The Lettermen, The Cascades back-to-back at the Big Dome

MANILA, Philippines - Individually, they have been acclaimed for their breathtaking array of hits that have sold millions and attracted SRO audiences to their jampacked shows in various parts of the world.

Together, they make a formidable combination of exquisite sounds and styles that could create a blockbuster musical act and send every avid fan to the height of ecstasy and excitement.

What many music enthusiasts used to only dream about will now be a reality when two of the biggest singing groups of the last century team up for a back-to-back concert series in the Philippines that could evolve into the ultimate nostalgia show.

The Lettermen, considered as the original boy band of the ‘60s, and The Cascades (featuring Gabe Lapano and Tony Grasso), the hugely-popular Grammy Award-winning band, will perform together for the first time on the same stage during a four-city tour to be highlighted by a concert on July 28 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Big Dome show, to be mounted by Ovation Productions, is the centerpiece of the concert series dubbed as The Lettermen & The Cascades 2010 Philippine Tour that will kick off with a performance on July 27 at the Manila Hotel Tent and to be followed by other shows on July 29 at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and on July 31 at the University of Baguio.

The concert series will showcase the amazing synergy of two of the most successful pop groups to have emerged from the ‘60s and ‘70s as they perform an exhilarating collection of old favorites that have captivated millions worldwide.

It will reunite The Lettermen with Pinoy fans more than two years after its successful 2008 tour and for its seventh appearance in 27 years, while The Cascades returns three years after its 2007 concert.

The two groups have been credited for providing impetus to the revival phenomenon in the concert scene featuring foreign acts that gave fans a new experience and took them to the ultimate heights of musical pleasure with the timeless sounds of yesteryears.

The Lettermen are expected to thrill the audience with its classic hits such as The Way You Look Tonight, When I Fall In Love, The Seventh Dawn, Theme From A ‘Summer Place,’ and many more.

Among the songs that The Cascades will perform are Rhythm Of The Rain, Shy Girl, The Last Leaf, Angel On My Shoulder, Dreamin’, My First Day Alone, and many others.   

The present members of The Lettermen are Tony Butala, Donovan Tea and Mark Preston.

The Cascades, which started in 1960 as a band called The Silver Strands (led by John Gummoe) that later became The Thundernotes before ultimately being known as The Cascades, catapulted to fame following the release of Rhythm Of The Rain in November 1962.

The song, which followed the group’s debut single, There’s A Reason, hit the Billboard charts at No. 80 and shot all the way up to the Top 10 before exploding all over the world and becoming No. 1 in many countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and the Philippines.

Considered as one of the last great songs of the pre-Beatles era in rock and roll history, Rhythm Of The Rain has remained one of the most recognizable songs even among the younger generation of fans.

The Lettermen & The Cascades 2010 Philippine Tour is sponsored by Imarflex, ETC Entertainment Channel, 2nd Avenue, Hallmark Channel, Edsa Shangri-la Manila and RJ 100.3 FM.

It is also supported by The Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, 105.1 Crossover, 96.3 Easy Rock, 90.7 Love Radio, 97.9 Home Radio, dwBR 104.3 and OptimaSignsolutions.

(Tickets to the Araneta Coliseum concert are priced at P4,000, P3,500, P3,000, P2,000, P1,000 and P500 and are available at Ticketnet outlets at all SM Department Stores and at the Araneta Coliseum box office. For inquiries, call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or Ovation Productions at 532-8883.)