Down Memory Lane at the Audiotorium

Curtain-raisers:

• Best wishes to Mandy Ochoa who’s marrying Rustan’s executive Gretchen Varela this afernoon at 6 o’clock at the Queen of Peace Church in Bacolod City.

• Carmina Villarroel is pinchhitting for Kris Aquino (who’s going to New York to interview American Sweethearts stars Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones) as Boy Abunda’s co-host in Sunday’s (June 24) edition of The Buzz (4 to 5:30 p.m. on ABS-CBN). Will Carmina finally break her silence on her and Zoren Legaspi’s twin love children? Stay tuned.

• Could it be true that Gary Valenciano’s current US concert tour is encountering some problems? Is that why some of the scheduled dates have been cancelled? Why? What happened? How come?

* * *

If only for Evil Ways (by Spiral Staircase), I won’t mind going back to Audiotorium tomorrow night and next weekend or the next.

You see, three fellow music-lovers and I were invited to Audiotorium Saturday last week by Bablou Barbero and Cora Sevilla to watch the Rockin’ Revival perform those oldies but goodies from the ’60s and ’70s that we loved so much (beautiful memories are made of them, or didn’t you know?). But the group, although it did sing the other songs that we requested (Bus Stop and The Beatles’ In My Life among them) forgot to do Evil Ways on its first and second sets (9:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. respectively, with the third and final set at a little past 12 midnight).

But more than a "craving" for Evil Ways, it’s the way the six veterans who compose Rockin’ Revival perform songs by, among other ’60s and ’70s idols, The Beatles, Dave Clark Five, The Cascades and Everly Brothers, that attract weekend crowds of our age level for an anticipated trip down Memory Lane to that huge venue nestled between Kamayan/Saisaki and a bank along West Avenue, Quezon City, right across the Kowloon Restaurant.

The good thing about it is that the group is doing the whole gig not so much for the money (I guess) but for the love of it because they earn their keep by holding some other jobs (better-paying, I’m sure).

Sonny Nicolas (known as the Jose Feliciano of the Philippines because he can sing a la Feliciano so well that, if you close your eyes, you will swear that it’s the visually-challenged Latino singer performing "live" in front of you) was with the Minstrels (Batch 1) before he joined the Three Dimensions and went solo in 1969. He now runs a family business dealing in printing ink and a small recording studio.

Roy Reyes (bass/vocals) was with D’Bachelors, The Black Cats and the Dynasouls (second generation). He quit his job as marketing officer of the Asset Privatization Trust (APT) and now helps his brother run the PR company Gratchie Seyers.

Butch Sabater (keyboard) was with the Dynasouls (same generation), The Cartoons Band and Alikabok (a rock band). He’s now the sales manager of Novarti’s Health Care Phils., a pharmaceutical company.

Percy Benitez (drums) was with Frolics, Jovials and Espionage before he left for the US and stayed there for 30 years. He’s now the services manager of a telecommunications company and with Marketeers Research & Concepts (which handles product launching).

Tony Huelves (rhythm/percussion) was with Thunderbirds, Bad Habits and Electros (a hit in US bases at that time and other Asian countries). He’s now record producer (for Viva Records).

Cash Manalang (a.k.a. Paul McCartney of the Philippines because he sounds – and looks – like the former Beatle) was with Leftovers, Chosen Few (with Boy Camara), Flintstones, Hotdog, Segue, Manila Band and White Flight. He’s now the VP for Operations of Servicios Maritima, a shipping company.

The Rockin’ Revival was actually formed by Sonny and his late brother Eddie Nicolas in 1983. The present group is the fifth generation, wowing weekend crowds with mellow tunes (first set), followed by rock ‘n’ roll (second set) and a combinatioin of slow and fast numbers (third and final set).

The night our group was in Audiotorium, the Rockin’ Revival (so named because... well, you know why) kicked off their first set with The Beatles’ Get Back, setting the mood for that rainy night (yes, they did sing The Cascades’ Rhythm of the Rain and other "rain" songs besides). Then they did Billy Joel’s This is My Life, The Birds’ Mr. Tambourine Man, The Critters’ Mr. Dyingly Sad, the Dave Clark Five’s Because, Chad & Jeremy’s Before and After, Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now, The Intruders’ Together, The Beatles’ Till There Was You, The Bee Gees’ To Love Somebody and, by special request, The Beatles’ In My Life.

As I’ve been saying, there’s nothing more relaxing and more soothing than listening to old familiar love songs that bring you back to specific periods in your past, evoking memories that you never tire of recalling and reliving.

Have a weekend date with the Rockin’ Revival and find out for yourself what an invigorating trip back to the good old days is all about – on the wings of your favorite songs.

But the evening was not complete without Evil Ways (great favorite of somebody in our group). So anytime soon, we’ll go back to Audiotorium for Evil Ways and another trip back to the yesteryears when music was music and not the noisy variety that most sounds have degenerated into these past few years.