A magical performance from Nora

Despite the global problems brought about by terrorism, life goes on for most people in Metro Manila. The concert scene, in fact, is very much alive – with musical shows held in small, but cozy venues.

Last Oct. 19, I went to see the second night of Nora Aunor’s concert, The Legend... Live, at the Music Museum.

The time indicated on the ticket says the show was going to start at 9 p.m. But at quarter to 10, there was still no show and the crowd was clearly getting restless. Some people in the audience, in fact, were even beginning to hoot, clap and stomp their feet – begging for the show to begin.

From what I heard, some people who bought tickets to the concert called up and asked those in charge of production to delay the show a bit because they were caught in the EDSA traffic. (It was the first day of ShoeMart’s mega sale, while nearby Robinsons was also having its own midnight madness.)

But as always, it was convenient to put the blame on Nora. Never mind if she was already there backstage – all dressed up and rarin’ to do the opening number.

At a little past 10, the lights in the theater finally dimmed and out came Nora singing a rearranged version of her Tawag ng Tanghalan prize-winning song, People.

At that very moment, the impatient crowd all but shut up and watched in awe as Nora mesmerized them with her still- melodious singing voice. That opening number in itself was already worth the wait and certainly was enough to placate the crowd who immediately forgave Nora (even if it wasn’t her fault) for starting the show late.

By the time she did her second number, Here Comes the Sun, she had the crowd completely wrapped around her finger. Then, you begin to wonder how this tiny figure who perhaps isn’t even five feet tall, can keep an audience totally captivated with her singing. The answer probably lies in the fact that Nora draws her singing not only from her diaphragm, but also from the heart. As a result, she emits so much passion – which was felt in every number she sang in that two-night concert at the Music Museum. My favorite, of course, was still her very soulful rendition of Windmills of Your Mind from the film, The Thomas Crown Affair.

To add variety to the show, musical director Norie Sayo wisely changed the pace of the program in the middle part by including a Hagibis medley that was performed by Nora, along with guest singer Jo Awayan. Sporting a pair of hot pants and leather boots, Nora – the respected superstar of Philippine cinema – gamely caroused with the livewire Jo Awayan. How the audience lapped up that portion!

But after the people in the audience had their laughs, it was back to serious song numbers for Nora. For her finale, she rendered vocally-challenging songs that no other local singer can sing better (and with as much passion): I Will Survive, This is My Life and The Greatest Performance of My Life. (Nora may have repeatedly sung these songs in countless other occasions, but I personally don’t mind hearing her sing these musical pieces even a thousand times more.)

At one point in the show, Nora also called in her children to join her in an impromptu musical number on stage: Ian (who proved to be a wiz with percussion instruments), Kiko, Kenneth and – to the audience’s surprise (and delight) – Matet. I was fortunate to have watched the show on the second night because this was when Matet decided to reconcile with her mother. And what a heart-tugging moment that was. For here were two key figures in a national controversy that had been relentlessly played up in talk shows and tabloids for months tearfully finally reconciling – on stage at that.

But more than this added attraction of Matet going back to the arms of her mother, what I really appreciate about this concert were the honest-to-goodness song numbers presented by Nora and her producers: Boy Palma and Norie Sayo (I have to say that all the songs in that two-night concert were beautifully arranged and rearranged by Norie).

Of course, the bulk of the credit still goes to Nora because it was still her magical performance that evening that made The Legend... Live! concert a big success. Her well-written spiels were all delivered on cue and her singing voice, still melodious and full. And yes, still golden. (For the benefit of the young generation, Nora Aunor was known as the "Golden Voice" early in her career.)

The Legend... Live! will have a repeat performance on Dec. 7 – also at the Music Museum. This should give those who missed the show the first time the chance to watch a wonderfully mounted musical concert featuring the still legendary singing voice of Nora Aunor.

(On Thursday, I will review the musical show, The Way We Are, which featured the Philippine music industry’s two other legendary performers, Pilita Corrales and Rico J. Puno.)