BLACK EYED PEAS FOREVER?

Written by AlineBrazilPea on November 15, 2011

BLACK EYED PEAS FOREVER?

SWU / BEP concert review – November 12, 2011

I was not planning to write a blog about last night. But, everyone kept asking and pushing me to write about it… so, here it goes. After all, those who watched the SWU on TV or on the Internet have no idea what happened there. SWU sucked, but true BEP fans rocked.

This blog is NOT supposed to hurt or attack on the Black Eyed Peas. We know they have NOTHING to do with it. This is just my manner to express my lack of satisfaction with the SWU event as a whole. Many factors contributed to my sadness, and I hate how things were so different and frustrating.

The Pre-Show: Sleepless in Paulinia

This is the first time that the Peas have come to Brazil for a huge festival, like the SWU MUSIC & ARTS Festival. All the fans had big expectations because, as we all know, the Peas will be on a break. They do come to Brazil often, but it’s not like we have the opportunity to see them live every other month. Personally, for me, it was also important because being there was a birthday gift from my parents. I was going to travel alone for the first time to a concert, but I asked them so much to go with me this time for my birthday (and they couldn’t enjoy anything, as I will tell you later). They saved up some money just to be celebrating my birthday with me. At first, I thought I would not even be able to travel because, last week, I was so anxious that I got sick one night before my flight. But I made it.

I haven’t slept from November 8 to 12th . We went to the airport in Rio at 4 a.m. on November 11 to wait for our flight. Our flight was delayed, and we arrived in Campinas (São Paulo) at 7 a.m. the same day. No one from the airport knew how we would arrive in Paulínia (where the venue of the show is) because the special buses that SWU promised were not there. We had to take a bus to the biggest bus station in Campinas (40 minutes), and another bus en route to the bus station in Paulínia ( 1 hour and 30 minutes). If the SWU had the special buses on schedule, the entire thing would take 20 minutes – that was how long we took to get the hell outta Paulínia to Campinas. By the way: there was also NO special transportation from Paulínia to the airport in Campinas after the festival. They said the buses broke down, and were forced to improvise finding alternate forms of transportation to take us to the other city.

When we arrived in Paulínia, we realized the city was cute, but too far from everything… There was a small shopping center at the bus station, which was close to Parque Brasil 500, the venue where the Peas would perform. I tried to have lunch there, but I was so anxious with the whole thing and the weather was so hot, I nearly couldn’t eat. After that, I went to the venue, on the other side of the street, and I was the 10th fan to arrive…That was like 11 a.m. Later in the afternoon, my friend, Gabriel, arrived. He was also from Rio. We were interviewed by many websites and TV channels, and everyone kept asking on and off air if all of that sacrifice was worth it. We all agreed it was. There were fans from Ceará, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais… Collectively burning our bums under the sun, we all became BFF instantly. The weather got even hotter at 3 or 4 p.m., and we had to cover the fence with sheets and coats, and whatever we had. We looked like 10-13 homeless people hanging out together. The helicopter from Globo (the most important TV channel in Brazil) filmed everything, and it was aired live. It felt so weird.

When it was around 6 p.m., we decided to switch places, and some of us went to the mall at the bus station. We watched ourselves on TV, which was so fun… and we even saw a chick who looked a lot like Fergie, and a man who looked like Will. We took pictures, and it was hilarious. We showed those photos the following day to other fans, and they kind of believed they were the real Peas.

There was NO place to take a shower, so residents were offering us rooms or shower at their houses, but they lived so far away, and everything was so expensive… There were no hotels in Paulínia, too. The few ones we spotted were full. Then, we went back to the venue, and suddenly there was a kind of twister, and then a sandstorm. We all had to run back to the bus station. It was so funny, though, we stopped the traffic and laughed so hard, screaming, “Sh*t! We lost front row to the mud!” But we were scared we could miss our front row, and switched places again… Every 20 minutes, two of us would watch out on the street to see if there were other fans arriving, to let them know we were already there before, and avoid making a fuss.

Later at night, it stopped raining, and we decided to switch places every two hours. I was going to stay in line from 6-8 a.m. because I really needed to sleep as I was not feeling that good… We were waiting for Angelo and Edson, who would arrive at 2 a.m., too. But I couldn’t sleep that much.

