06/16/2023 05:55:01 PM
I was invited to cover SM City Marikina's summer music event even years ago. Then, fast-forward to 2023. Amidst the busy schedule, I was fortunate to drop by the grounds of SM City Taytay to witness the latest edition of Beatstroked Music Festival. It also marked the first time I visited Rizal province for a music show of any capacity.
Provincial crowds generally provide a livelier reception to any performers compared to Manila-based shows — something I learned from seeing bar gigs from Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna provinces earlier this year. I admit, I don't really mind whatever the home crowd may feel about.
But that changed throughout the evening as the audience was pumped up already, even if The Knobs opened the show at 7:00 PM, or 1 hour delayed from its initial schedule. Dotty's World came on stage after The Knobs, and they just kept the show's pace going. Nearly mid-way through the night, a DJ set from Jet Boado pumped the crowd up even further for almost an hour.
Then, Typecast took over the stage with their covers and hit songs that remind you of your erock emo days of the mid-2000s. Hell, not even the sudden rainfall can stop us people from rocking out on a Friday night.
More so when the rainfall stopped as Chocolate Factory was about to perform. I once saw this reggae band in late 2016 when they were still under different management. This time around? Holy shit, they proved to be one hell of a reggae collective. They performed with so much heart that thousands of attendants clamored for one more song. Sheesh! How can any other performer top that one?
Too bad I did not finish the show due to my time and travel constraints. There was another DJ set in the lineup. Then, Silent Sanctuary took over the stage by half-past midnight. I was told that the Taytay crowd was still up until the event's conclusion by around 1:30AM.
On my way out, I asked my good by Kevin from the Manila Concert Scene. He said people from places like Taytay rarely have the opportunity to see a music festival of this magnitude (and it's relatively smaller compared to the Manila-based shows). So even when there was a quick change and turn of weather, the crowd's reactions didn't surprise him – but regardless, that was something he commended the city's constituents for.
Nevertheless, I am so stunned by the way Rizaleño loves live music. Could've thought otherwise since my friends Warly, Nino, and Aaron used to go to Manila only to see their favorite singers and bands. But this one? Goddamn, man. It was a night to remember for a visitor like me.
P.S.
Special thanks to Mrs. Caccie Coronel of SM City Taytay for having The SlickMaster's Files cover the show.
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