With the counsel of my dear friend I guess I should be paying some respects to the concert. Let's see... 17th May 2004... Started off with me going out with a bunch of my classmates who were heading to the concert together later on... We walked about, ate at Pastamania (and tried their baked rice... delicious =D~~~), and took a neoprint. That's about it... nothing much interesting happened as far as I can remember...
Soon after I was waiting for a particular Xing Yi at City Hall MRT, flower in hand, and worrying if she could make it on time, especially since I had no way of contacting her out of the house. Dith managed to arrive pretty much on the dot, but Xing Yi obviously preferred to deviate from the meeting time more... Ah well... punctuality never seemed to be a strong trait of hers =x
So we were off to The Durian (otherwise formally known as The Esplanade), with Xing Yi's friend, Clarissa, and a friend of Clarissa's. As usual, Xing Yi just had to comment on how sleepy I always look, blah blah blah =/ Hey, it's the same me you see everytime -_- Regardless, she went on about other crappy stuff filled with mild sarcasm, and while I'm able to rebut some of the crap she dishes out, I guess I'm no match for a seasoned debater =/ She was quite happy with the pretty flower I gave her though =)
Guess I'll spare everyone the details of the arduous Journey to The Esplanade and jump straight to the concert proper. Well, we were seated just 7 rows from the stage, so it was quite a good view, but the dwarf-sized seats really made sitting down in a comfortable manner an uphill task. At least I sat at the corner. Did I mention that the darned principal was on the same row as us?
Anyway, the concert proceeded, with the band going first. They played pretty well, but I think that there was a lack of faster and more powerful pieces in the selection for the band portion of the concert. As such, we were more or less lulled into some semi-sleepy state X) The last piece perked me up though... It was called Big Fun In The Sun... I heard it before in my cousin's concert. I think my cousin's band played better =x That's not to say that the band wasn't good. The piece basically told of a teenage love, and used many familiar, quirky tunes.
During the intercession I saw some of my classmates, as well as many familiar faces from school. Xing Yi on the other hand, was busy trying to locate some elusive guy X)
Back to the concert. Up next was the CO portion. Now they played alot of powerful pieces, and it was perhaps overwhelming, in stark contrast to the band pieces. Generally I observed that the CO people seemed to be with the music more than the band people. You could visually see them swaying with the rhythm of the music. The music they played was good, and the combined CO/band was even better. The sounds really complemented each other well.
The concert came to a close soon enough, and Xing Yi went off with her friends, while I looked for my classmates. The day basically ended there... since all that was left was another long walk to City Hall MRT, then a trip down to Toa Payoh MRT to take a cab. Not my idea, just a favour for someone with an injured toe.
American Pie - Don McLean
A long, long time ago
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
So... bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin'...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a Rollin' Stone
But that's not how it used to be
When The Jester sang for The King and Queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
In a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while The King was looking down
The Jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennin read a book on Marx
The quartet practised in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin'...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The Byrds flew off with a fall out shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed flat out on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With The Jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While Sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin'...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation Lost In Space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candle stick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin'...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singin'...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
They were singin'...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
Singin'... this'll be the day that I die