From Temecula to UP–a journey with the Eraserheads

Magda-drive ako hanggang Temecula … Actually, no. I wasn’t behind the wheel. It was my friend Catherine who was driving.

From her office in Woodland Hills in California, she picked me up in Los Angeles. We were headed to Pechanga Resort Casino for one big reason: the Eraserheads.

It was July and the legendary band had just kicked off the “Huling El Bimbo” World Tour 2024. They had already been to San Francisco and Los Angeles and were playing that night in Temecula before heading off to Toronto and then Hawaii. We couldn’t miss the show—we were there at the right place and the right time. Well, almost the right place. Thus the driving.

As we started to battle LA traffic, I opened my Eraserheads playlist and hit shuffle.

Catherine and I were freshmen at a super strict all-girls Catholic high school when the band’s “Ultraelectromagneticpop” came out in 1993. Their songs became the soundtrack of that school year … and of our youth, really. “Pare Ko” was especially cathartic, with its delicious cuss words that we relished singing along to. (“’Di ba, t*ng*na!”)

We all had Eraserheads cassette tapes and we pored over the sleeves, bought copies of song hits and earmarked the pages that had the guitar chords to their singles. A bunch of us started bands that year, inspired by these four cool guys from the University of the Philippines who were so free in their expression and who had music running through their veins.

We grew up, life got tough, so many things changed, but the music of the Eraserheads stayed with us—from cassette to CD to MP3 players to iPods of all sizes to Spotify and the surprising return of vinyl.

As we traversed the 145-kilometer route to Pechanga, we listened to different Eraserheads albums, riding waves of nostalgia, as songs brought back memories from different points in our lives. “Kailan,” “Sembreak,” “Shake Yer Head,” “Fine Time,” “Kaliwete,” “Hey, Jay,” “Easy Ka Lang,” “Wishing Wells,” “Butterscotch,” “Ligaya,” “Harana”—they’re not only great songs, they’re also portals to the past.

Three hours later, we finally made it to Temecula. The theater at Pechanga Resort Casino was packed with fans eager for the show to start.

‘Alapaap’

A video played on the big screen, showing clips and pics of the band from their younger years. Then Buddy Zabala, Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro and Raymund Marasigan hit the stage as the crowd screamed and cheered.

They kicked things off with “Alapaap” before playing “Combo on the Run” and “Sembreak.”

“We’re back in Pechanga and we couldn’t be more thrilled because this is one of the stops in the US tour that’s always exciting and the crowd is always fun. Are you fun?” Buendia’s words were met with more cheering and screaming.

The Eraserheads played “Maling Akala” before going into what they call “The Queentology.” Buendia said, “Each band or artist has at least one song that is named after someone… We have five songs that are named after people, mostly girls.”

Zabala started “The Queentology” with words familiar to any Eraserheads fan: “This this this next song is all about love … ”

“Toyang” had the crowd going wild, screaming, singing, shouting the lyrics “Pen-pen-pen de sarapen!” “Shirley” was next, with a cool twist—they mashed it up with the 2Pac and Dr. Dre song “California Love.” Easter egg!

At the world tour press con in June, Marasigan said, “We prepared an Easter egg for every city. It’s up to the fans to figure out what it is … It’s special for that city alone.” They continued with “Hey, Jay,” “Ligaya” and “Julie Tearjerky” and the musical journey kept going with “Huwag Mo Nang Itanong,” “Kamasupra” and “Sino Sa Atin.” Adoro sang “Insomya” and Zabala sang “Tama Ka,” which he said was written by his wife Earnest.

Then they played “Shake Yer Head” and an extended version of “Harana.”

“Did you know that our drummer could sing?” Buendia asked. “A very good singer also, palakpakan natin si Raymund Marasigan.”

Marasigan sang “Tindahan ni Aleng Nena” while playing the drums.

They played “Spoliarium” and then “Para Sa Masa” and the theater lit up with a sea of phone lights.

“With A Smile” was met with fervent screaming, as was “Overdrive,” which got a great upbeat intro in this arrangement. The crowd jumped up and down, pumping their fists in the air as they sang along to the chorus, “Gusto kong matutong mag-drive!”

