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[adeno]

Day 1 - Hanford, CA - 05Aug06
Saturday morning, Aug. 5 @ 2am begins probably the longest week ever.. driving from Reno to Daly City then finally to Hanford - total of about 8 hours worth of driving. I went with my best friend from Daly City so there was someone with me. He didn't feel like going to the concert though, so I went alone. After spending a few hours just going around hanford and knowing the area, it was time for the concert.

Hanford's venue was the Fox Theater - it reminds you of a high school/college auditorium.. it wasn't a big place, by my guess, it could seat maybe 400-500 people total. So the lights dim.. the announcer begins his intro...



As soon as Mark, Kris, and Jimmy came out.. the whole place was loud.. near deafening.. until Sarah came out..



then it was LOUD - truly felt like the room was full of people. Just like last year, I was instantly mesmerized by her presence; I couldn't help but smile again. Full of energy, Sarah along with Mark, Kris, and Jimmy entertained the crowd with their intro (I believe it was "Pinoy Ako").

I went to Hanford to watch the whole concert in its entirety as I had other plans for SF concert. Nothing more I could say, except.. Wow. Sarah was her usual self, joking around with the small audience, truly an entertainer. The addition of the Pilita Corales / Sylvia La Torre Medley modernized version was a good choice - Sarah was so lively in performing it and the audience was enjoying it as much as she was. Her BWN medley was also a favorite of many in the audience. "Sarah we love you!".. reply.. "Sino po si Sarah? Ako po si Dorina!".. audience cheers.. they really love the People's Star


kinilig ata si Mark dito.. take Sarah's hand!

Although the venue was small, the VIP prices overpriced along with the cds, Hanford concert was a success. Near the end, Sarah received a standing ovation (Sarah pa? ). Also, since the venue was really small, I received news that everyone who wanted to have their CDs signed and pictures taken with the 4 stars were able to do so.. and it took something like an hour or so to do. Unfortunately, I left right after the concert to drive back to Daly City (4 hours away), so I didn't get my chance for any signings or pictures. Hanford concert finished and was a real SUCCESS.. CONGRATS SARAH ON A SUCCESSFUL SECOND TOS US TOUR VENUE!

Few more Hanford pics in the gallery here

[adeno]

Now.. on to the bay area.. fellow SG.COM members who were with me joined in as Production staff for this fourth leg of the concert.. it was a lot of work being part of the staff.. but also a lot of fun. Read on to see what we saw as production staff

Day 2 - Part 1 - Press Conference - 06Aug06
After the 4 hour drive from Hanford, it was time to go to the hotel where they stayed - Hilton Garden Inn - Burlingame, CA. Press Conference was scheduled for 11am. Ate Jaydee had contacted me and met up with me here. We started off helping the production staff members in setting up.. gathering names for those who were invited into the press con, along with selling the cds we had on hand (business sales talaga kami..) Anyway, Sarah, Mark, Kris, and Jimmy all arrive at the press con room, along with.. JOLLIBEE! Since the bee himself was in a rush to get inside, I could only get a quick picture of.. him running into the press con room.. with my cellphone.. haha (blurry, unfortunately).


the elusive red bee himself.. Jollibee (at least the back of him)

I took a dvd video regarding some of the questions they answered.. I do remember off the bat that Sarah mentioned that "Dear Heart" did not go anywhere and won't be happening. BWN is also slated to end in September (but most of you know that already). I'll work on getting that vid posted soon. Anyways, I was able to take a pic or two here, like this one:


Kris & Sarah.. Mark where are you looking?


the lovely cake for the 18-year-old Popstar.. 3 of those strawberries are for Mark!

I ran into Ate Josie here also, and was able to talk to her for a bit about Hanford - hectic schedule there too, but not as bad as the forthcoming 3-day straight concerts. Tito Delfin was here as well, always video taping the surroundings. I introduced myself to him as an admin of Sarah's website - he appeared to be happy to meet me, but I did notice how tired he looked. Tita Div came down a bit later than Tito and Sarah, but from what I heard from ate Jaydee, Tita was already looking for me (not sure why). Feels good talaga to know the family.. and especially if they know you also .

The press con was pretty straightforward.. it was an invite-only event, so we were able to see most of the sponsors for the upcoming SF concert. After the questions, all the stars gathered at one table to eat before the long day. Two cakes were brought out for the upcoming celebrant, Mark, and for Sarah's past 18th birthday. Lunch with Sarah, Mark, Kris, & Jimmy? Hehe.. close.. we were just around the table listening to the talks and even talking with them on occasion. I was next to Tita Div for the most part, so I didn't notice everything that JayR and Ate Jaydee did.

While all this was happening, the producers called us to get CDs and posters ready for the promo stops. Few hundred cds were with us, but unfortunately, the new "Becoming" wouldn't be in our hands until we reached Tracy (last venue of the 3-day promo tour). SG.COM members were the business and sales group of the production team. Time to get to work!

