Buhay banda - Part 11 (Guestings and Appearances)

Part of the fun in being in a band is enjoying the fame that comes with being on stage. People will applaud, fans will scream, and some will even sing along.

After taking part in those band competitions, we managed to build a name for ourselves and got known in the local circuit. We were invited to perform in some events, both big and small.

• San Pablo Colleges - I don't know what the occassion was, but we were in a decent lineup of SPC-based bands performing in the school atrium. I remember skipping school to be there (I was still in high school).
  
  The actual performance was short and so-so. The crowd was still small when we played, but we did managed to enjoy the time. It was the backstage though that I enjoyed the most. All those bands performing, we had all our gears set up at the back. There were several wonderful guitars there, Gibsons and high-end Fenders, that I got to play the first time. And boy, I sounded much better than when I'm playing on my cheap Raon rig.
  
  I think Bro Jeff and Toby had the most fun. It was their school and all other performers are friends of theirs. So, after all the bands performed, they did an impromptu jamming on stage. It was fun to watch.
   
• Brgy Balite, Fiesta - It was the fiestang bayan of our residential district. They had allocated a night for the singing competition and we were the guest performers.
  
  It wasn't a big venue, just a trucked hauled by the street and the whole baranggay of about 500 people gathered to enjoy the show. But it was memorable because that night, we played Rivermaya's 214 and Brad Amet unleashed his hand-on-your-crotch pose (ala Michael Jackson) to hit the highest note in the song.
   
• OktoberFest, Nagcarlan Laguna - OktoberFest is Nagcarlan's annual festivity to celebrate the founding of the municipality. One of the highlights of the event is a rock concert, usually sponsored by San Miguel Corp. In 1998, they've invited Rizal Underground (Bilanggo, Sabado Nights, Yan Naman) to stage the 2-hour concert.
  
  We were chosen to be their front act. How cool is that? It was the biggest stage I've played on with an entire stadium packed with wild, drunk adorning audience. And my guitar sounds really big on the Fender twin-cab amps they had on stage.
   
• And lastly, there was our own concert at the SPC High, which I will write about tomorrow.