Louie

After my college graduation in 2007, apart from looking for a job, I spent most of my time online looking for new music to put on my Ipod. One of the bands I came across was All Time Low. I never knew I would be able to see them perform live in the Philippines because they aren't exactly a household name here. Thanks to the persistence of other fans on Twitter and Facebook, the band visited the country on September 22 and my sister Chelsea and I saw them perform at the Araneta Coliseum.

 The newspaper publication I work for was one of the sponsors so I got the tickets 50% off the price. We were on the fourth row center, so our view was pretty much ok. I say ok because the crowd was crazy. Everyone was standing at their chairs to get a good view of the band. The organizers asked us several times to get off our seats but it was hard to comply since those in front of us remained standing on their chairs. I totally understand the concern of the organizers. They were after our safety but when you have teenage girls (a lot of those in the crowd looked like they were in High School and College) in the crowd who have waited so long to see the band perform, it will be very difficult to tell what to do. They were not only standing on their seats but they were also jumping up and down. A lot of them also brought extra bras which they threw on stage. For a moment, I had to ask myself if was in the worng place. But I thought, just because the band members are in their early 20s and I'm in my mid-20's does not mean I can't appreciate their music right?

Overall, it was a fun night especially since they sang their older songs: Poppin' Champagne, Six Feet Under the Stars, Coffee Shop Soundtrack and Dear Maria, Count Me In. These are the songs I listened to a lot back then, and I still listen to up to now.

Louie

I never watch movies in 3D. I guess it's because I never thought it was necessary for that to enjoy watching a particular movie. Plus, it's a bit pricey. But when my best friend asked me if I wanted a ticket for Super Junior's Super Show 3 (SS3)  in 3D, I felt I just had to watch it, even if I already saw them perform live in February. We went to the screening on October 15.

The ticket costs P1,000 each and while I had fun watching, I thought it was quite expensive for the following reasons:

1. The show lasted for only an hour and a half, compared to the actual show I saw in February which was about three hours.  - There may be reasons for only showing the highlights of the SS3, but I think it would have been better if it was a bit longer, say about two hours, the same time most movies usually last.

2. Since the show was only for an hour and a half, not all solo performances were shown except Yesung's solo. Yesung is one of my favorite members so I enjoyed that, but how about the others who would have wanted to see their favorite members' solo performance?

3. There were no English subtitles. - The part when the members were talking to the fans was pretty short and while I like seeing their faces on screen, I prefer to understand what they are saying as well.

Watching the members perform live is the best thing to do of course. I think the whole point of the screening in 3D was to let those who weren't able to attend the show see and feel why SS3 is the best show on earth, or to let those who weren't able to get VVIP seats to the last show see the show again with a VVIP view. If you are a Super Junior fan and you missed SS3 for some weird reason,  then you must see the show in 3D because they are amazing. It will make you realize that you have to see them perform live the next time they're here.  Well, I do hope there's a next time, since I read somewhere it's iffy.

By the way, I bought the 5th album two weeks ago. I must say SM Entertainment really means business. For the 5th album, instead of having the usual cover which shows all the members, the album cover only features one member. The marketing strategy works for if you are the type who likes to really collect fan stuff, you'll be buying more than one album. And we're only talking about version A of the album. Versions B and C have been released in Korea and I think those versions will also be released here very soon, which means more sales for SM Entertainment. 

You probably think I bought ten copies, but I didn't and I never even considered the thought. I bought two copies. I'm a fan but I think I also have to be very practical. Bought one with the Yesung cover for myself and the Heechul cover for my bestfriend.

The albums are HUGE. It's a good thing there was a free tote for easier handling.

And there was a free baller too.