Martin back at Onstage: Simple yet amazing

Once again, Martin is back at the roost he rules. It began two weekends ago, with Maxi-Media bringing us the concert series entitled Opening Night, Martin Nievera Back Onstage. If we didn’t know better, we’d suspect that Martin in fact ‘owns’ Onstage and just lets out the venue to other performers when he’s out of the country or just plain disinterested.

With the by now countless performances he’s had at Onstage it was a certainty that Martin had to come up with something different this time out. As he explains, "The hits are a given. I have to sing this nucleus of songs that the people expect and clamor for. It’s a matter of putting twists on them; changing the manner in which they’re incorporated and presented in concert form. Then, it’s the choosing of what new songs to bring in and thinking up vignettes and skits‚ to add spice and give entertainment value."

With the pared down, minimalist, semi-industrial sets and the more muscular arrangements (courtesy of Louie Ocampo), there’s a new feel to this Martin concert. Simply put, I’d characterize the series with the fictitious image of Martin exhorting the crowd with the mantra of "We are not just an audience." To an extent not seen before, there’s the effort to make the concert as interactive as possible. Even the lighting suggests this, as in several instances Martin is backlit, blurring the standard audience/proscenium dichotomy. Similarly, the house lights are often turned on; making us, the crowd, feel that we are not at a theater, but in some giant living room, with Martin playing manic yet genial host. The conceit works impeccably because the audience is generally comprised of the "already converted" who would welcome Martin to their own homes. Then there’s the gimmick of us, the audience, sending by text, our requests. At one point, Martin jumps into the seats with a cameraman in tow, and any audience member he sings with is shown on the two screens that are placed on stage.

The singing, the voice, the patter and the delivery therof, the ad-libs are all still there; as is the ‘cross Jerry Lewis with Jim Carrey‚ stage persona. Love it or leave it; it’s part and parcel of what makes Martin Martin. Unabashed romantic and balladeer, there are two standout medleys in the first half of the concert. First, a Seals and Croft medley that had my wife pinching me when he included My Fair Share‚ (Martin considers One on One, the film this song was lifted from, as one of his all-time favorites). Then, there’s a Barry Manilow medley that thankfully did not include Mandy or Copacabana.

In an evident salute to the music his boys listen to, Martin even had his version of Creed’s My Sacrifice. Never let it be said that Martin is not aware of the music that exists beyond the boundaries of the easy listening/pop ballads genre he straddles. He even previewed his forthcoming album (July 5th, to commemorate a 20 year career), which will include a number of songs composed by Brian McKnight and gifted to Martin.

The ubiquitous Broadway medley is still there; albeit with a different set of songs this time out. While the songs chosen make for a great showcase of Martin’s singing prowess; they are generally a little bit more obscure than his previous medley, so the audience reaction is not as marked. A personal highlight is the song I’m Already There. As Martin exhorts, listen to the words, and see how he transmutes these songs with a personal stamp. The cliché is "living the songs" and leave it to Martin to share with us just how effective he can be in achieving this.

In the effort to keep the show moving along, look out for how Martin acknowledges the sponsors while singing the Al Green classic, Let’s Stay Together. Priceless! The buzz going round centered on his "tribute" to the movie Spiderman. Well, my lips are sealed on this one; all I’ll say is, I’ll grant Martin full marks for the singing that’s still going on during this segment.

If Maxi-Media is thinking of someone to fill in the shoes of Martin; the night I watched had Boy Abunda as special guest, serving notice that he’s ready to believe he has the same shoe size. Brought in for a segment where Martin gives the audience a feel of what it would be like to watch a taping of his Late Nite with Martin, Boy escalated the segment into an episode of Duelling Talk Show hosts. Prodded by Martin to recount an incident when Boy was supposed to duet with Kuh Ledesma for a TV special and he chickened out at the very last moment; Martin then teased Boy about singing a few bars of one of his favorite songs, Wildflower. Giddy with the prospect of showing Martin he had not gotten one over him, Boy proceeded to sing the whole song. He even brought the house down when during the chorus line of She’s a lady, Boy did a sotto voce aside of I’m the lady. As to what his singing was like, believe me Boy, there was no apology needed. He acquitted himself creditably; much better in fact, than some of the young actors and starlets who are packaged as singers and thrown into big concert venues.

Every performance will see a different special guest. "Sometimes it may be a straight up singer; other times, it can be someone like Boy who gives something else. It helps give each night a unique edge. We don’t want to do the same show all throughout, each and every time. This way, if you do come back, you can be sure there’ll be something different." That’s characteristic Martin; always out to give the audience every Peso’s worth and more; when ironically, they’d be just as happy to see the same stuff night in and night out. It’s this commitment to raising the stakes of the entertainment value of his shows that keep his concerts in demand. I hear the series has already been extended for the weekends of June, so break out the Pei Pa Koa (the Chinese herbal syrup for throat afflictions), Mr. Boy Abunda, you just might get another chance to sing with Martin in August or September, on the third or fourth extension. Welcome back home, Martin!