Midnight Memories
My On the Road Again Tour Experience
#NOCHILLPHILIPPINES
That hashtag perfectly describes the crazy goings during Day 2 of the On The Road Again Tour 2015, which I was blessed to be a part of.
As a fan of One Direction, I've waited long for this day. Despite my ticket stationed quite far, I was looking forward to finally hearing them LIVE. Not just in my speakers, on my laptop or on TV--freaking LIVE. And we'd get to see them up close, even it's only on the LED screens.
2 days earlier I was mourning over the fact that my Zayn Malik was going to be a no-show on the concert. I'm a big Zayn fan. In fact, I became a fan because of him. You can imagine my sadness when my office mates blurted the bad news that morning. 1D with no Zayn? Me not seeing my bebe boy?
*insert hypothetical tears*
My excitement for the show wavered for a bit. But eventually, I couldn't help but still look forward to it. After all, Harry, Liam, Niall & Louis were coming to town.
So. Concert day - MARCH 22, 2015
My concert buddy and I arrived early but the line was like -- WHOAAAA.
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| THAT LINE THO. THAT LINE. |
Fans were scattered everywhere. They all had their gimmicks. I met a set of interesting girls, each with a favorite Directioner in mind. There were foreigners bearing a cardboard head of Harry's best friend (how'd they even know that was Harry's best friend?!), girls giggling all of a sudden, parents chaperoning their kids (though most of them were fans themselves!) and various happy scenarios.
There was this little scene where girls went cray cray over this Zayn Malik lookalike. They really chased him...REALLY CHASED HIM. And took pictures.
Yes, they did.
Zayn, look at what you've done to the people.
11 hours. That's how long Ana and I waited for the boys. We endured unbelievable heat in the morning. The sun was ferociously staring down at us while we begged for some wind. I thank God for giving us the endurance to stay strong despite the heat.
#OUTSTANDINGSTUDENT!
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| Me and mah concert buddeh #zayn #harry |
While waiting, I finally felt what it was like to be with people who understood your love for 1D. Pre-concert, I shared my 1D side with a friend or two who knew what I was talking about. But they were so rare! I sometimes discussed my fangirling with friends who endured for my sake.
But there I was, surrounded with not one but MILLIONS of people who got my feels! :D Haha! It was amazing. No one smirked at me when I poured all my sad feels over Zayn's sudden departure. Nobody raised their eyebrows when I giggled while listening to Zayn hit them high notes.
They understood. I was home. AHHHHHHH :d
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| Fellow Fan Girls <3 #harthart |
11 hours! Man, what an experience. By the time 5 PM rolled in, we were allowed to go inside the grounds. Everyone was psyched, and who could blame them? We've waited so long for the lads! :D We were finally going to see them. Even if we had to wait 3 more hours, it was okay!
And we were in!
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| That X. Stahp reminding me of Ed Sheeran :( |
Of course, the show wasn't due for 3 more hours. We met more fans and I was surprised with the generous amount of straight male fans there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging or anything. It's just that I've always thought guys are instantly repelled with One Direction. Apparently, I was wrong. I'd find out later how dead wrong I was.
Did I mention that it also rained? Yep, the rain poured hard. Umbrellas weren't allowed inside so we were soaked. Despite the moody weather, we still persevered! The girls around me were like: Rain or shine, it's okay! PARA SA KANILA TO! TIISIN ANG LAHAT PARA SA 1D!
Rain or shine indeed.
By 7 PM, almost everyone was getting antsy. The teenage fans were begging the guards to move the barricade forward to get a better view of the lads. I was okay with where I was. After all, there was a big LED screen nearby.
The concert's opening act was DJ KC. Let me just say: RAIN + HARDCORE DJ BEATS = WOAH. He was pretty good with hyping up the crowd. But of course, everyone anticipated the lads.
Finally, after much waiting, after too many commercials, after so much crying around, after too many 5SOS and Little Mix music videos- it was time.
THEY WERE HERE. THEY WERE REALLY HERE.
Even though they were far, the live singing got to me. THEY SOUNDED SO GOOD LIVE. What you hear on the radio is exactly what you hear live. Though Zayn was absent, they managed to put on a good show.
I'm not a big fan of the song Clouds but when the performed it first, I had a change of heart.
As I mentioned, I'm a big Zayn fan. So I couldn't help but feel a bit sad, wanting to hear his voice in their songs. But in all fairness, they managed to pull everything off. In fact, Zayn's absence made me appreciate the other boys.
