Concerts List

I just wrote about the Night of Champions 2 concert I saw last night, but putting things into perspective, I started to think about what are my 5 favorite concerts. This is a personal list not only based on the concert itself, but on the overall experience, before and after the concert.

1) Gary V. at Cache Creek 2004 - Top of my list because I saw this with the person who first introduced me to Gary Valenciano. The combination of seeing Gary with him, as well as the concert itself put this at the top of my list. I swear, Gary sang every one of our favorite songs. It was like, this is my first, and possibly, my last concert here so I'll sing everything! Luckily, it wasn't, but for BJ... I'm just glad to have that experience with him.

2) All the other Gary concerts at Cache Creek - I know that this may seem like a copout to list all these together, but each one was special after the first mentioned above. Like seeing it with Lyn and my other close friends. Watching it in the FRONT ROW and taking a new person to see him :) Seeing Angeli sit in the front row with us. Actually grabbing his hand and thank him, for what might seem to him a great concert, but for me, everything. good times. good times.

3) Last night's concert.

4) Janet's Velvet Rope Concert. Just because this was the first concert that I've slept all night to get tickets for... and it wasn't even floor tickets! Hey, I was a college student. But now that I have a jobby job and watching Gary in the front row TWICE, i'm spoiled. Man, that was a cold night. We were gonna sleep outside the doors of the Wherehouse on Howe near Arden, but it was freezing. And if other's were, then we would too, but we just stayed shivering in the car until either 5 or 6 when others started lining up. Crazy college experience.

5) Gary at the Bill Graham Auditorium in SF. First time taking Michelle to see him, and made her a fan of not only him, but of the Side A Band who performed with him. I forgot what year this was, but it was when his greatest hits 1 and 2 came out. We were in the 10th row center aisle and never thought that I'd ever get closer. But what I think made this night special was in hearing over 2,000 people sing the chorus of "Sana Maulit Muli" in unison a capella. Just incredible!

Only if I'd seen BSB, N'Sync, NKOTB back in the day they'd be on this list, but also being that I'm a guy... I probably wouldn't have even said that I went to these concerts. Oh... but i did go to see O-Town at Great America with Michelle and her niece. And let me clarify her 10 YEAR OLD NIECE. I didn't see them by myself. hehe.

Honorable mentions in no order...

- O-Town. Were it not for the screaming girls, they were pretty good!

- Kelly Clarkson. I love her and her ducka-ducka-ducka and cool beans.

- Spanish fly.

- Jocelyn Enriquez at Paradise Beach in Citrus Heights. Her back up dancer named Joy was hot! I wanted her autograph more than Jocelyn's.

- Lumpiapalooza 2. my lil sister sang Lumpang Hinirang and One Vision, well 3 of them, sang there! hella tight!

- Big Shrimp. They're a Fil-Am punk band who played at the Paradise Lounge in SF. They also played a showcase at SFSU and refused to leave the stage after their time was up and kept playing... and the audience wanted them too!

- Julie Plug. Caught them at just about every performance in SF, but favorite was when they played for a private party for the Academy of Art College, in which Des, the lead singer was a student. She gradated with me :) Oh, I almost forgot watching them at the Fillmore. Too cool.

- Christina Aguilera, PCD, and Danity Kane and free tix to boot :) Way more amazing than I would have ever thought. Did I mention the tickets were free?