MANILA, Philippines—Last year’s concert scene was significant for the merry mix of musical styles that foreign acts offered.
There was rock (Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Lifehouse, Incubus, Maroon 5, Daughtry), jazz (Lee Ritenour, Harry Connick, George Benson and Al Jarreau), R&B/hip hop (Akon, Ne-Yo, Rihanna and Chris Brown), classical-pop (Josh Groban, Paul Potts), major female pop artists (Christina Aguilera, Beyonce) singer-songwriters (James Blunt, Babyface), not to mention surprise reunion gigs (Osmonds, Duran Duran) and one-off blasts from the past (Flock of Seagulls, When in Rome, Gene Loves Jezebel), among others.
This year, the Valentine week bill sports the following names: Scottish pop singer Sheena Easton (Feb. 12); the American group Fall Out Boy in a return engagement (Feb. 13); and ex-Chicago lead vocalist Peter Cetera (Feb. 14)—all at the Araneta Coliseum); and 1970s teen idol turned TV/stage actor Rex Smith (Feb. 12, Heritage Hotel).
Easton’s show will be her first in Manila. She broke into the scene with the hit single “9 to 5 (Morning Train),” which was played heavily on local FM radio in the early ’80s.
In 1984 she collaborated with Prince and had the biggest-selling album of her career, “Private Heaven,” which yielded the dance track “Strut.”
At the peak of her fame, Easton had a sexy siren image. We wonder how she looks today, and whether her stage act would suit the kind of songs she’s always been identified with.
Fall Out Boy’s return after only a year may mean that its promoters made good money from the earlier gig, also at the Big Dome. In fairness, the band was quite impressive for its frenetic performance level. In addition, interest in FOB has been sustained with the release of a new album, “Folie de Deux.”
Cetera was a bass player when he joined Chicago, whose music in 1967 combined rock and jazz. Along with keyboardist Robert Lamm and guitarist Terry Kath, Cetera alternated as vocalist in some of the band’s songs, notably “25 or 6 to 4.” He became the lead singer during the band’s pop ballads phase from 1976 (“If You Leave Me Now,” “Baby What a Big Surprise”) till he quit the group in 1985 and pursued a successful solo career. Cetera’s Valentine’s show is his debut gig in Manila. What’s interesting is that he’ll be singing with a 42-piece orchestra.
As for Smith, he’s reprising his old hits for his nth visit to the country—this time in a small venue, targeting the hotel dinner crowd. Mounting smaller gigs for several retro acts has become a trend for local promoters who don’t want to risk big bucks at big venues because the concert crowd appears to have become finicky.
Nagging question
But since there will always be a market for foreign shows, the nagging question is, why can’t Filipinos who can afford pricey tickets enjoy more major live acts from different eras?
In the past, we got to watch the likes of Bon Jovi, Metallica and Sting who were, incidentally, at the peak of their careers when they played here.
Sometime ago, the Inquirer asked one promoter why he can’t, for instance, bring in a surefire hit retro act like the Eagles. His answer: “The band’s asking price is $1 million.”
If it means bankrolling P47 million, then that’s just a bit more than half of what a telecoms company was said to have spent recently to sponsor the back-to-back gig of two young black R&B superstars.
(It turned out to be the biggest concert in recent years, with a crowd attendance of about 60,000.)