By 1 a.m., Carol, one of the girls with whom we were switching places, went to the bus station, with two boys who were also there, to wake me up. They were so sad, and she was crying like hell, she couldn’t even speak. They told us that a bus with around 50 fans arrived at the venue, and they were at the other entrance, the other line, and a security from SWU told nine fans from earlier (who were with me) that the line where we were would NOT work for the show. So my new friends went up to them, and explained what was happening. Some fans arriving at midnight (November 12) were rude, although they knew we were the first ones to get there. They said they would not give up their places. One of them gave Carol a disgusting look, and she said she didn’t care about us. She even got front row later because she pushed us for so long, and also got other benefits. It was disrespectful: some people only play nice when they want something. And they never learn. We were all devastated. But, fortunately, most of the fans agreed that it would be mean if they didn’t let us stay where we were originally, so we would have to devise a new system. Everyone agreed to share space, there were six turnstiles: We got three, and they got the other three… It was ok. I couldn’t sleep anymore, I was so tense... That was already a sign of the lack of organization by SWU: How that line we were at earlier would not be recognized if it was on the map on their official website? Nonsense… oh, and when we argued with the SWU staff, they laughed at us and said, “We don’t f**king care. No one told you guys to come to the festival.”

Angelo and Edson arrived at 4 a.m., November 12. Their bus was late for two hours. So, Gabriel and the three of us went back to the new line, where everyone was on the floor, trying to sleep… Weird but funny, it just looked like a scene from a horror movie. We lay on the floor with them, and hours passed by… At 9 a.m., I went to the bus station, and the bathrooms were horrible. There were no bottles of water, and nearly no food available… The city has about 80,000 residents, and there were nearly three times this number of people there. There were no chemical toilets either around the SWU area. Things were close to breaking into chaos…

It was getting hotter and hotter as the hours passed by… Then we heard another crazy idea from the SWU staff: the Peas were NOT going to perform on the stage that was previously announced. The map that SWU posted was wrong, again. We had a hard time trying to find out where they would perform. We couldn’t believe no one knew it. We were scared we were at Kanye’s stage, instead of the Peas!!! That would be SO wrong. By midday (the gates were supposed to be opened by then), we were all melting… it was like 40 Celsius degrees outside, and there were a few people selling water on the street. We could not get in yet… and things got worse and worse. Many people fainted under the heat, and we could not take more than two glasses of water (note: people were only selling bottles of water on the street) and two packages of cookies or food. We could not even take sunblock and medicine (I had to throw away my medicine and half of the contents in my bag). We still didn’t know where the Peas’ stage was, and I was nearly crying. NO ONE from the SWU staff gave us any information. They said they didn’t know anything. How come? The gates were only opened one hour and a half later, and I was told the delay was due to the police and firefighters checking the structure of the stages. Apparently, there were some parts missing, which could cause an accident. This was not mentioned by SWU or any TV channel, just online. Total lack of organization! People started swearing at them, and sang the “Rock in Rio” anthem. Because we all felt “Rock in Rio” was MUCH more organized.

On the SWU: Staying alive in the front row

When we finally got into the venue, I nearly passed out for the first time. This lady checked my bag, and I was, in tears, telling her to rush it. I started running like everyone else, but my mind went blank pretty soon… I had to stop, and asked help from another fan and a guy from SWU. They told me where I should go, but the venue was huge. I finally got to the Peas’ stage, and saw Angelo, Edson, and Natália again. We got front row!!! Too bad I could not be with the other fans from the previous day anymore, just one of them, the boy who was the very first to arrive at the venue the previous day. I fell on the floor of the front row, and Edson ran to give me water. We all thought I was going to faint… and I am glad we could all meet them in time and make sure to stay together. We all helped each other, sharing our cookies and the very few glasses of water we had.

Soon, we noticed we could not leave front row to buy water anymore… Otherwise, we would lose our places. So, we were thirsty again (it was VERY hot, I was already SO red), and asked the securities in front of us when people were going to sell water. The lady who was in charge of all the securities said, “I don’t know, this is not my problem if you guys came here earlier or yesterday.” Some of the securities wanted to help indeed, even one firefighter who saw we were suffering there, but they just couldn’t approach us while they were being watched.

