MANILA, Philippines?People stayed away from concerts last weekend due to typhoon warnings. In fact the ?S.O.S? benefit show last Friday at Eastwood City?one of the first to be organized for victims of the recent floods?had to be postponed for a later date.
Meanwhile, the Dionne Warwick gig at the Araneta Coliseum, also on Friday, could only fill up a few hundred seats, according to a production staffer. But those who made it reportedly had a good time.
The Air Supply show on Saturday, likewise held at the Big Dome, fared a little better with more than 2,000 in the audience?although that?s still a far cry from the capacity crowd of about 10,000 that the band drew last year at the same venue.
However, the performance itself was worth the commute on a stormy night. It also gave skeptics a chance to see Air Supply from a different perspective. Those who thought the group was eternally baduy (not classy), and who happened to have seen the show, apparently now consider this British-Australian duo a respectable act.
The songs?which have become standard karaoke fare worldwide?can be overly sentimental in lyrical content and vocal delivery. But on Friday night, lead singer Russell Hitchcock and guitarist/singer/main songwriter Graham Russell, with a four-man backup, transformed the tunes? original lachrymose approach into something magical.
The show had the elements of rock opera, which Hitchcock and Russell are very familiar with, since they first met as cast members in a 1975 Australian production of ?Jesus Christ Superstar.? There was a compelling, theater-musical feel, for instance, to ?Power of Love? which had a chugging rhythm and Hitchcock?s high tenor ending with an edgy tone.
Russell was a sight to behold, channeling Pete Townshend with his pogo jumps while strumming the guitar to emphasize propulsive beats throughout the night. Russell, too, provided the new insights in which Air Supply could win new converts when he previewed a new song he wrote, ?A Little Bit More.? Accompanying himself on solo acoustic guitar, Russell?s subject of love and painful death is a welcome departure from the Air Supply of old.
Another new track, ?Dance With Me,? featured an upbeat rock tempo, which had dozens of fans moving up close to the stage to take snapshots and cheer the band.
Concert promoter Steve O?Neal may have lost big money in mounting the show in the aftermath of ?Ondoy,? but he said he would still donate ticket sales to flood victims.
Granting the weather is fine, here are two benefit gigs worth going to:
Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-2 a.m., Taguig City Auditorium, General Santos Ave., Upper Bicutan. Performers include members of Organisasyon ng Musikong Pilipino, Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino, among others. Donations in cash or kind will serve as entrance ticket.
Oct. 10, 8 p.m., Music Museum: Area One, Mulatto, Zoo and surprise guests. Call 721-6726.
