whapakk.

I finished my bowl of tom yum and hurried back to the Fort for the rest of the festivities. When I got there, Up Dharma Down was already wrapping up their last song, but it was okay, it was worth being a bit late for. Thanks to Cyprus, we got VIP access to the event, and guess what, VIPs were allowed to bring their cameras! If you were there and got in via the regular entrance, you wouldn’t want to lug around any camera anyway, not with the mad, jam-packed crowd of thousands.

What a face, Ramon, what a face.

The event was hosted by Ramon Bautista, Nikki Gil, and Marc Abaya (Kjwan); however, I didn’t see Marc until Kjwan got on stage. First up (at least for us latecomers) was Kamikazee, whose lead Jay Contreras delivered a wacky performance, as expected.

Jordanesque: not.

Showing the belly Marc Abaya would later attempt to top.

Kjwan was next, and they stringed together their last three hits into their set. Girls screamed their lungs out when Marc started walking around the crowd perimeter topless, and I thought to myself, kaya ko rin namang maghubad ah.

Marc, fully clothed.

This is when the girls got too loud; the guys, not so much.

If the venue had a roof, it’d have collapsed on the crowd with Bamboo’s usual electrifying performance. They played Last Days on a Cruise Ship, Kailan, and Hallelujah, the last song featuring the bouncers finding it a very challenging task to keep up with Bamboo, who was up and about every corner of the VIP area, trying to reach out to the massive crowd beyond the rails. Arguably, this band brought the most value for the effort all those people went through to get in.

Ira (of Bamboo) breathes in the music, or at least does a good job of acting the part.

Bamboo's such a hard target for photographers to hit, but for fans, his showmanship's a real treat.

Last to perform was Pupil, who’s fronted by Ely Buendia, one of Ako Mismo’s ambassadors. They were nowhere as edgy as Bamboo (who was a very tough act to follow), but in their own style, they did pretty well, closing the song with a modified version of Sala, with lyrics featuring Ako Mismo goals and resolve.

Look, it's Yael's doppelganger!

Still young at 38, Ely's already a living legend.

It was my first night taking photos of a live concert, and thankfully the VIP access salvaged my night. Two thumbs up to DDB Cares and Ako Mismo for the event!

Congratulations to DDB and Ako Mismo!

For the complete albums, I’ve posted them on Shootdelay in separate albums: Kamikazee, Kjwan, Bamboo, Pupil, and others.