I felt so bad and so thirsty that I barely watched the first and second concerts (Michael Franti & Spearhead and Marcelo D2, respectively). I sat on the floor crying while everyone stood in front of me, watching the show. I was so sleepy that I tried to sleep with all the noise, but I couldn’t, it was just too hot. There was a girl behind me who tried to help me, but I realized I had to stand up, otherwise I’d be trampled. When I stood up, some people had already invaded front row, including some who were rude to us before. I hurt my elbow, and I couldn’t even move my left arm. While I was crying, a firefighter came up to me, and asked if I needed to leave. I said no, because I arrived there the previous day to see the LAST show, and I would never forgive myself if I missed it because of the disorganization, or people pushing from the left. He tried to keep me calm, and told me to stop crying and to trust myself I would handle it all well. He also told me to push some of the people too, which was funny. Then he gave me his bottle of water. His lady chief warned him, and we could just hear him replying, “I feel bad for them.” She was watching the FergieBR guys and me, so I got mad at her and asked her what was her problem, if she would like to see everyone there fainting because of their lack of concern. She told us she was sorry, but she couldn’t do anything, and that SWU told her water or food would not be sold in the front row because “it would ruin the image of the festival online and on the TV coverage.” I told her, “Well, everyone keeps saying, ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘This is not my fault,’ but you are the ones who can help us out.” I nearly had a discussion with her, but Angelo told me to ignore her. That was so pathetic, a total lack of respect. What about the break between every show? Whenever there was a pause on the BEP stage (Energia or “Energy,” the main stage of SWU), there would be a show at another stage, so that was no excuse, and it sounded totally ridiculous. I am sure, at one point, everyone felt sick with the hot weather, mainly those who arrived a day before or too early that day.

I could only watch the end of the second act, Brazilian rapper Marcelo D2. I wasn’t just in the mood to listen to his beliefs on marijuana, but it was a good show. I like his music. After his performance, more people started fainting… and more security personnel decided to give us more water. I guess they were tired of seeing so many people feeling bad. They tried to help, but it still wasn’t enough, people kept fainting… and I am sure THIS WAS NOT SHOWN on TV or online, because, like they said, the images were selected to look “cool” on TV. Only those who suffered know what I am saying, which was SO frustrating. My parents, who were there to enjoy the show with me as my birthday wish, were affected, too. They didn’t want to bet on front row. They would just watch the show. They like the Peas, too. But as soon as they got into the SWU venue, my father fainted. No one was selling water there. He needed emergency treatment like everyone else who fainted, and he was told by the SWU doctor that if he didn’t get any better, he would have to be sent to the hospital near the city. I didn’t even know what was happening with them because, guess what, there was no signal to make phone calls at the venue. I felt so bad for them when I found out they had to watch the show on TV, inside the SWU premises, but they couldn’t appreciate it live.

I was finally feeling a bit better after Marcelo D2, and after the show, we (Angelo, Edson, Natália, and I) had the pleasure to meet fellow fans, Katy and Hadar (from Portugal and Israel, respectively). That was one of the best moments of the night; they were so cute! We just couldn’t believe we were finally face-to-face after so many years of chatting online. We told them about the sun, the lack of water, and they just couldn’t believe it. They even helped us out, and brought us water later. It was so nice of them. Katy took a crappy picture of me, though, with some guy’s camera, and I hope he will NEVER publish it online. He was flirting with me earlier, and then he wanted a picture of us together. He also said that Katy was pretty (go, Katy!). We also saw the slimmer Nick Lauher (there you go, Nick), who took another picture of the six of us together. Other fans also wanted to be in on that memorable moment, so it ended up as a nice group picture.

That firefighter from the beginning of the show was still helping the guys and me by giving us his bottle of water, and it was almost Snoop Dogg’s time to hit the stage. He came up to me and asked me if I could do him a huge favor. I said, “Yeah, if you keep giving us water.” He asked me if I could film Snoop’s concert because he was a huge fan, and he was there working so he couldn’t even turn to see the show. I obviously agreed to help him. He said he trusted me and to make whatever I could, videos, pictures… I even tried to take a picture of him with Snoop performing behind. He just loved it. Suddenly, his battery ran out and, just in time, he thanked me for agreeing to do it. But guess who was on the left side of the stage, watching the show? Fergie! That was crazy. Everyone started screaming, and Snoop didn’t get it at first. She had fun dancing, and I think she loved Snoop’s dog for some reason……. LOL.

She spotted us from FergieBR on front row, and waved several times, and soon, the BEP guys joined her to watch Snoop. That was so crazy! Just to comment, earlier last week, Snoop gave an interview in Brazil, and when he was told the last performing act of the night would be the Peas, and not him, he said whoever was performing after him was pretty much dead, and challenged them to beat his concert, ha-ha. But I think the Peas had fun watching him. Well, it was a fun show.

