ang pusa ko...? I christened it Pink Pussycat Power, by the way. I only use it for very special occasions. It?s just fun to have it around and it?s nice to look at.

Which is the most unforgettable part of the gig for you?

It has to be when Ely doused the ?Sticker Happy? piano with lighter fluid during the end part of ?El Bimbo.? setting it afire and stomping on it till it shattered into pieces. There was a mixed reaction to it in hindsight. I love it.

You were saying something to Ely while he was doing that.

I kept screaming at Ely to let go of the lighter fluid because the plastic container already caught fire and it?s just a matter of time before it explodes. He was holding it above his head and I was under the impression that he couldn?t see it while it was burning. I gave a warning.

Nasa ?Alapaap? na kami and was about to hit the exit, but then you guys gave us more.

Oh, it was a semi-planned thing in a way na nobody knew which song we were playing except for Ely. So there was a little kaba factor on our part. Gladly he picked songs from the last gig so that was a sigh of relief.

You sang a reggae version of ?Maling Akala? to the delight of the crowd, most of which heard you sing for the first time. Were you nervous?

I wasn?t nervous at all. I do that version all the time with Markus Highway as a nod to Ely and the ?Heads? legacy. It never fails to give good vibes to all. That was part of the surprise numbers so okay na nagulat sila. It worked. Tadah!

Do you have any idea what happened to the li?l boys who were cast in the ?Ang Huling El Bimbo? music video?

The ?Huling El Bimbo? kids are now binata as per my last conversation with director Aureaus Solito.

How are you with the rest of the ?Heads?

We?re good. We spent some moments at the hotel the day after the concert.

We heard you were with Marcus and Raymund after the gig.

We were invited for an after-party at the hotel?s bar [Sofitel?s 7 Pecados] and another one at Saguijo. I graced both to say thanks to people, have some pictures taken, chitchat and wind down. Then I ordered breakfast at 4 a.m. and went to sleep after.

Jazz Nicholas
Sessionist

How different was this concert compared with the first gig?

More relaxed, mas fun, mas comfortable. Although may times na nahihiya pa rin ako. Iba ?yung force ?pag nagsama-sama sila e.

Which was the most poignant part of the gig for you?

Kapag nag-uusap usap sila, especially Raymund and Ely. Nakakakilig!

We?ve heard you?re a big E?heads fan?

Sobra! Napakalaking impluwensya nila sa ?kin. They encouraged us [Itchyworms] to do our own originals. Sila [Buddy and Raymund] rin ?yun record producers namin [for ?Noontime Show?].

Did you plan what you wore for the gig?

Oo naman!

Buddy indirectly called it a ?night of love.?

In love naman tayong lahat sa ?Heads e.