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Music review: Lost in Wanderland


No way, I thought to myself when I first saw the poster for Wanderland 2013. Nada Surf. In Manila. 
 
And then I realized I wasn't familiar with any of the other foreign acts in the lineup, except of course The Temper Trap.   
It'd be almost impossible not to have heard of them. Since "Sweet Disposition" came out on the soundtrack of that quirky romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer," the song had been used in countless same day edit wedding videos. Another The Temper Trap song, "Fader," I had found on YouTube, and before I knew it, I'd listened to it on repeat for a whole day.
 
Still, I wasn't what you'd call a big fan, so apart from Nada Surf, there really wasn't too much that got me excited about Wanderland. The fact that I was only eager to see one band in the entire lineup should have been enough warning — I probably wasn't part of the target audience that the organizers, Karpos Multimedia Inc. had in mind. 
 
On the other hand, I missed the feeling of going to these summer outdoor concerts. There was no longer the NU Summer Shebang, and I didn't have the required amount of energy to survive Pulp Summer Slam.
 
There was no doubt about it. I was no longer a kid. Proof of this was that I could no longer shamelessly approach my dad to persuade him to donate to my artist support fund (in other words, buy me a concert ticket). Happily for me, I was able to attend the event for work, and
thus began my Wanderland adventure.
 
I recruited my best friend and neighbor, because we both needed to feel young again. We biked over to the Globe Circuit Events Ground, which used to be the Sta. Ana Park in Makati.
 
"That's why the street is Hippodromo—because this used to be a hippodrome. Although it sounds like the address of a hippopotamus family," my best friend told me as we pedaled our way to the parking lot. For a while, it seemed like we might not even be able to enter.
 
The guards eyed our bikes suspiciously, and one insisted that we needed to get approval from security before entering. We explained that we weren't going to bring them inside the festival area. Finally, they decided we were harmless and let us in. 
 
We found a sturdy post and began locking the bikes, but a guard approached us and said we should leave them somewhere else. He wasn't sure where somewhere else was, though. In the end, the guard got distracted by more important things (SUVs whose drivers need assistance) and we were able to leave our bikes.
 
We get our tickets, and fall in line. The grounds were awfully dusty, but the festival area itself was covered with a lovely carpet of soft grass, perfect for going barefoot. 
The venue had a picnic-perfect carpet of soft grass.
Feet were hardly the only bare body parts at Wanderland. The warm weather was the perfect excuse to show skin, which was what people do at such festivals, it seemed. Plunging necklines, exposed backs, bare bellies, and strips of cloth pretending to be skirts. I kept looking around nervously for someone to come along and issue an offense slip, and then I remembered that this wasn't a school event, despite the crowd of students.
 
Except for this one girl who loudly confronted a guy who cut the line, people at the festival were generally laid-back. Mats were spread out everywhere, squares of rainbow colors all over the bright green grass. We squinted in the sunlight, while other better-prepared festival-goers relaxed under their umbrellas. 
 
At the start of each set, people would half dance, half run toward the stage, singing along loudly. At the end of the set, they would trickle back toward the booths.
 
The kids looked right at home. They knew all the lyrics, and they were perfectly comfortable in their skimpy clothes. On the other hand, we were just a couple of old people looking rather lost. There was actually plenty to do, even for those who couldn't keep up with the music. We explored the festival grounds, stopping to watch a couple play at the Velcro wall. There was food, but the lines were rather long.
 
We would have wanted to pack a picnic basket, but bringing in food and drinks wasn't allowed, according to the rules on the festival website. Smoking was also not allowed, but it seemed the organizers relaxed that rule. Perhaps there should have been a no littering rule, where litterbugs automatically have to leave, but then there might be no audience left to watch the bands.
 
Perfect for a summer fest
 
That would be a pity, because as we discovered, the bands were all pretty good. Not in a life-changing way, but it wasn't hard to see why the fans were crazy about them. With mostly upbeat music, the bands were perfect for a summer festival, right in the middle of vacation
with no classes to worry about. 
Sunset at Wanderland
As for us, we had work to think about, but after a few hours at the festival we began to forget how old we really were. We were surrounded by kids. A teenage couple in front of us, and behind us, a rowdy bunch of kids that looked like an advertisement for United Colors of Benetton.
 
A lot of people appeared to be drunk, and it was only four in the afternoon. We walked around some more, and found a booth were they sold flower wreaths and Indian headdresses, which we had seen on several people around the festival. 
 
"It's a return to nature, that's why they wear those and go barefoot," my best friend told me. We wondered if they were aware of that, or were simply imitating each other.
 
Festival fashion, we concluded, was essentially wearing as little as possible. Even the guys wore loose, sleeveless shirts. I tried my best not to think about what everyone was wearing (or not wearing). After all, it was a music festival, and music was what everyone there had in
common. 
 
It was a lot of fun, particularly the set from Up Dharma Down. When Neon Trees played, the kids went wild, and we enjoyed watching them jump up and down. By that time, we were exhausted. We must have been a sorry sight, struggling to stay awake at 11 p.m. Feeling old
 
We used to be able to stay up all night. In fact, going to a music festival then was like going into battle. Everyone wore black. Mosh pits were seriously dangerous, and the next morning you would wake up with large bruises all over. 
 
Wanderland was a different story, with the happy kids in their pastel and neon clothes, smartphone in one hand and glow stick in the other.
 
"I don't get it," I admitted. "It's okay. We're just old," my best friend said. 
Smartphones in the air as the crowd watches The Temper Trap
 
Finally, The Temper Trap began to play. We wove our way to the front, and I could feel the kids' eyes on us. They played "Fader" and I jumped up and down for a bit before giving up.
 
We retreated to our mat. My best friend looked at me and asked if I wanted to go home. We agreed to stay for one more song.
 
The next song turned out to be the last. As they played "Sweet Disposition," the crowd lit up, a blanket of smartphones and cameras.
 
"Remember when those would be lighters? We are so old. But look, we made it!" we congratulated ourselves as the song ended. The crowd spilled out into the parking lot, ourselves included, just a couple of nostalgics floating along in a sea of kids. —KG, GMA News
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