Ebe Dancel promises mix of music and comedy in repeat show

MANILA, Philippines — Given its successful mounting early this year, Sa Wakas: 20th Anniversary Celebration will see its repeat on March 31 with Ebe Dancel as the featured artist. He is sharing the center stage with former Sugarfree bandmate, drummer Mitch Singson. Showtime starts at 6, while the musical venue remains 123 Block, Mandala Park in Mandaluyong.

Although some fans may expect a recreation of key segments and moments that constituted and transpired during the first staging, they will be treated to some streak of difference.

“The lineup is different,” said Ebe in a recent virtual media roundtable.

“Dadagdagan pa namin I think five songs. So, it’s gonna be 22 (from the 17)… the show will be different… What’s going to be different is, it’s a longer set,” emphasized the former Sugarfree frontman, who personally requested Sandwich and comedian Red Ollero to grace the show. “There’s gonna be comedy, there’s gonna be music, and then, there’s gonna be me, which is a mix of comedy and music.”

“Sandwich will always be one of my favorite bands and when Sugarfree was starting out, Sandwich would tell us to play and join them, so parang malaking karangalan na nanduon sila at pumayag sila at may oras sila (It’s a big honor that the band agreed to be part of it and find time for it),” added Ebe, who described Red as a funny and fantastic guy.

“He’s great, you know there’s variety, you have Sandwich that will bring the house down and then, you have Red who brings the house down in his own way. Then, we have myself and then, The Manila String Machine.”

The string quartet will give the modern, contemporary music that night a classical touch. “I’m very grateful because they volunteered parang (and asked) ‘Can we join you?’ Nagkita kami sa isang wedding sa Rizal, we were there as guest performers and I guess perhaps they miss me, so I miss them as well.”

During the interview, Ebe was also inquired about the idea behind the repeat.

“Well, two reasons,” said he. “Days later, I was getting messages and letters from fans asking for a second day. So, I spoke to Mitch, kasi kami ni Mitch nag-agree na kami na parang OK na kami sa isa because he walked me to my car after the show. I said, ‘I don’t think I can do this again, parang napapagod na ako, matanda na ‘ko.’ Because of the clamor, we would do it again. And then No. 2, although we’re not announcing it, we’re raising funds for a very good friend of mine who needs help… and we wanna keep him safe and comfortable.”

With Sa Wakas the repeat, Ebe said he just wants “people to have a good time” and himself to enjoy every moment that he can perform “kasi you’ll never know eh… kung hanggang kailan ko pwedeng gawin ito (until when I can do this).”

As for doing future collaborations, the singer-songwriter had this to share: “At some point, I think I promised Ma’am Regine Velasquez-Alcasid a song, at some point, I promised Ms. Sarah Geronimo a song, I don’t know when I will finally have time for that, but (they are on my) bucket list, parang duon ako nag-te-trend (it seems that I’m leading that path).”

For artists like Ebe, hearing that their songs remain relatable to this day and have become soundtracks of listeners’ lives is definitely music to their ears.

“How do I feel? Very honored because all my songs are borne out of honesty and I never have a target market in mind,” said Ebe. “So, it’s anything goes… there’s no science to what I do, which is why I think fans appreciate the songs. And then, what’s good about it is, like in the first concert, there was a mom, who told me, ‘I was watching you back in high school,’ and she introduced her child, who is now in high school… I think it’s wonderful that music, not just mine, that music transcends generations.”

Ebe also compared Sa Wakas to a baliktanaw, the way of looking back, and said that the show will mostly feature Sugarfree ditties with new songs.

“When it comes to new music, I think this year, I need to start writing songs again and it’s not gonna be an EP, it’s gonna be a full album, like maybe 10, 12 songs, like what we used to do back in the day ngayon kasi single-based ang consumption ng music (the consumption of music these days is single-one track-based),” he piqued the interest of fans and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) enthusiasts. “But I believe there are still people who appreciate just the flow, the story of an entire album being told one song at a time. That’s my goal.”

For ticket inquiries, visit bit.ly/sawakas20.