After Snoop, we saw other dozens of fans fainting, and Edson was kind of shocked. We heard Kanye’s concert, he has great songs, but the show was full of auto-tune. He was performing at the stage behind us, called Consciência (“Consciousness” in English). But we couldn’t watch him because the SWU map was wrong once again… On the picture that we saw online, and on their official releases, it was said that everyone who was around the stage Energia would be able to watch the concert at the stage Consciência, or vice-versa, but that didn’t happen at all. There was a VIP lounge between the stages, and it blocked everyone’s view. Fergie performed “All of the Lights” with Kanye for the first time ever, and we missed it. L

Saving the best for last: Black Eyed Peas Fans Forever!

The time had come. I couldn’t believe the four of us were still awake and alive. We didn’t faint, which was already a good sign at the beginning of the show. As soon as the Peas got onstage, I started crying. A hell of emotions started running through my veins! Happiness, relief, sadness, frustration… but they were the only reason I was there, and they put up a great show. Not their best, but still, great. They made lots of eye contact with us, especially Fergie. She was happy to see her FergieBR fans there, which was so clear when she looked at us. The best part of the show to me was when she kind of dedicated “The Time” to us… She pointed at Angelo, Edson, Natália, and me, and then looked straight in our eyes (singing, “You, you, you, you!”). That was just WOW. We freaked out! She also smiled at our FergieBR poster. Taboo read it too. I also loved “Rock That Body,” “Meet Me Halfway,” and “Where is the Love?” Those songs made me cry (although I didn’t cry so much during the show because I probably cried too much before, and ran out of tears). A TV cameraman focused on us a lot, and I think we appeared on TV several times. I bet I looked awful.

To be honest, I said it was not their best show because I felt there was something strange in the air. I was not the only one who felt so. I don’t know if there was something weird about the festival for the Peas, too, or maybe that was just me who was already so tired. But I did feel there was something wrong.  I didn’t like that they kept saying goodbye a lot. It looked like a definitive farewell, and although they continue to deny it, it made me cry. Not cool. But we did have fun. There were also fun and special moments… like when Will was walking toward the front and Fergie backwards. They didn’t see each other, so they nearly fell. Or Apl doing his funny faces like always, and carrying Fergie, who screamed… Taboo coming to the crowd, and whenever he did, they screamed, “BLACK EYED PEAS FOREVER!” That was nice, because just last week, Brazilian fans put that message on Twitter as a campaign against the break-up rumors.

The show ended at 2 a.m. (November 13), and it was so depressing, “I Gotta Feeling” with that feeling that we always have, like “When are we going to see you again?” is not cool… but we made it, we went to SWU, and watched the Peas from the front row!

From Beginning to the End: A Final Note

I’d like to say thanks to whoever rooted for me and my friends to have a great show, and wished me a happy birthday during the show – Marie Anne, Kelley, Kelly, Katy, Christine, Bizu, Jenn, Neto, Pablo, Nika, everyone. I am so thankful for my family. And glad that my parents were there with me on my birthday, and helped me and my friends, whether buying us mats or just talking to see time fly. I loved that, and will never forget it. Their presence made things easier to bear. I’m also glad that my longtime friends were there with me, too, and we all helped each other to try to enjoy the Peas the best we could, with the little energy we still had.

I just wished the SWU festival wasn’t so traumatizing and stressful. Now I am sick because of those long hours under the sun... kind of insolation. However, I am glad I could see the Peas. I would never forgive myself if I fainted before or during their show. That was the closest we could get to them that night, unfortunately. So we made sure we would appreciate every single detail, even though SWU hurt us deep inside. I just hope the Peas WON’T EVER perform on a FESTIVAL in Brazil, and only during their own tours, which are much more organized. I also hope SWU will learn something about human rights before they talk about sustainability. More than 600 people fainted until 7 p.m. that night (source). I think they missed their point by treating those who were there to enjoy the shows, especially those in the front row, that way. SWU is now known as the festival that means, “Sucks with u,” NOT “Starts with u.”

I always return home happy -- whether I meet the Peas or not -- after the show. But this time, I am so sad, and very frustrated. I know they have nothing to do with it. I still LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Peas to death, and I hope they know it. I just hope their loyal, Brazilian fans had the opportunity to say “Goodbye,” personally, face-to-face - not only us from FergieBR, but also from other fan sites, like BEPBR and PortalBep. The saddest part is: now, none of us know when we will ever have the chance to see the Peas again in Brazil. To conclude, I just wish we could have had the time of our lives, as we always had during the previous BEP shows… The truth is, though, I would do everything I could to be close to them, and watch them again. They are my favorite band, and they inspire me a lot. We, fans from all over the country, will keep waiting for the best one yet, no matter how long this hiatus will take. I will remain a huge fan… Black Eyed Peas Forever? Yes… Black Eyed Peas Forever!