The Fête de la Musique 2023 Experience

06/22/2023 04:50:29 PM

It's that time of the year again when music is celebrated worldwide. Moreover, this marks the first time in the last four years that the Makati-based Pocket Stages of Fête de la Musique will be set on a Saturday. Before this, the 2022 edition saw several pocket stages take place on a Friday night with a less crowded atmosphere practically everywhere.

Although unluckily for me, I didn't reach Poblacion during nighttime, I'm pretty sure the venues are packed to the rafters. Meanwhile, I went to the outskirts, the unusual districts of Makati City, to check out some of the happenings for Fete de la Musique.

While most places still aren't operational at 4:00PM, some pocket stages opened earlier than usual. Take Vespa Cafe, for instance, because their performances began at around 3:30 in the afternoon. That was the first place I dropped by for the entire stretch. Tiports, AJ Prudenciado, and The Guevarras – three of CD's Atbp.'s roster of young talents – entertained their visitors that time.

Then, I embarked on a cross-district trip from Palanan to Legazpi Village as Final Round Promotions mounted THREE stages (Yep, a 3-in-1 special, I must say) at the Mansion Sports Bar and Lounge located near Paseo De Roxas. It was perhaps a grandeur venue with an even sophisticated vibe and a helluva good lineup. Imagine watching Janine Tenoso, Brisom, and Bree being just three of the 24-act slate for FRP. 

There, we go to another endpoint of the city – the Circuit, to be specific. Orion Management and NO Pun Intenten made a loud night at Social House – one of Makati's known live music halls inside the Ayala Malls Circuit. There I managed to see Concrete Sam, one of the punk music groups based in Quezon City, do their thing on stage.

A couple of hours later, I dropped by saGuijo – the city's premier live music house – as Furiosa held their Shoegaze and Dream Pop music stage there. SaGuijo became a news item earlier that afternoon as people lined up and its tail reached the street. These people set themselves apart from all the crowds I've witnessed in other places during Fete de la Musique itself. And their energy was still as vibrant when Turncoats took over the stage to perform.

Some 15 minutes later, I moved to the nearby Mang Rudy's at Bagtikan Street as Bandang X staged their 90s rock music night there. Yes, half of the titos and titas of Manila were rocking inside the hall while others were dining. Not really a bad thing. Even our elder buddies need to unwind sometimes.

Then shortly before midnight, I swung by the Indie Stage at the Sari Sari Cocktails, a speakeasy bar inside Thai Mookata. I stayed there for about two and a half hours and was surprised that everyone was still alive and kicking as Butterfly Den, Paper Sattelites, Sunflower Station, and Jetcoaster closed the show.

Overall, the spirit of the world music day festival – something we missed seeing the most before the pandemic – was totally present. It is safe to say that despite the plaguing scare of the still-existing coronavirus. At least, the majority of us remained careful at will. 

The world was indeed going back to normal as it should be. 

Author: slickmaster | © 2023 The SlickMaster's Files