I have always been a person inexpicably drawn to people who cry easily. Being a human waterfalls myself might have someething to do with it. I first took notice of Elliott Yamin when I saw him balling his eye out in one of the AI season 5 episodes. From then on I felt a connection with him. Men who cry openly this days are rare and they appear to be deeper than all the machos put together. Then there was the episode that showed his mother crying sus lalo na akong nadale! After that episode, I was glued to the television set every single wednesday/thursday and I found myself rooting for the "iyakin".
This was when I realized this kid CAN SING! He definitely has the voice, the kind that seems to be lacking in the market today (yung malamig na parang may gasgas na parang paos pero mataas pa rin... its complicated!). Hmmmmm.....I fell in love with the way he would make me feel like the song he is singing is an old favorite when in reality its the first time I even heard it. I loved the way I feel when he is singing.. parang tagos tagusan kasi....tagos sa balat sagad pa sa buto! When he was finally eliminated I felt lost kasi wala na akong aabangan sa TV... di ko na maririnig si Elliott! Di na ako maiiyak (hehe!).. wala ng iyakin!
His album came out in late March and I scrambled to have a copy of the songs. Its one of those albums na walang tapon...lahat masarap sa tenga...it puts me to sleep.. it relaxes my nerves...it was better than a great cup of coffee....na-addict ako sa MP3 player ko... everywhere I go I had it with me.. as long as wala akong kausap nakapasak sa tenga ko ang boses ni Elliott.. that was how much I loved his voice...as long as I have my mp3 player with me.. solve na ako kahit traffic pa sa Taft at late na ako sa trabaho... Elliott helped me overcome the laundry chores kasi kahit paglalaba masarap kung kakantahan ka naman nya...
So when I found out he was coming over to Manila for a series of shows.. sus.. you can just imagine how I felt... memorize ko na kaya lahat ng kanta nya.. I know this will be one heck of a show! I HAVE TO BE THERE!!!!! I NEED TO BE THERE!!!! MYSURVIVAL DEPENDS ON IT!! (ayan ha hyper mode on na ako)
My ever loyal sidekick, my sister Erica, and my very supportive (konsintidor na nga ata) husband agreed to come with with. We live in Paranaque so I have only heard about Trinoma, I never visited it pa... that is where the first concert is to be held. My sister was ready at 8am.. nasa bahay na sya but I was held up kasi dami pang asikasuhin before I could leave the house. We end up leaving after lunch na and to my dismay.. wala na kaming UPUAN...
It was actually funny kasi pagpasok namin sa Trinoma feel ko na maaga pa kami (2:30pm) then the staff told us "Mam, 10:30 pa po ubos ang tiket". We decided to look for the perfect spot outside the steel railings. We found one almost dead center. We planted ourselves there at 3pm and stood and waited and stood and waited until 7pm..... YES.. OO... NAKATAYO AKO NG 4hrs.....
As soon as he began practicing, nawala na ang pagod ko.. kasi daig pa ng boses ni Elliott ang RedBull eh.....I was rejuvenated... We made friends and met new people.. lahat mahal din si Elliott.... The concert began at exactly 7pm (impressive considering nasa Pinas tayo)....ended close to 8pm.... tapos meet and greet na daw... syempre hindi kami kasali dun.. ni ticket ng upuan nga wala kami.. meet and greet pa kaya.... but we decided to stay on... hanggang nasa stage si elliott.. nakatayo pa rin kami... walang tulugan!
I took a great spot right in front of the stage watching Elliott up close.... I was hoping to snap some shots kaso na lowbatt naman camera ko.. but it was actually a blessing... I just looked at him observing him with the people who were so fortunate to have the chance to meet him... I know everyone of those people who went on stage can attest to what I saw... Elliott was not a celebrity when he greeted each and everyone of those fans... he was a new found friend.
Celebrities I admired in the past cannot measure up to the way Mr. Yamin greeted his fans. He looks at them and listens to their stories. He interacts with them and would even look at them as they go down the stairs. It is only when the first have left that he would look at the next person. But more amazingly, he would THANK US sincerely for even bothering to come... he untirelessly repeated it to each and every person he met that day. He didn't only see them but looked at each and everyone of them.
Before Trinoma and Glorietta I love Elliott because he sings magnificently....now I love him because he does have a great heart...the great voice is just a bonus!