“Torpedo” was met with whistles and more screaming.

“Are you guys having fun? Do you want more?” Buendia asked and the audience screamed in reply. It was time for “Superproxy.”

“We’re gonna leave you with this song which has a special meaning for the band,” Buendia said, and the band started playing “Minsan.”

They made their exit but the audience knew the concert wasn’t done yet. “El Bimbo! El Bimbo!” the fans kept chanting.

Encore

Marasigan, Buendia, Adoro and Zabala returned onstage to play three of their biggest hits—“Pare Ko,” ”Magasin,” and of course, “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”

As the entire theater of people sang the chorus of “Pare Ko”—“O Diyos ko, ano ba naman ito, ‘di ba, t*ng*na”—with full gigil, I couldn’t help but grin.

It wasn’t my first time to watch the Eraserheads in concert. I’ve seen every single show they’ve played in Manila since the 2008 reunion. At Temecula, I did what I always do at Eraserheads shows: screamed, danced, jumped, sang along, got goosebumps again and again. But this concert had an emotional layer for me, knowing I was surrounded by Filipinos far away from home, who are connecting with their roots through the band and their songs.

Sheffield Tracey Jauod-Arceo, originally from Bacolod and now based in California, watched the show that night. Jauod-Arceo, who moved to the US 24 years ago and runs her own business, also watched the Eraserheads perform live last year. “I went all the way to Vegas to see them,” she said.

What do the Eraserheads mean to her? “High school, throwback, relationships, friendships, everything,” she said.

“Laging goosebumps” is how Joan, a Filipina based in LA, described her experience at the Temecula show.It wasn’t the first time she watched the Eraserheads perform in the US. “They’re my favorite. Since 2012 na nag-concert sila dito, I watched them every time … Pangatlo na ’to.”

And this third time is special to her because she got to share the moment with her son Christian, now also an Eraserheads fan. “Sobrang nag-enjoy na naman ako and happy ako na kasama ko yung anak ko.”

Joan, who works in a restaurant, traveled from LA to Temecula with Christian and her friends to catch the show. There was no way she was missing seeing them live. “Kinagisnan ko na sila. Pati mga kapatıd ko, pinapatugtog sila dati, sa cassette pa lang. Legend kumbaga. Eraserheads is Eraserheads.”

A blast

The North American leg of the World Tour has been special for the band, too. “I had a blast. The band is quite comfortable with each other at the moment. It made playing easier and we sounded better than ever. The audiences were fun,” Marasigan told Super.

He added that the surprise onstage jam sessions with Medwin Marfil in San Francisco and Perf De Castro in LA were a highlight for him.

For Zabala, “The audiences’ reactions are worth all the effort.”

He said, “The shows are the most exciting part of touring! But the extracurricular stuff becomes core memories. Nature hikes with my family, the occasional swim, the local food, meeting new people—these are my highlights.”

Weeks later, we would see the Eraserheads again, this time at UP Diliman, where it all started—the place where they met and where, in 1989, they formed their band. We wondered: When was the last time the four of them were together at their alma mater?

Marasigan said, “Maybe in 2001 at the UP Fair.”

“But we tend to run into each other in campus on occasion, just not all together at the same time,” said Zabala.

Gawad Oblation

This time, they were all together at the UP Executive House where they were being awarded the Gawad Oblation, “the highest distinction that our university can bestow,” said Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, president of the University of the Philippines System (see related story on C6).

“Their roots are deeply intertwined with our university,” said Jimenez, who recalls watching the band’s first performance at the UP Fair back when he was also still a student.

Buendia agreed, saying, “The Eraserheads would not exist without UP.”

Part of the award citation reads: “For their standing as one of the greatest musical acts this country has ever produced … for their role as game-changers in the industry, wielding their artistry not only to entertain but to ignite change … For their instrumental role in sparking a renaissance in Original Pilipino Music, leading to a golden age in the 1990s that continues to influence today’s generation of artists and bands.”

Jimenez said, “It is no exaggeration to say that the Eraserheads are a pivotal force in the history of Original Pilipino Music … The Eraserheads gave voice to the real and lived experience, struggles, social realities and concerns of generations of Filipino youth.”