After the press con, a 45 minute drive down to San Jose, CA Jollibee - the most chaotic venue we had in the 3-day promo tour.


Part 2 - San Jose Jollibee

Arriving in San Jose, we already see a HUGE crowd gathered up by the Jollibee entrance - probably more than could fit inside the store! We made a post just outside the store where the tables were to sell the cds and posters.. only problem.. the people were everywhere. Probably a good 10 minutes before we could get set up properly. Once the van with the stars arrived, the chaos began. People were cheering as Sarah, Mark, Kris, & Jimmy made way as quickly as possible inside Jollibee store. It was noisy.. everyone yelling for Sarah and the others.. I'm pretty sure I was deaf for a few seconds there.. haha. After about an hour and a half, we received word to hit the next venue in Union City. We packed up and waited for the van in my car. One problem, there were so MANY people, that it would be difficult to get the Sarah and the others into the van safely. Law enforcement was called in to make way for them and they were able to reach the van without problems. Now off to the next venue.. Island Pacific, Union City. For this part, the van followed me all the way to the destination (it was usually us following.. woohoo!). Things were so tense in this venue that I totally forgot to take pictures.. we were in a rush to practically get everything done ASAP.

*other parts to come.. trying to remember the best I can.. haha*

[adeno]

Part 3 & 4 - Island Pacific Supermarket/Jollibee - Union City

We went by these venues pretty fast, since they were literally 5 minutes from each other. Upon arriving at Island Pacific, we found that we had NO parking available.. so many people were there! We went through the back of the store toward the entrance, they had a set of booths set in a rectangular shape, and people would go in to take pictures with the artista. It was more controlled, and people were let in just about a group at a time. Imagine this.. as ate Jaydee and I walked in with other staff members, people started to cheer.. and you could wonder how long they've been waiting.

It wasn't until Sarah, Mark, Kris, and Jimmy appeared did the whole store just burst with cheers.. again I felt deaf for a moment as you could here people yelling, "SARAH! SARAH! DORINA!" Only thing about this place, is that there wasn't really a single "line", more like a crowd of people. We had two booths inside the rectangular island, one for the artista and one for the staff selling cds and posters. Even with the booths, people started to slip through and get inside to take a quick picture.. I'm sure the security staff had a fun time in this venue.. haha

Ate Jaydee has pics from Island Pacific, and she will share those in her review.

We left the venue after about an hour and a half, to reach the 3rd venue - Jollibee Union City.


After reaching Jollibee, we all had a sudden craving for Chickenjoy, yumburger and pearl coolers . Lahat ng mga staff, by this time, was already tired. We ordered some food while the artista entertained their fans with pictures and autograph signings. The venue was a bit smaller than our previous venues, and many people ended up standing on chairs just so they could view the artists. Sales was doing excellent - only day 1 and we only had a small percentage of Sarah's CDs left (we didn't have the "Becoming" cd until day 3).

Part 5 - Zen's - San Leandro
The last venue for Day 1.. so many of us were tired already, so I spent most of my time just helping with the merchandise booth and going inside and outside on occasion. This venue was a "dinner with the stars" type deal, and the people who were there, all got their chances to take pictures and get signings. The place probably held no more than 60 people. Meanwhile, Tita Div was sitting with us just talking to the producers and Tito Delfin was recording everything on video cam as always

Part 6 - Thoughts after all the Venues
So, I don't know how many of you have followed the promo tour of any artista in any given city, but I can tell you for sure, it's incredibly tiring. I did notice one thing out of this first day. Spending time as production staff, you see all sorts of fans, both good and bad, young and old.. doing what they can to see their favorite artist. For them, just a single look and smile in their direction from the artist makes everything worthwhile. I remember feeling the same way last year when the Champions came to the same venues.. I did what I could to see them. Nakakaawa din talaga.. when the artists have to leave to reach another venue on their schedule, and people who have been waiting a long time, don't get a chance to take a picture or meet with them. I think that's why ate Jaydee and I followed the Champions in all venues last year . Anyway, this was the end of a super tiring first day of SF area promos... ate Jaydee and I went back to our places.. the next day would have 3 more additions to our SG.COM staff team - JayR, Ralph, and Fred.

The artists went straight up to their hotel rooms after the day was done, so very little time for pictures if any at all.

End of Day 2 - stay tuned for day 3 of the 5 day kwento!

[Baby Nique]

Wow.. it's really great to hear those true to life stories from you kuya. hehe.. parang panaginip na nagkatotoo! lalo na po kasama nyo po si ate sarah, "i remember my times with sarah pretty clear." hehe.. .. haha.. thank you so much po! we'll be waiting for your next posts..excited na po kami!Ü

[JayR]

Wow Anthony that was a good start! It was great to hear your version, looking forward in reading the rest. I MISS YOU GUYS! nuff said. I can't believe a week has flown by very quickly, it seems like yesterday you were just sleeping on that infamous bed. Mabango ba?

