From the Lettermen, sealed with a kiss

Only one of the original members remains, with the two others relatively new (well, not really because they’ve been with the trio for almost 20 years now). But so what and who cares? These past nearly five decades, the Lettermen sounds the same whether "live" or on record – mellow and true, sweet and sincere, caressing in a way that makes everybody fall in love all over again, and again! – and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?

But first, a correction from Tony Butala, the "original" member who owns the rights to everything Lettermen. (The two others are Mark Preston and Donovan Tea.)

"There’s no such thing as ‘original’ Letterman," he said. "Through the years, there have been a few changes in the membership but we continued to be known as The Lettermen."

Right. Unlike the Beatles who had to be John, Paul, George and Ringo, other singing groups like The Lettermen are known collectively (as a group) and not individually like the Beatles were. But again, being the most senior and the longest-surviving member, Tony is the Lettermen and vice-versa.

The Lettermen have just finished a series of concerts that brought them from Manila where they did three SRO shows (on Jan. 26 at the Manila Hotel, and on Jan. 27 and 28 at the Araneta Coliseum) to Iloilo (Jan. 29), Cebu (Jan. 30) and Davao (Jan. 31).

I was stuck in a monstrous traffic jam Saturday night when Vivian Sarabia (Eyewear Stylist to the Stars), a big fan of the Lettermen, kept texting me from the Big Dome, updating me on what was happening on the stage. I could even hear the applause that greeted the trio’s every song.

Sunday night, I was at the Rose Memorial Auditorium of the Central Phillippine University (CPU) in Iloilo City watching the Lettermen, upon invitation of Aris Demavivas who co-produced the show with some friends. Every seat (with several more added) in the likewise SRO venue was taken. I couldn’t text-update Vivian on the Iloilo leg of the show, so here’s my account to her which I’m sharing with the rest of the world.

I was on the PAL flight Sunday morning to Iloilo with the Lettermen. At the Centennial Airport, the three guys lugged their own (big!) maletas and, yes, lined up at the check-in counter just like everybody else. No special treatment. They posed for pictures and signed autographs. Such nice guys! On the plane, they were seated on the "exit" row.

At the Iloilo airport, the three guys were welcomed by Aris and Renen de Guia (who brought The Lettermen to the Philippines) with, not leis, but a "necklace" with a colorful mask as pendant. Yes, it was Dinagyang time in the city! Aris introduced me to The Lettermen at the baggage-claim area and I told Tony, "I’m a friend of Jose Mari Chan and he asked me to say ‘Hi!’ to you when we meet." Tony’s face lit up. "Oh, Joe Mari, of course, a good friend of mine from way, way back," he said. "We had dinner with him last week in Manila."

First stop was the Freedom Park where 20 groups of energetic and "multi-colored" dancers were competing in the annual Dinagyang dance contest. Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas presented a plaque to the Lettermen who obliged with a medley of Dahil Sa’Yo and Ikaw, to the delight of the crowd.

They waved goodbye and blew kisses and off they rushed to the Sarabia Manor Hotel where Dr. Sandra Sarabia Gomez, the hotel’s president and CEO, and husband Ray laid out a sumptuous lunch. At 2:30, the Lettermen sat for a press conference at the hotel’s coffee shop.

Asked how they were able to survive such a punishing schedule, Tony, jet lag and all and with hardly a good night’s sleep that hardly affected their voices, said, "We take it one show at a time. Besides, we’re used to this kind of schedule. Back in the States, we once did 60 straight days. I guess if you love what you’re doing, you don’t get tired doing it at all."

Showtime was 8:30 (started almost 30 minutes late). The Rose Memorial Auditorium was packed full with people, including Iloilo’s glitteratti. The show was for the benefit of the Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation, Inc.

The Lettermen opened the show with a few lines from Dahil Sa’Yo which was met with defeaning applause from the audience ready for two hours and a half of that "distinct Lettermen sound" that never fails to bring you back to never-forgotten years when your heart was young and the world was a simpler, better place to live in.

Was it former First Lady Imelda Marcos, Tony Butala’s good friend, who introduced The Lettermen to Dahil Sa’Yo?

"We first heard that song from a Filipino musician a few years before we met Mrs. Marcos," said Tony. "Then, we learned that it’s her favorite song, so we started including it in our repertoire everytime we performed in the Philippines. One time, we sang Dahil Sa’Yo and we saw Mrs. Marcos in the audience in near tears."

After a few more songs and a medley of Traces, Hurt So Bad, Put Your Head on My Shoulder and Shangrila, The Lettermen invited the audience to the stage in a neat queue for a photo op, to the tune of Warm, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing and Going Out of My Head, politely requesting the photo-hunters as the queue got longer and longer to wait until the end of the show and see them at the lobby for more photo sessions and autograph-signing. Such accommodating guys!

After a 15-minute intermission, The Lettermen did a medley of The Way You Look Tonight, (Theme From) A Summer Place, When I Fall in Love, Cherish, Precious and Few, Unchained Melody and Portrait of My Love, prompting the audience not just to watch in rapt attention but to actually hum along with them.

Among the most-applauded numbers were their rendition of Dahil Sa’Yo, Ikaw and Sapagkat Kami’y Tao Lamang, complete with English versions.

Very obviously, The Lettermen loved to please everybody and, unlike most singers, not just to perform perfunctorily. They know how to work up the audience by going down the stage, shaking hands here and there, waving a kiss here, blowing a kiss over there and, at one point while singing Maria, picked a girl (yes, named Maria!) from the audience and sang to her.

After doing MacArthur Park, it was goodbye time but the audience wouldn’t let The Lettermen go. For encore, they did I Believe, inviting the audience to sing along with them. Time to go? Guess again! "Okay, one more," said Tony. "But promise to go after it."

And as The Lettermen launched into a heart-tugging rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the audience fell silent, exploding into a resounding applause toward the last lines of the song, giving The Lettermen an Ilonggo kind of standing ovation.

What an enchanted evening! What an invigorating show! What a terrific trio!

After more than an hour of further photo ops and autograph-signing at the lobby, did The Lettermen call it a day? Guess again.

Before turning in at their Sarabia Manor rooms, they dropped by Aris Demavivas’ Aris Bar near the Sarabia Manor. There, the Moonstrucks, the bar’s featured artists, welcomed them with their own version of Shangrila.

Postscript: Yes, Vivian. I did get Tony and the two other Lettermen to sign again your treasured old Lettermen photo which the trio first signed, as you said, in 1972 at the Waldrof-Astoria in New York where you watched their concert. How did I do it? I rode with them on the van from the CPU to Aris Bar. On the road, Tony had more juicy stories to tell. But that’s another column altogether.

First Friday Healing Mass

Everybody is invited to the First Friday Healing Mass tomorrow (Feb. 3) and every first Friday thereafter, 6:30 p.m. at Level 2 (near Watson’s Drugstore), second floor of Gateway Mall, Cubao, Quezon City.

The Mass is said for the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for healing of the body, mind, emotions and spirit, and to celebrate the Feast of Candelaria and St. Blaze.

There will be blessing of candles and throats, and individual annointing with healing oil, healing prayers and laying of hands.

Those who will attend are requested to bring candles for blessing.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])