Michael Bolton keeps his promise

It’s confirmed – Michael Bolton is coming to Manila for a special one-night only concert on March 29 at the Araneta Coliseum.

When Bolton and his team called off the planned December 2005 Philippine concert due to "urgent personal matters," he made a promise that he will make Manila his next big concert stop at the soonest time possible.

And so it is, for the last three months, Sprezzatura Inc., Bolton’s Manila producer, hasn’t stopped working until it sealed a date with him. Presented by PLDT and Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Michael Bolton Live in Manila will officially set the note for the hot musical summer days ahead.

Expect to experience Bolton’s deep, distinct voice when he renders timeless classics such as I Said I Loved You (But I Lied), To Love Somebody, When A Man Loves A Woman and the phenomenal hit How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, which have long become pop standards.

Bolton, who started recording in the mid-‘70s, has a career that spans three decades and 13 albums. In the late ‘70s, under his real name Michael Bolotin, he was the frontman of a heavy metal band, Blackjack, which released two albums. Assuming the name Michael Bolton in 1983, he went on his own and became a major soft rock balladeer.

He released his self-titled album in 1983 and it made the Top 100 Bestsellers. At around the same time, How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, a song he co-wrote, became a Top 40 Hit for ‘80s star Laura Branigan.

It was his 1989 outing, Soul Provider, that turned Bolton into a certified superstar. The album, which sold four million copies, contained Bolton’s chart-topping rendition of his own song, How Am I Supposed To Live Without You. It went on to win a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

His next album, released in 1991, Time, Love, and Tenderness, which contains the song When a Man Loves a Woman, became an even bigger hit, selling six million copies.

His cover version of the Bee Gees’ To Love Somebody catapulted his 1992 album made up of covers. His 1993 follow-up, The One Thing, made up of originals, hit spawned the hit I Said I Loved You (But I Lied).

In Asia, where his fame also peaked in the mid-to-late ‘90s, Bolton’s songs have remained ensconced in the minds of his legions of fans up to this day. His more recent albums, like Vintage, which contains classic hits like The Very Thought of You, When I Fall In Love and You Don’t Know Me, continue to impress his Asian fans.

Filipinos can expect a different Michael Bolton this time around. While most of us know him for his more popular love songs, recent years and recent albums have added a depth and maturity to his music that have culminated in his latest 18-track CD Till the End of Forever, which can very well summarize Bolton’s journey through popular music.

In the world of pop, not all chart-toppers are destined to become great. Fewer still, are those who can transcend time and music fads. If you’re looking for a true pop artist who’s paid his dues and whose music will move you to tears, join Michael Bolton for a truly unique, unforgettable musical summer guilty pleasure.

Outside music, Bolton champions many worthwhile causes for children and women who are victims of poverty, abuse and domestic violence through his Michael Bolton Charities which has granted well over $3.7-M in funding since its inception in 1993.

For all he has done both as musician and humanitarian, The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has recognized Bolton a star on the legendary "Walk of Fame" and the world has ensconced him in a pedestal all his own. For this concert, Bolton and his Manila sponsors, Bykes Café and Big Book (Balikbayan Investment Guidebook), are setting aside a part of the proceeds to benefit the PGH Medical Foundation.

The concert you almost failed to see is a dream come true for Bolton’s millions of Filipino fans. Michael Bolton Live in Manila is made possible through ABS-CBN, MYX, and media partners Studio 23, Lifestyle Network, ANC, DZMM, 101.9 WRR, The Philippine Star, Business Mirror, Universal Records, IFM 93.9, 97.9 Home Radio, MAGIC 89.9, JAM 88.3, WAVE 89.9, 103.5 K-Lite, 99.5 RT, 923 Joey and 105.1 Crossover

Tickets are available at Ticketnet outlets. To get the best seats, call 911-5555.