Dr. Robin Daniel Rivera, a retired UP professor who had been Marasigan’s teacher in a course now called Arts 1 (and who would go on to teach Marasigan and Zabala’s daughters in the same subject), spoke about the band at the awarding. “We had just finished the Sound and Music chapters of the course when Raymund let me listen to a cassette of their songs recorded in his bedroom … Their songs were so irresistible that I volunteered to produce a better recording with the remnants of what was once my home studio.”

Marasigan said that Rivera was one of the first people who believed in the Eraserheads. He would go on to produce seven albums for the band. Buendia shared their award with Rivera, calling him “the genie who made all our creative wishes come true.”

Rivera said, “I likened my role as the Heads’ recording producer to that of a thesis adviser … Their music was theirs, all theirs.”

Breeding ground

“UP has always been a breeding ground for creativity, critical thought and cultural revolution, and the Eraserheads are a shining example of what this great institution can produce,” said Francis Lumen, president and CEO of WEU Event Management Services, which, along with DVent Productions, is producing the band’s world tour. He also produced the band’s previous tours and reunion concerts.

Lumen, who has been working with the band since 2008, said, “Beyond the music, I witnessed something extraordinary—their unwavering commitment to their craft, their passion for innovation and their desire to push the boundaries of what Filipino music can be.”

He told Super, “This is a special moment for me because I’m also from UP—elementary, high school, college—kaya tuwang-tuwa ako that they’re being given this award. I’m so happy for them.”

“UP is where our ideas were born, our dreams were nurtured and our music found its voice,” said Buendia. “This award is also for every Isko and Iska who dares to dream, who strives to make a difference and who believes in the power of art and culture to shape society.”

During his speech, Buendia showed his flair for storytelling as he talked about his early days in UP. In danger of failing Spanish, the frontman recounted how he begged his “terror” professor for a passing grade. “He asked me, ‘Do you have anything that will make me consider passing you? Anything at all?’ I said, ‘Well, I can write a song.’”

Buendia continued, “I gave him a demo cassette of ‘Pare Ko’ and prayed. The day after, my professor in Spanish told me that I passed. This taught me that, for one, my professor can understand Tagalog. And two, from that point on, music can get me through anything in life.”

He shared, “A year later, in Kalayaan, I found three people who also had my struggles and shared my dream.”

Marasigan told Super, “We left school, with a few units left before we could graduate, to pursue a life in music. To be recognized by the institution that shaped our minds is a great honor.”

The band’s family members and loved ones were at the event, including Marasigan’s mom. He said, “She was surprised and happy. She always wanted me to graduate and this kinda feels like a sort of graduation.”

Zabala told Super, “It’s the closest I’ve gotten to receiving an undergraduate diploma. There’s a different sense of accomplishment. At the awarding ceremony, I felt a sense of place—like roots growing into the ground.”

In his speech, Zabala said, “Thank you, UP, for letting the four of us grow and thrive. May UP continue to inspire its new students to find their own stories and nurture their creative selves as it did with us.”

Adoro said, “Ipagpapatuloy namin ang pagtataguyod at pagsulong ng diwa ng Noypi.”

The distinguished event also felt rakenrol—the band bit their medals as if they were Olympic gold and gamely posed for what must have been a million pictures. Zabala said, “The Gawad Oblation dinner was surprisingly fun and overwhelming. I was expecting it to be a more formal and solemn affair. People seemed to have a great time.”

Fans can look forward to more great times with the Eraserheads as the world tour continues. Lumen said, “Soon, we’ll go to Singapore and then Dubai, and there are other countries also reaching out to us.”

So there will be more tour dates? “Oh yes. Definitely.”

We’re also excited to watch “Combo on the Run,” the much-awaited Eraserheads documentary directed by Maria Diane Ventura, CEO of DVent Productions.

The trailer for the documentary made its world premiere at the San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Lumen, one of the film’s producers, said, “The documentary is being perfected by Diane … It will be a world-class film. She’s making sure it will speak well of the legacy of the Eraserheads.”