It isn’t something I have dreamed about for a long time or lusted after, but it was on my bucket list, though not in the top 10. But it is something I felt was right to do when it was offered to me about four months ago. I am talking about a concert I will perform on Oct. 11 at the Newport Theater in Resorts World, called “Live Laugh Sing.”
For 41 years, I wrote and performed songs and spiels in collaboration with my two guys, Boboy Garrovillo and Danny Javier. But since this concert will be a solo endeavor, I am doing all the creative stuff by myself. And it is both fun and scary, easy and challenging. Fun and easy because I have been doing this for some time, but scary and challenging because it is quite a distance from the comfort zone I enjoyed for four decades where the three of us took collective risks and shared in the collective glory, and the collective failure when it happened.
This time, if I may use a sports metaphor, I dribble the ball and instead of passing it on to two other guys, I must dunk the shots all by myself.
I think of the Stephen Sondheim song Putting It Together sung by Barbra Streisand. The song is about the process of creating an album from conception to execution to promotions to dealing with producers and all the other myriad aspects involved. Indeed, there are a lot of details to think about when preparing for a performance or live event.
Four months ago, when my longtime friend and producer Mae Dolonius broached the idea, I immediately rejected it, though quietly, in my mind. I suppose I was being my usual negative self. It has been second nature for me to underestimate myself and my capabilities. In fact, I will confess that self-deprecation had been a personal issue for years. I have never quite believed entirely in my capacity to do anything remotely great, even if evidence to the contrary was shoved in my face.
Years back, when anyone came up to me and praised a song I wrote, I would readily dismiss it as “chamba,” and I was not being polite or humble. Or I would wonder what the ulterior motive of the person was who was saying such uncomfortable things. I would think to myself that perhaps he or she was trying to get in my good graces in order to sell me something or ask me for a favor. I just found it difficult to take myself seriously.
But Mae’s enthusiasm was quite contagious and I began entertaining the prospect of a solo concert. And the more I did, the more I realized that, at 61, I am running out of time to do the things I love to do. When APO ended three years ago, I wasn’t quite done with performing, writing or singing. Last year, I came out with an album called “Laro.”
After I said yes to Mae, we got to work immediately. Mae thought of the title “Live Love Sing.” It is obviously a takeoff from the popular book and movie Eat Pray Love, but using three words that encompass a stage performer’s work and career. “Live Love Sing” rings true to me and I feel I can relay its message to my audience.
I thought of doing a mixed repertoire of familiar songs I made for APO since, first, my audience expects it, and second, I enjoy doing them still. I will also sing new songs I have written and recorded that are featured on my solo album. The challenge here is to pick the songs that can appeal to an audience even if they will most likely be hearing them for the first time.
But I thought I’d add a new ingredient to the mix that was not part of what APO used to do, and that is to veer away a bit from OPM and do English pop songs I like. This actually excites me a lot but I will not say too much about it, lest I reveal too much.
My musical director Ernie Baldajay rearranged many of the familiar songs to give them a flavor quite different from how APO used to do them. It is a fresh approach that blends pretty well with some new phrasing I have improvised.
Reinterpreting APO’s big hits without Boboy and Danny is quite a challenge. In their original form, these songs have connected to our audience, and at times, it seems that the bond between the original version and the audience that grew up with them as the soundtrack of their lives may even be sacred. To digress too much may be musical sacrilege so I must tread carefully. The songs must still connect with the audience even if we play around a bit with the musical arrangements, phrasing and approach. It will be interesting to know how it all plays out.
Resorts Theater has the biggest digital screen you can find this side of the world. So instead of using props and sets, we will be using images on screen as visual support.
I like to say this jokingly, but seriously, I am the newest yet oldest solo act entering the scene today. I know my age defies the current template of what performers are supposed to be these days — that is, primarily young. But I have done many shows with the APO in the past and I have watched many of my favorite artists. I have also seen many artists come and go.
In the process, I have come up with my own theories about what comprises great entertainment. In my humble opinion, a good show must have two elements: surprise and delight. I think I may have the repertoire to provide a modicum of surprise and delight for my audience to savor.
I will have as my special guest, Yeng Constantino, with whom I will do a duet imaginatively arranged by Ernie Baladjay. I will also have Jett Pangan, Noel Cabangon and Ebe Dancel who will be doing songs I used to sing with APO in their own inimitable styles. There will be a surprise guest too.
I hope you join me and my guests in this night of music, laughter and story-sharing. One thing I promise is, I will work hard to make it worth your while. I am looking forward to playing musically and even psychologically being outside my comfort zone. I owe it to myself as an artist to do this, and hopefully my audience, both old and new, will appreciate my efforts.
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For tickets, go to TicektWorld or Resorts World. Or call 0917-8859335 or 0918-8859335. Show is on Oct. 11, 8 p.m.