Moments at Rick Astley's Araneta gig

The sleazy seatmate moment

Me, Menggai (Ma'am Cheng), and her friend Maricon entered Araneta a bit past 8 to secure our General Admission seats. Not long after, a guy wearing an unbuttoned polo without any undershirt plus blingbling over his chest sat beside me. He was probably around 30-40, and he was alone.

As the opening act started (a Bacolod band that did 80's tunes, more on them in a bit), sleazy seatmate started grooving to the beat - his shoulders were bopping up and down (feel na feel niya!), and I was cringing at every glance at him. If I'm not mistaken, he tried offering me his iced tea when he saw that I was facing his direction; I pretended I did not see that gesture.

Sometime in the middle of the opening act, he left and came back. Then when the opening act was done, he left for good. Menggai and I were wondering where he went, but we were really glad when he didn't come back. That would've spoiled the night a bit if he were there beside us, moving his shoulders up and down, and baring his chest for everyone to see. Naisip tuloy namin ni Menggai if he was only there for the front act :P

As for that front act, they did the 80's tunes well - their guitarist and keyboardist were good - but they really just came across as a showband. And there was some faulty pronunciation here and there ("We built this seety on rock and roll..."). And their scantily-clad gyrating female guest vocalist better belonged at some sleazy bar (or maybe at a noontime show) than at the Araneta fronting for Rick Astley. Menggai and I were horrified at the thought that she may have met Rick Astley in that outfit.

Rick Astley in the flesh moment: Still stunning at 42!

Rick opened the show at 9:15ish with "Together Forever". Of course the crowd went wild, and Menggai in particular felt like she was in high school again, gushing over her crush from the 80's. Heck, Rick wasn't from my time as a teen, but I do appreciate his good looks then and now.

He was wearing a suit and tie (his usual gigging outfit), which he paired with Adidas sneakers (so cute!). He hardly danced and said that at his age, he only had energy to dance for one song, and the audience roared in excitement, knowing that that one song was "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Early on, Rick mentioned that he knew about "this certain guy", which again prompted the crowd to cheer, knowing that Rick was talking about Roderick Paulate (famous in the 80's for singing/dancing Rick Astley songs). Then Rick said that this guy wouldn't come up onstage until the end, so that we'd all stay to watch the show

Watching Rick Astley was more entertaining than I expected. He's got this self-deprecating sense of humor. Before singing "Hold Me In Your Arms", he invited the ladies to think of them holding him in their arms, and as an afterthought invited maybe some of the gents too He also interacts well with the audience, which is something I always look for in a live performer. And speaking of interacting with the audience...

Gina's moment: You go girl!

Here's what I wrote about this vid on YouTube:

Some LUCKY girl from the VIP audience gets handpicked by Rick to sing "Arms Keep Missing You" with him! LUCKY LUCKY GINA!

Not only did she get to sing with Rick, but she also got to dance with him, hug him, hold his hand, and kiss him! Aaaaah!

I guess it does pay to be a stalker :D Gina had earlier approached the stage (twice, I think) to take pictures of Rick up close, and he noticed :D

You're sooo lucky, Gina! Way to go!

Rick is such a sweetie



Me and Menggai (and I bet all the ladies in the house) were GREEN WITH ENVY. Somewhere in the vid, you'd here me comment, "Kung ako yun, hinimatay na ko!" ("If that was me, I would've fainted a long time ago!")

There were even times when I couldn't hold the cam steady because I was sooo kilig (giddy).

Roderick Paulate's moment: Rick meets Dick!

And this is what I wrote about this at YouTube:

My gooosh! THIS WAS THE MOMENT PINOY RICK ASTLEY FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR :P

Roderick Paulate is a Filipino actor/comedian who was famous in the 80's for his Rick Astley dance moves. I was too young to remember watching those on TV, but I definitely enjoyed this moment last night :D

Apparently, Roderick needed convincing to do this stint at Rick's gig :P Read about it at Gabe Mercado's Multiply blog.

Way to go, Kuya Dick! :P

Loved it too when Rick had to wear his glasses to read his thank you list



Menggai and I were marvelled at the moment unfolding before us We also commented on Rick Astley's height - he was just a bit taller than Roderick.

Rick putting on his reading glasses was a cute bit, too - one of the several times he hinted at his age during the show.

Like I said, it was really entertaining to watch Rick Astley. I was just there to hear his hits from the 80's, and to personally enjoy his good looks, but his humor and wit were a bonus I really appreciated.

It was also nice that he showed his appreciation for the fans. After singing "Cry for Help", he invited everyone to get on a plane to Jakarta to join him for the next night's singing as well At the beginning of the show, Rick apologized for taking so long to get here (he's never performed here before), and he also mentioned that even though this is so far away from his hometown England, the trip was so worth it. Well, I guess for his fans who have been waiting since the 80's to watch him, that 20-year wait was also so worth it.

- - - - -

These are the only pics I care to post; our place at General Admission was too far for me to take nice shots.

Suit and sneakers

Also, HERE's my playlist for this gig at YouTube. I would've loved to video "Hopelessly", but I wanted to watch the actual Rick sing that song which elicited the most kilig out of me for the night; I had to cover my mouth when I squealed during the intro

- - - - -

Here's a fun recap of that night from someone I don't know, hehe. Hope she doesn't mind me linking her blogpost HERE; like Gabe's post, it also talks about the Rick and Dick moment.