I don’t know what time we woke up but I remember screaming off our balcony “Gooooood Mooorning Vietnam!!!!” after which I was told to shut up and reminded that we were in a socialist communist country. But I was in a great mood and we’d had a great first night of the shows and we were well appreciated and the spirit that exists in you when that happens is really just a monster of energy! Rupert came over and asked how our night was to which I think he saw in our eyes the answer without our needing to actually say anything. We chilled out for a bit then decided to head out and take care of a few things. One of them was the idea of selling CD’s of some of our unreleased tracks that had already been mixed and mastered. As part of walking around a bit the day before, Niko and I had already found a great spot to burn a bunch of CD’s for a price that was waaay better than the other places we’d inquired. So, we took care of that and hung around while the CD’s were burning. We made 15 copies and hoped that we’d sell enough to at least pay for the cost of making them. Anyway, after making the discs we headed back home for much needed rest cuz we knew that the Vasco’s gig was going to be huge and that rest was going to pay off later in the night.
We each napped and woke up in time for sound check. We must’ve played 2 to 3 songs to get our sound the way we wanted to with the amplifiers and vocal tones, niko had the problem of a revolving drum kit but was able to deal with it by simply moving his stool a bit to the right after each song. I had a quick beer with Rupert while packing up then it was time to head out. Deciding that we needed a bite to eat I suggested Lily’s Café down the street where the love is strong and the police are nowhere to be found! We got settled, ordered a bite to eat, waited for the food, ate, then went home, all in under an hour. Meanwhile, Rupert was out looking for CD cases. We were all hell bent on selling some CD’s and making some money since we didn’t really have a lot to begin with.
I can no longer remember what time we had to be ready for Rupert to pick us up but as usual, we weren’t quite ready when he arrived but we were awake and slowly moving. The next thing I do remember is arriving at Vasco’s and loving that there were already a number of people there having some cocktails and that I started feeling the energy of the night. It was good energy. Hot! Exciting! Comfortable and almost spiritual in its ethereal presence. Niko and I sat at the bar while Nino talked to some old friends from Manila. We met Niko’s cousin, Dose, who was set to spin before, inbetween and after our sets. His wife Lori was there as well, and Rupert’s girlfriend too! While chatting with these people we ended up meeting more people and before I knew it I could no longer remember the names of everyone that we were there with. We met Melanie through Lori and were warned to stay away from her, which we did not and im glad we didn’t because she turned out to be one of the best people we’d gotten to know while we were there! Anyway, drinks start pouring, we ask what their strongest beer is and get served a couple of 333’s ( or in Vietnamese, bababa ). We learn that we have a bottle of scotch but decide to hit that later on instead and just pay for a few beers ourselves in the meantime. Shots of tequila’s were quite abundant as well and by that I knew that tonight was going to be pure madness! I ask about our timeline, how long before were set to play and was told at least an hour more before we begin, “What?!” I said, “Oh man, were gonna be so drunk tonight” I resigned. Maybe 20 minutes later people were asking me what time were starting to which I say at least an hour more but then they argue to start sooner. I said its not up to me but im ready to go. Another 20 minutes pass and were told to hurry up and begin but this time its by Rupert so there’s no messing about. We ask for 5 minutes more for the band to sort of put together a set list and have our time alone before hitting the stage of the already packed Vasco’s. Rupert agrees and we step outside with pen and paper in hand. We shared a guiness glass and made a set list which im not sure we followed. Then we were rushed to begin and with that we ditch the list, take the beer and head to the stage.
The first real rush of energy I got that night was going up on stage. I don’t know if Niko was up there yet, but I clearly remember the roar of the audience when we set foot on the stage. I mean, I still had to get my bass out of its case, tune her, and wait for Nino to get tuned to before we could get started, I even wanted to Pee before starting, but man when we set foot on that stage, the crowd screamed, clapped their hands, roared Rock and Roll and the house lights were shut down. This was it I said, lets fucking go!
We started with Backdoor Man and slowly felt the music sink in to our bones. Playing with its dynamics we rolled and tumbled as the song played itself. I heard Niko pounding a little bit louder than usual and went with his flow. By the end of the song I knew we were gonna play a good set. Everyone was into it, us, the people around us, and the people below our ledge. You could feel the vibe and everyone was feeling alright. They cheered us as we played song after song of mainly our originals and a few chosen covers that we thought were good choices. Im guessing we played for about an hour before we took a half hour set break. We were drunk and so was everyone else! The place was packed and the music was pumping! We laughed and had toasts with everyone we talked to and met some other people while in the crowd. A drink or two pass and Nino and Niko decide to go downstairs and away from the madness for a bit before we start our second set. I was drunk and just followed without thinking much. Coincidentally I saw an old friend Chuk downstairs and was really happy to see him there! Then we were called to start the second set.
This is where the blur really begins. I know that we started the second set with Freeway Man. A hard and loud song that we’ve only played mid set, or towards the end, but never in the beginning. It was great! Maybe a couple of mistakes in the opening section but we got with it soon enough and played it well. I particularly enjoyed hearing Nino sing in Tagalog for a section of the song. But I don’t remember what else we played after that. I have idea’s and I know we did a whole bunch of originals as well as Ziggy Stardust, Riders On The Storm, and Waiting For The Man, but im not sure what else. And then Carla came up to me and said last song! I was shocked, but then I was told that the police were downstairs and threatening to close down the party! I Wasn’t ready to stop yet, and neither was Niko, nor was Nino! So we played 2 more instead. Cant remember what the first of the two was, but we ended with Dylan On Speed. Great number! We all enjoyed playing it and singing back-up and by the looks of the audience they were just enjoying its speed, loudness, and trippy middle section! It ended with a bang and we left the stage! Awesome gig! People came up to us and congratulated us! Drinks were passed around! We got hugs from those that we’d gotten close to! It was just great man, what a feeling!
As you can probably guess, the night didn’t end there. No, there was a celebration and we proceeded to have more drinks and paint the town red! From Vasco’s we walked over to Apocalypse Now stopping on the way there to sit on some chairs that had been tossed out by some owner that no longer wanted them. From Apocalypse Now we went on over to Go 2 passing by the hotel real quick to leave our guitars. Not only were we the band but we were with some friends we’d met along the way as well and in the end had a great night out! And as usual, we stopped by Lily’s Café for another night cap.
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