In an emotional performance at the Concert for Angel, Eric Quillington paid tribute to MattY and Cherise's daughter, the victims of 9/11, and Kestrel Wolfe. It wasn't all doom and gloom, however; melodic, joyful bands such as U2 and Coldplay, longtime influences to Quillington, were both covered. In fact, the list of covers outweighed the list of originals. In Eric's words; "I like playing other people's music more than my own. When I perform 'Problems with Pluto' or 'End and Begin', I can sense the flaws in the song. The lyrics might be more personal to me, as I wrote them, but there are always a few parts I'm embarrassed about. When playing something written by Chris Martin, I'm playing something perfect."

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City of Blinding Lights (U2 Cover)

A lone figure takes the stage as deafening roars fills Hyde Park. Eric Quillington is, at this point in his career, an unquestionable superstar, so it comes as no surprise that this kind of reaction would be in response to one man. Without Greg Oldson and Matt Roberts at his side, however, he can’t help but look a tad bit lonely; he isn’t the only talented member in Infinite, and so many people have quiet doubts about whether or not he’ll be able to pull off a memorable (or even decent) concert by himself. Instead of introducing himself to the audience in a theatrical manner, as is his usual way of breaking the ice at a concert, Eric merely sits down at a piano and begins playing a tune familiar to those acquainted with U2. Written by Bono as a tribute to post-9/11 New York, it fits in well with a concert taking place exactly ten years after the tragic event.

"The more you see, the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now
Neon heart day-glow eyes, a city lit by fireflies
They’re advertising in the skies for people like us

And I miss you when you’re not around, I’m getting ready to leave the ground
Oh, you look so beautiful tonight in the city of blinding lights"

Falling from the Sky

“Good evening, Hyde Park!” exclaims Eric, now comfortable enough to engage in a one-sided conversation with the massive crowd, “This is the part of the show where I’d typically introduce myself to the audience, and extend on a lengthy rant about what type of music I make, and what it means to me. But, this concert isn’t really centered around me, so I’ll spare you the ego-trip. But I will say this; although this is called the ‘Concert of Angel’, I feel as though it’s become much more universal than that. It’s still, of course, about the daughter a special couple will never have, but it’s also about what happened ten years ago today. And it’s about Kestrel Wolfe. This is a song called ‘Falling from the Sky’, and, from this moment onwards, I’ll be thinking about her whenever I sing it.”

With the cheers and applause from the audience in reaction to his words, the initial notes on the piano are drowned out. Once the music becomes audible, the crowd emulates a different type of noise, as a mass chorus replaces the outbursts of cheers. A melody about the aspects of Heaven is, naturally, fitting for a concert about a lost child, even if one lone line exposes Eric’s inner pessimism. As the song is from Midnight Skies, arguably the most joyful record Infinite has ever made, it seems as if it were made for such an event. As the lyric is, some would say, universal, each member of the mass sing-along recollects one specific event during the performance. Some think of the fallen during 9/11, some think of a daughter or son they’ll never be able to see. The man who penned the lyrics is, however, thinking of only one person.

“See the water flowing free, stretched across all that can be
Beauty lies in harmony, something in abundance here
We’ll stay here forever, where the stars are falling from the sky

All the endless days and nights, lying on a gold
Seagulls cry and the wind blows, all without a cloud in as sight
Nothing will be lost, yet nothing will be gained

We’ll live forever in this perfect light"

End and Begin/Strawberry Swing (Coldplay Cover)/Stand by Me (Ben E. King Cover)

“So, who to thank, who to thank…” Eric begins his final words to the audience, “Well, I don’t want to seem like a suck-up, but the list could go on for hours. So, I’ll keep it short; the people who threw this little shindig together, naturally. And, of course, the wonderful performers this evening. When I was a grungy teenager, I never even dreamed that I’d be on the same bill as GirlSpice. And, of course, the thousands of beautiful faces before me this evening. I’m also sorry for boring you all with the little piano ballads. It’s not as flashy as an Infinite concert, but I hope it’s a bit more meaningful.”

Once again, the reaction from the audience drowns out the noise emitted from the single piano. Smiling to himself in response, Eric merely keeps trickling out the notes until the secondary noises fade away. Live performances of this song with the full band of Infinite are typically a very chaotic experience, as they are meant to represent the feelings of anger and desperation over losing a loved one. This particular, stripped-down concert, however, is meant to represent a different side to grief; one of melancholy.

“Sifting through the bright lights and the haze
After all, it’s just a big maze
I can’t see the figures through the pulsing red
Been missing all the arguments and the fights
After all, it’s now so silent
I wish that we could talk about it

But there is really nothing I can do
The only way is to push through
And the worst is always hoping for more
Nursery rhymes won’t save a life that was lost"

The final line to ‘End and Begin’, although possessing emotional resonance, would be a depressing ending to an event intended by Eric to be much more positive. As such, he turns to another musical idol for closure. The words, admittedly, are also a bit of a downer, but fit in with the concert’s themes nonetheless. It’s the melody, in the end, that ends up carrying the positive energy. Coming from a man who prefers words over its accompanying music, it’s a surprising climax.

"The sky could be blue, could be gray
Without you, I just slide away
The sky could be blue, I don’t mind
Without you, it’s a waste of time"

Although he initially planned to say his last speech before the performance of ‘End and Begin’, he goes against the plan to say one final word, not to the audience, but to a specific individual, “MattY and Cherise, I cannot even begin to imagine or comprehend what you’re going through right now, but what I do know is this; you two have the strength of character to persevere.” After debating about whether or not it would be cheesy to start a crowd sing-along of ‘Stand by Me’, Eric, in the end, throws caution to the wind and prompts the audience to start by singing the first line. As he walks off the stage, the singing of 100,000 unified voices fills the air;

“No I won’t be afraid, no I won’t be afraid, just as long as you stand by me
And darling, darling…”