As expected, Harry and Niall were the stars of the night. Whenever the camera panned at them or when they belched out solos, ovaries exploded. Heck, even straight male fans were pointing and singing along to them.
I was also super impressed by these two, especially when Niall did a birit part. Yeah, he did a Zayn part. I just can't remember which song. The Irish Princess was so cool and awesome that I finally understood why they went gaga over him. That angelic blonde look and perkiness was definitely worth the swoon.
And of course, Harry was the typical pop star. I got to hand it to him, he's a good performer. He knows what works up the audience and he's definitely fun to watch. Especially when he had his man bun. He'll always be my best second favorite of all time.
Apart from the songs, I had tons of favorite moments from the show:
1) Liam reading out fan signs. Too funny. There was one fan who asked him to say NAKAKAPAGPABAGABAG (a difficult Filipino word) and the results were so funny. There were long-lost daughter claims, bolera moments and adoption claims as well.
There was also a selfie request. Here's what Liam and Niall did:
2) Liam, Niall, Louis and the rest of McDonald's lovers VS. Harry.
Poor Harry. I don't remember how the argument exactly started. Apparently, someone wanted to toss a burger on stage and Liam began discussing how McDonald's was one of the best foods in the world. He went on to elaborate the importance of fast foods.
Harry, on the other hand, began to object and said, "We should all eat our vegetables!" Unfortunately, he realized too late he was battling a losing fight. I mean, come on, vegetables against chicken nuggets?
Liam got the crowd chanting "CHICKEN NUGGETS!" Poor Harry attempted to raise a pitiful chant of "HEALTHY EATING!" Lucky for him, we love him. Despite our agreement with Liam,we sided with him for the sake of siding with him.
Eventually, someone did toss Louis a burger.With his recent breakup with Eleanor, he deserves it.
3) THE BIRTHDAY CHAIR. I find it sweet that the boys appreciate their staff and crew. For Day 2, they sang for this man named Toby who sat on Harry (a.k.a the birthday chair). It was too sweet, I tell ya.
4) Liam sang I Will Survive. He was introducing the band, which eventually lead to him singing I Will Survive. The man's got vocal skills.
5) Basically every time they teased us by calling out (in a flirty voice): MANILAAAAA. I bet every girl wanted to be named Manila that night.
The songs were mostly from Four and Midnight Memories. But of course, the boys sang their eternal hits: One Thing, What Makes You Beautiful, Kiss You and Best Song Ever. Like I said, they sounded so good LIVE. Goes to show that they really gots them talents.
They ended with Best Song Ever and indeed, it was the best song ever. Add fireworks and spectacular goodbyes, you get yourself tons of screaming fans. Total pandemonium. While they were saying their goodbyes, it occurred to me that I was part of an unbelievable experience. Far as they were, I shared the same area with them.
People will disagree when I say they're one of the best bands in the world. They are. I'm not just saying this cause I love Zayn's voice--if you gave their album a chance, you'd see how much they've leveled up from teeny bopper hits to serious ballads.
The concert confirmed to me that I wasn't a fan just because of Zayn. They sounded so good, I wished they wouldn't stop singing. It's amazing to see how much they've changed--their musical acts, I mean. Sometimes, I wish they were still the same lads from Kiss You.
But people change. Plus Four's an amazing album.
Did I mention that it also rained? Yep, the rain poured hard. Umbrellas weren't allowed inside so we were soaked. Despite the moody weather, we still persevered! The girls around me were like: Rain or shine, it's okay! PARA SA KANILA TO! TIISIN ANG LAHAT PARA SA 1D!
Rain or shine indeed.
By 7 PM, almost everyone was getting antsy. The teenage fans were begging the guards to move the barricade forward to get a better view of the lads. I was okay with where I was. After all, there was a big LED screen nearby.
The concert's opening act was DJ KC. Let me just say: RAIN + HARDCORE DJ BEATS = WOAH. He was pretty good with hyping up the crowd. But of course, everyone anticipated the lads.
Finally, after much waiting, after too many commercials, after so much crying around, after too many 5SOS and Little Mix music videos- it was time.
THEY WERE HERE. THEY WERE REALLY HERE.
Even though they were far, the live singing got to me. THEY SOUNDED SO GOOD LIVE. What you hear on the radio is exactly what you hear live. Though Zayn was absent, they managed to put on a good show.