[adeno]

JayR, on Aug 20 2006, 08:38 PM, said:

Wow Anthony that was a good start! It was great to hear your version, looking forward in reading the rest. I MISS YOU GUYS! nuff said. I can't believe a week has flown by very quickly, it seems like yesterday you were just sleeping on that infamous bed. Mabango ba?

err.. yes.. mabango nga talaga
why didn't the producers just wake me up after I had at least more than 3 hours of sleep?

[la_li_lo]

adeno, on Aug 21 2006, 08:44 AM, said:

End of Day 2 - stay tuned for day 3 of the 5 day kwento!

thank you so much po!

Wohohh GAling Detelyadong detelyado... OKAyy TOH

we will be waiting for your next posts..excited na po kami...

Edited by la_li_lo, 20 August 2006 - 07:57 PM.

[dorkehsheryl]

wow.. ang galing ng kwento mo!
very detailed.. i felt like i was there too
salamat sa pag-share!
cant wait for the rest of the story

[Joe]

Galeng! Thanks Anthony! naka bwelo ka na din to write a review!... Very detailed!, what I loved about it is its like a "behind the scenes" type of review...yung mga hindi napansin o naisulat dito, yun ang sinusulat mo! Great!

[adeno]

Joe, on Aug 20 2006, 10:54 PM, said:

Galeng! Thanks Anthony! naka bwelo ka na din to write a review!... Very detailed!, what I loved about it is its like a "behind the scenes" type of review...yung mga hindi napansin o naisulat dito, yun ang sinusulat mo! Great!

Glad you liked it

The rest of the reviews will be this way, what the production side sees versus what a fan waiting to see them sees. I'll be posting day by day until everything is covered.. I'll try to get my vid uploaded as well.

[ate G]

Thanks for the nice review Ton. ..Antayin namin yung remaining 3 days review...hehehe..sounds very exciting...can't wait to read it...

[adeno]

Day 3 - Pre-Hotel - 07Aug06

So my day begins with my cell phone waking me up at 7am.. still half asleep, I slap the phone into snooze mode. About 30 mins later, I jolt up.. awake.. I was supposed to pick up Ralph from the airport this morning at 8am coming from Seattle. If you know me, I hate being late.. so I rush out and take the 15 min drive to the airport. After meeting up with Ralph, we had another problem. The SFO airport being pretty new to me, I actually lost track of where I had parked my car . Took a good 10 mins to find it. Once on our way, we headed to the hotel and began what would be a very eventful day...

At the Hotel..

Upon arriving at the hotel around noon, the producers already had us grabbing the merchandise that we've been selling the past day.. we were in a rush! We packed up everything that was necessary and returned to the hotel lobby to wait for the artista. Maybe we would have some time for a photo shoot or two before we left for the day. This wasn't the case though, as we had less than 5 minutes after they came down to start moving. Oh well, better luck after the day was done maybe? Time to get moving.. many fans await.. us? Just kidding.. of course.. Sarah, Mark, Kris, & Jimmy!

Part 1 - Atlantic Bank - Union City

This appeared to be a private venue, as there were only a few people in the building, most of whom were friends of the employees or employees themselves. According to the schedule, it was a short 1 hour promo and then we were off to the next venue. It didn't happen this way, however, as they actually prepared LUNCH for all of us. This was unexpected and would throw off the day's schedule by about an hour or so.. oh well.. enjoy it while you can, right?

With Ralph joining in, he took over just about all of the picture taking:


Lunch with Sarah and the group... in a bank?

So time was ticking away while we had a nice luncheon with artists and staff; we got to know the people of Atlantic Bank who were very nice to all of us.. I speak for the artists and the staff when I say.. Thank you for the hospitality, the kindness, and the food! (Whew, for once, a relaxing promo stop.. with free food to boot!)

The stars themselves stayed in a small room which was already packed with just them being inside, so the rest of us production staff just ate somewhere else in the room. Personally, I didn't eat much.. or better to say.. I couldn't eat much.. I'm sure you understand why

Anyways, after a relaxing hour with Sarah and the group, it was time to hit the big venues in Daly City... it was also time to pick up Pasaway JayR who was waiting for us at Island Pacific. Pack up, and another 30 minute drive!


Part 2 - Island Pacific - Daly City

We were instructed to leave ahead of the artista van so that we could set up the merchandise table. Upon arriving at Island Pacific, people were already lined up outside.. much more orderly than previous venues. The set up in this supermarket was a small one - the left entrance was the only one used, with tables right at the inside of the store entrance. Unfortunately, we could only set up outside. Since there were enough of us, Ralph took the fun of handling the pictures here, and he took a lot (understatement).. as always, ang ganda ni Sarah


Sarah... bungisngis always

Tuwang-tuwa talaga mga fans nya.. and there really was no chaos here.. just people going in taking pictures with their idols and leaving happy... what a nice feeling to see it all happen this way

Next to come.. the largest venue of the 3-day promo tour.. Jollibee Daly City. Abangan! (somehow I'm craving for some yumburger now..)