Big fan of OPM bands
After the euphoria of seeing the Eraserheads live in concert in December, we knew that music festivals would be something that we would love going to. And so, when the Clark Aurora Music Festival started selling tickets, we checked the line up and decided to buy tickets for both days.
Roland and I initially wanted to go only to day 2 where Sponge Cola, Mayonnaise, Kamikazee, Parokya ni Edgar and Ely Buendia were playing. These were the bands that our generation relate to. But we have Hannah that week and she’s part of the younger generation who knows and relates to the music of MRLD, Lola Amour, Adie, Arthur Nery, Ben&Ben, etc. We had to go to day 1 as well.
Day 1 - Generation Z Mode
We left Pasig at around 1 PM after we ate our lunch. There was already build up in North Luzon Expressway after the Bocaue Toll Plaza.
We already expected that many people were travelling to Clark because of the music festival.
We arrived at Platinum Hotel and Restaurant in Angeles, Pampanga where we will be staying during the weekend for the music fest at past 3 PM. The hotel is about 100 kilometers away from Clark Global City where the music festival was held.
After checking in and dropping off our things, we started preparing to go to Clark Aurora Music Festival. We arrived at around past 5 PM and there were already many cars parked in the 9 designated parking spots for the event. Thankfully, we found a still open parking space near the exit to the Subic-Clark Expressway.
It was a long walk towards the event area but very accessible when you want to exit and avoid the heavy line of cars after the event.
Food trip before the party
We took some pictures when we got near the event area. We were already hungry and so we decided to check out the food stalls near the event venue where the music festival sponsors also have booths.
We took out the blanket we brought and placed it down in the grass so we can enjoy our kimbap, squid balls, kwek-kwek, hotdog, Ilocos empanada and melon juice. We had food trip!
Let's party!
After finishing off our food, we decided to already enter the event area. We looked for the SVIP area and lined up. At the entrance, our tickets were scanned and our bags were also inspected to ensure we didn’t bring items that were not permitted inside the events area. We initially set up our blanket near the sound and multimedia booth as we wanted to see the bands up close when they perform.
When we went in, Four Pillars was playing and so we were able to sit down and just chill on our blanket. After Four Pillars, Pots Sembrano, mrld and then Lola Amour performed.
We then decided to move to another as there were many people already around us. We found a more open space near the food stalls and that’s where we decided to stay. Roland and Hannah decided to buy our food while I stayed to save our area. There were a few food choices inside the events area such as McDonald’s, Master Siomai, Korean egg drop sandwich, flavored french fries, Chowking, Shakey’s, a variety of juices, San Miguel Beer and a lot more.
The promising young artists
We were already eating our dinner when Adie started performing. He was quite good and very endearing. The audience loved him. Of course, Hannah was more than happy to sing along and sway. Next came Arthur Nery and December Avenue.
The mostly young crowd were singing their hearts out and you can feel that they know the lyrics by heart.
There were host spiels and interviews every after performance and so people had the chance to sit, buy food or line up at the portable toilets.
When Ben&Ben was introduced, we decided to already pack our blanket, walk towards the exit area, and just stand while watching them. We wanted to go back to our car as soon as possible and avoid the heavy crowd exiting with us when day 1 ends.
Thanks to our good thinking, we were able to escape the carmageddon after the event and were at the hotel by around past 1 AM. We slept soundly after a quick shower.
Day 2 - Its time for the tito and tita's Bands
We woke up around 11 AM that Sunday and decided to just order our lunch through Grab. We ate KFC by the pool where there were tables and chairs. We then noticed a lot of guests coming and checking in. They were also going to the day 2 of the music festival.
They were mostly coming from provinces as far as Palawan.
Roland worked while Hannah and I slept after lunch to store energy for the music festival.
At around 4:30, we started preparing to go back to Clark for day 2. We arrived at around 5:30 and the parking space where we parked in day 1 was already closed! We had to find another open designated parking space and thankfully found another just across. We found a good spot near the exit.
We again walked from the parking space towards the venue and saw a lot of people. Day 2 has more crowd than day 1. We decided to go inside the events venue already since there were already many people inside. Again, our tickets and bags were checked.
Party time (again)!
We tried to find a good spot but there were already many people with their picnic or makeshift blankets. We decided to stay again by the left side of the stage but already near the barricade separating the SVIP and Gold patrons. There were also lots of people standing and so we couldn’t get a good view of the performances unless we stand too.
When we arrived at the venue, Silent Sanctuary was already performing. In the middle of their performance, a guy proposed to his girlfriend. The entrance to the SVIP was opened to some of the Gold patrons and of course, the space became crowded even more. After their performance, Roland bought some hotdogs, the flavored french fries we liked on day 1 and buko shake.
Sponge Cola - Total Entertainment!
Sponge Cola was then introduced and the band started playing. We stood up because Yael was interacting with the crowd, making sure that the whole performance was somehow how the band wanted it to be.
He was asking the crowd to wave for their camera because he said they will be posting a video on their Facebook account. He also asked the crowd to shout “More! More!” to which the crowd happily obliged.
Kamikazee also known as "Black Pink"
The next to perform was Kamikazee and the crowd went wild. This was really our (Roland and I) crowd and generation.
Jay was as usual very energetic and really joked around in between songs. He even introduced his band as the “Blank Pink”. Hahaha!
After Kamikazee, Mayonnaise performed and then I decided to buy our dinner. I was craving pizza and so I bought from Shakey’s which thankfully has a short queue. I worked my way back to where we were staying amidst the sea of people sitting on the grass. We ate our dinner during the performance of Mayonnaise so that when it was time for Parokya ni Edgar, we could stand all the way.
Parokya ni Edgar - one of the best live performers
During Parokya ni Edgar’s performance, we stood up and sang because Roland and I really know the songs. We were jumping and looking at each other and then holding hands. And then we knew that Ely Buendia would be the next to perform. We again packed our blanket and walked towards the exit area. When Ely started singing, we just stood there and let him finish “Alapaap”. After that, we exited the venue and walked towards the parking area.
We again wanted to avoid the carmageddon but there were already a few cars exiting too. The good thing was that our lane was allowed to pass through and we were able to drive back to the hotel.
We planned to go back to Manila at around 5 AM and so after showering, we decided to take a quick nap since it was already around 2 AM when we arrived at the hotel.
Clark Aurora Festival 2023
Clark Aurora Festival was full of fun. It was one of the best concert experience that we had and definitely, it is something that we want to do again in the future.
Thank you Clark Aurora!
#ClarkAurora #ClarkAuroraFestival2023
