Air Supply heads to ‘Brighter Than The Sun’

MANILA, Philippines - At the start of 2013, my four-year-old daughter kept nagging me to take her to “Brighter Than The Sun.” I paused and thought where could that place be? I’m sure she wasn’t referring to Disneyland or some other theme parks and it suddenly occurred to me she was talking about Solaire Resort that had extensive TV advertising using Brighter Than The Sun song. I have not brought her there yet but I plan to very soon because they just opened their olympic-size pool.

Meantime, I have dined in almost all of their food outlets (Yakumi Japanese restaurant and Strip are my favorites) with my close compadres Joey de Leon, Mike Enriquez, Greg Garcia, Mart Miranda and Johnny Cesar. A few weeks ago, my good friends Joy de Mesa (former director of sales and marketing of Hyatt Hotel & Casino Manila) and Romina Gervacio (former PR of Heritage hotel and Radisson Blu Cebu) who now both work at Solaire invited me for lunch at their buffet outlet Feast, where they serve “Eat-All-You-Can” grilled and steamed lobsters as just one of the dishes, among others.

Our yummy lunch extended to late afternoon as they toured me around the property, proudly showing their luxurious rooms, suites, function rooms and the amazing grand ballroom. The moment I set foot inside the plush grand ballroom, I knew this was the ideal venue for my forthcoming Air Supply Manila concert. Although I have wanted Air Supply to be the first international artist to perform at the venue, legendary performer/songwriter Lionel Ritchie beat Air Supply to the distinction.

Lionel quietly flew in to Manila and performed at the Solaire grand ballroom as surprise guest at chairman Enrique Razon’s ICTSI 25th anniversary bash last June 14. 

Air Supply did a concert tour in the Philippines last year but skipped Manila due to a very hectic schedule. It has been a while and its fans in Manila including the die-hard “Airheads” are really excited to see the band again. The wonderful thing about Air Supply is that it has remained original since it started in the ’70s and sounds better than ever. This year is Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock’s 38th anniversary in the music industry and there seems to be no slowing down. Very few artists have lasted this long performing an average of 130 concerts every year around the world. It’s a rare privilege to be a personal friend of Air Supply.

I have brought Air Supply to the Philippines every year since 2008 and it has done at least 25 concerts from Marbel to Zamboanga to Baguio and as far as Doha Qatar. The truth is, I still feel excited to watch the band’s concerts (like it was my first) singing along from start to finish and always look forward to the next. Air Supply’s repertoire that includes massive hits like Lost In Love, Just As I Am, Even The Nights Are Better, All Out Of Love, Goodbye, Sweet Dreams, Making Love Out Of Nothing At All, Chances, Every Woman In The World, Without You, The Power Of Love, etc. is guaranteed to make any bona fide Air Supply fan extremely delighted.

Meanwhile, I noticed hundreds of taxis in Macau carrying the Solaire logo and tried to negotiate with one to take me to Solaire. He looked at me and sneered then sped away. I plan to suggest to Solaire COO Michael French to have flying taxis available to ferry customers from Macau to Manila. 

Air Supply Greatest Hits Live is presented by Solaire Resort & Casino together with Steve O’Neal Productions in collaboration with Circles Entertainment, Business World, HDI, Solar News, ETC, 2nd Avenue, Diva Universal, IBC13, Telenovela channel, IFM, Energy FM, Kia Motors, Hard Rock Cafe, MS for Men, Aristocrat Restaurant and RJ100.3FM as the official concert station. Tickets are available at all SM Ticket outlets, Ticketnet outlets, Ticketnet online, Ticketworld, National Bookstore, Ayala Malls, Robinsons and at the Solaire Resort & Casino concierge (open daily from noon to 11 p.m.).