America set for Big Dome concert

All my life, without a doubt I give you
All my life, now and forever till the
Day I die, you and I will share

All the things this changing world can offer
So I sing, I’d be happy just to
Stay this way, spend each day, with you...

Okay, all together now, let’s sing the early ’80s hit song All My Life as we anticipate the arrival of its singer, America, which is having a concert billed as All My Life Philippine Tour on Dec. 4 at the Araneta Coliseum (with more performances scheduled on Nov. 30 at Clark Expo in Pampanga; Dec. 1 at Cebu Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City; and Dec. 2 at La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod City), produced by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions.

The All My Life Philippine Tour will reunite America with its thousands of Pinoy fans more than 26 years after its successful three-night debut concert here in 1981 at the Folk Arts Theater (now Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas), followed by another sold-out performance the following year at the Big Dome.

For Renen, the forthcoming return engagement of America after more than a quarter of a century is a dream production that will also mark his outfit’s reunion with the tandem, whose 1981 and 1982 shows were likewise mounted by Ovation Productions.

Renen recalled that when Ovation Productions first presented America in 1981, he and his wife, the former Celinda Pe, were not yet married, although they were already working closely together since the late 1970s, producing concerts of foreign acts such as Leif Garrett, Kenny Rankin, Blood Sweat and Tears, and a few others before America.

He said that since commercial malls were non-existent yet and computerized ticket sales were unheard of, he and Cel had to personally deliver tickets to sales outlets located in crowded areas in downtown Manila, trudging along the length of Rizal Avenue from Shoemart-Carriedo to Alemar’s-Avenida to National Book Store- Azcarraga (now C.M. Recto).

He remembered distinctly that although the tickets were released exactly 14 days before the three-night show at the FAT, all 25,000 tickets were snapped up in a matter of a few days, leaving no more tickets available on the concert nights that eager — and sometimes irate — patrons had to offer cash, jewelry and wrist watches to the gate checkers just to be allowed inside the venue and watch the show.

“Many fans would rush up the barricaded and grassy walls of FAT to try to get in but were hosed with water from the fire trucks that were standing by,” Renen recalled. “Hordes had no choice but to sit on the grassy area outside FAT, content to just listen to America’s music that was clearly audible from the inside.”

De Guia expressed confidence that the passage of 26 years had not diminished the massive appeal and popularity of America and its music among both the Baby Boomers and the younger generation of fans.

The world discovered America in 1972 when a group of three young musicians harmonized its way to the top of the charts with its signature song, A Horse With No Name. The classic made America a global household name and ultimately launched Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek as superstars for their timeless sound that assimilated strands of rock, pop and folk elements into an exciting musical brew.

It also paved the way for an impressive string of hits in its wake, such as I Need You, Ventura Highway, Don’t Cross The River, Tin Man, Lonely People and Sister Golden Hair, which became cornerstones of the ‘70s Top 40 and FM rock radio. Its first greatest-hits collection was History.

A Grammy Award for Best New Artist and a No. 1 record crowned the success of America in its early years.

With the departure of Peek from the fold in 1977, Beckley and Bunnell rose to the challenge and carried on as a duo, adopting shifts in sound and direction, changes in producers and managers, and a renewed dedication to the craft of songwriting, which ultimately propelled it to the upper reaches of the pop charts in 1982 with its smash single, You Can Do Magic.

Other hits songs which have immortalized America were Sandman, Only In Your Heart, Muskrat Love, Daisy Jane, Inspector Mills, Riverside, California Dreamin’ and I Don’t Believe In Miracles.

The remarkable growth of the tandem as singers, songwriters and musicians has continued unabated up to now as shown by such landmark releases as Human Nature (1998) and Holiday Harmony (2002), an album comprised of seasonal classics and the live showcases (America - Live in 2000; and Grand Cayman Concert in 2002).

Since its formative years 35 years ago, America has exhibited its enduring ability to transcend borders with its uplifting music and positive image that appeal to ever-growing audiences of divergent cultures and comprising a loyal legion of first, second and third generation of fans.

From anonymous horses to fast-moving trains, America leaves an extraordinary four-decade musical legacy of consummately crafted pop/rock songs, trademark lush harmonies and evocative lyrical landscapes that will never go out of style.

(Note: Among the sponsors of the All My Life Philippine Tour are Philippine Airlines, The Philippine STAR and EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. Tickets are priced at P3,500, P3,000, P2,500, P150, P800 and P500, and are available at Ticketnet outlets at SM Department Stores, or call 911-5555. For sponsorships or block buys, call Ovation Productions at 532-8883.)

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])