I'm not a big fan of the song Clouds but when the performed it first, I had a change of heart.
 |
| FANTASTIC FOUR |
As I mentioned, I'm a big Zayn fan. So I couldn't help but feel a bit sad, wanting to hear his voice in their songs. But in all fairness, they managed to pull everything off. In fact, Zayn's absence made me appreciate the other boys.
As expected, Harry and Niall were the stars of the night. Whenever the camera panned at them or when they belched out solos, ovaries exploded. Heck, even straight male fans were pointing and singing along to them.
I was also super impressed by these two, especially when Niall did a birit part. Yeah, he did a Zayn part. I just can't remember which song. The Irish Princess was so cool and awesome that I finally understood why they went gaga over him. That angelic blonde look and perkiness was definitely worth the swoon.
And of course, Harry was the typical pop star. I got to hand it to him, he's a good performer. He knows what works up the audience and he's definitely fun to watch. Especially when he had his man bun. He'll always be my best second favorite of all time.
 |
| #ManBun |
1) Liam reading out fan signs. Too funny. There was one fan who asked him to say NAKAKAPAGPABAGABAG (a difficult Filipino word) and the results were so funny. There were long-lost daughter claims, bolera moments and adoption claims as well.
There was also a selfie request. Here's what Liam and Niall did:
 |
| SO CUTE. I CAN'T EVEN. |
2) Liam, Niall, Louis and the rest of McDonald's lovers VS. Harry.
Poor Harry. I don't remember how the argument exactly started. Apparently, someone wanted to toss a burger on stage and Liam began discussing how McDonald's was one of the best foods in the world. He went on to elaborate the importance of fast foods.
Harry, on the other hand, began to object and said, "We should all eat our vegetables!" Unfortunately, he realized too late he was battling a losing fight. I mean, come on, vegetables against chicken nuggets?
Liam got the crowd chanting "CHICKEN NUGGETS!" Poor Harry attempted to raise a pitiful chant of "HEALTHY EATING!" Lucky for him, we love him. Despite our agreement with Liam,we sided with him for the sake of siding with him.
Eventually, someone did toss Louis a burger.With his recent breakup with Eleanor, he deserves it.
3) THE BIRTHDAY CHAIR. I find it sweet that the boys appreciate their staff and crew. For Day 2, they sang for this man named Toby who sat on Harry (a.k.a the birthday chair). It was too sweet, I tell ya.
4) Liam sang I Will Survive. He was introducing the band, which eventually lead to him singing I Will Survive. The man's got vocal skills.
5) Basically every time they teased us by calling out (in a flirty voice): MANILAAAAA. I bet every girl wanted to be named Manila that night.
 |
| Hello Harry. I think I love you better now. |
The songs were mostly from Four and Midnight Memories. But of course, the boys sang their eternal hits: One Thing, What Makes You Beautiful, Kiss You and Best Song Ever. Like I said, they sounded so good LIVE. Goes to show that they really gots them talents.
They ended with Best Song Ever and indeed, it was the best song ever. Add fireworks and spectacular goodbyes, you get yourself tons of screaming fans. Total pandemonium. While they were saying their goodbyes, it occurred to me that I was part of an unbelievable experience. Far as they were, I shared the same area with them.
People will disagree when I say they're one of the best bands in the world. They are. I'm not just saying this cause I love Zayn's voice--if you gave their album a chance, you'd see how much they've leveled up from teeny bopper hits to serious ballads.
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| Well Hello, Nialler. |
But people change. Plus Four's an amazing album.
 |
| Greyscale lads |
The concert was worth the wait. Though it was obvious something was missing (ugh Zayn, Y U DO DIS TO MEH), they pulled it off and it was an amazing experience. So amazing that I'm so determined to get decent seats next time.
I still thank God for the opportunity. Not everyone got to hear them live--I did. It was cool. The heat, rain, and back pains were worth it. I noticed some patterns and technical stuff with the concert, but I'll discuss it some other time.
I'm hoping for concert part 2! They promised they'd come back soon. Hopefully, they would and when they do, baby boy Zayn is already okay and ready to hit them high notes :) Rumors of break up are circulating, but I believe they'll get their act together soon.
For now, I'm left with 1D Hangover. I'm so happy and very blessed to have experienced the BEST NIGHT EVER.
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