Postscript to The Philippine STAR’s 27th anniversary The 27 memorable foreign acts

MANILA, Philippines - When The Philippine STAR came out with special supplements to mark its 27th anniversary last July 28, I felt sorry that I didn’t make it to the deadline. But it’s never too late, is it?

I have an unfinished coffee-table book titled Behind The Spotlight that I have been working on for the past four years. It’s about my experiences with the foreign artists that I have worked with. Here are the 27 memorable ones:

27. CONNIE FRANCIS. An icon from the ’50s and ’60s widely known for being bi-polar and fickle, I almost had a heart attack when her manager informed me she wasn’t feeling well on the concert date (Feb. 14, 2008) and wanted to postpone the performance to two days later. I begged her not to cancel as it was the most important day for Filipino couples. She only relented and agreed to perform when I assured her that there will be five doctors on standby at the dressing room to attend to her. Before going on stage, she requested the air-conditioning of Araneta Coliseum be shut off or she won’t perform. We had no choice but to comply. It was a relief nobody complained of the heat.

26. SHEENA EASTON. She’s Sheena Shirley Orr in real life. I watched her concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and fell in love with the way she performed which led to the decision to bring her to Manila for Valentine 2009. She was in a jolly mood when she arrived at the airport, a day before her concert at the Araneta Coliseum but it turned sour two hours later when we found out that all her luggage including the band’s instruments didn’t arrive. Facing imminent disaster, we made a mad dash to Shangri-La Mall to buy Sheena’s make-up, undergarments, clothes, etc. I also bought clothes and amenities for the entire band and rented music instruments.     

25. THE VILLAGE PEOPLE is an iconic group from New York’s Greenwich Village that made popular the hits In The Navy, Macho Man and YMCA.  The group can still dazzle the audience and get them into a dancing frenzy but I don’t have any plans to book them in the future. Felipe Rose the Indian had a temper with an attitude to match. He made the mistake of leaving his sweat-soaked outfit onstage during the concert and made such a big fuss that it got stolen and complained to everyone including his management in the US.  

24. MATT MONRO JR. Technically, he is the real Matt Monro because his superstar father was born Terence Parsons and only assumed the celebrity name Matt Monro when he started his singing career. Matt Jr. endeavored to marry a Filipina. During a well-attended concert at One MGM Resort in Boracay, the emcee announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a warm Boracay welcome to the British singing sensation, Matt Monro Jr.” The audience applauded heartily and the band started playing his first song. Matt was nowhere in sight. I searched and frantically ran five flights of stairs to his suite and banged on the door. No answer. I got nervous and kicked the door open and Matt was in bed snoring. I hastily roused him, got him into his suit and almost carried him down to the stage.

23. BONE, THUGS & HARMONY. I have never booked artists from the hip-hop or rap genre. Bone Thugs & Harmony just fell into my lap because the neophyte promoter didn’t have a clue what to do and contracted me to produce the show. I posted the event on Facebook and got humongous response. The show sold out without a single advertisement. On the show date, we had to turn away a couple of hundred anxious fans who wanted to buy tickets. I found it strange that these guys guzzled Hennessy cognac instead of coffee for breakfast.

22. EUMIR DEODATO. I was a bit wary about Deodato because when I watched him at the Araneta Coliseum decades ago, he was guzzling beer at the concert and kept muttering four-letter words. Surprisingly, he has mellowed down a lot and was cooperatively accommodating. We did a dinner show at Dusit Hotel at Ayala Center where the creme de la creme of Makati high society attended. The captains of industry, celebrities, politicians and even President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with husband Mike Arroyo came. GMA intimated that husband Mike was a big Deodato fan and even named their son â€œDato” after Deodato.

21. DAN HILL. I only knew Dan as the songwriter and singer of the hit Sometimes When We Touch. It was in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands that I got to know him better. I found out that he was the singer of so many familiar songs and the composer of hits like I Do Cherish You by 98 Degrees and In Your Eyes by George Benson. Besides being a songwriter, Dan also writes books and is a record producer. His co-production of Celine Dion’s hit Seduces Me sold over 30 million copies. He admitted to me that he was addicted to sex.

20. FRIENDS OF DISTINCTION. When I negotiated for their performance in Manila, I found out they have never performed the Pinoy favorites That’s Not The Way We Planned It, Great Day, Why Did I Lose You Baby, Ain’t No Woman Like The One I’ve Got, Check It Out and I Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind ever in any concert. It would be high crime if they didn’t perform the songs and so I sent my production executive Ron San Agustin to Las Vegas and have him supervise the extensive week-long rehearsal at Harry Elston’s house in Henderson, Nevada (Harry Elston is the founder and group leader). 

19. FRA LIPPO LIPPI. Fra Lippo Lippi sold out the Folk Arts Theater eight straight days back in the ’80s. I toured them during the Valentine season 2011 and sold out most shows. Tragedy struck when Per over-strained and lost his voice. His manager cancelled and postponed the next show on the tour which was Baguio. The Baguio promoter was beyond furious and wanted to sue me. Fortunately, she was a close friend and agreed to do it a week later. As a perk to the fans who did not demand a refund, John Ford Coley was added as guest artist.

18. The SEARCHERS. When I brought back the Searchers to the Araneta Coliseum in 2004, the guys were glad to be back in the same venue after 40 years and most probably again in 2044. In the said concert, I witnessed for the first time my compadre Joey de Leon, who normally just sits quietly at concerts, dancing with gusto. Joining him in the dance were the Mexican and British ambassadors.

17. PAT UPTON (SPIRAL STARECASE). On Feb. 14, 2004, my competition included Toto, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight. On concert day, The NBC tent was fully packed and I heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out Pat Upton hasn’t performed in a long time and got nervous when he entered house and forgot the lyrics of some of the songs he himself wrote. The audience was very forgiving, though.

16. The VON TRAPP CHILDREN. I’ve been in love with these kids since I saw them perform in Oprah Winfrey’s TV show. The Von Trapps are the grandchildren of the real Captain and Maria Von Trapp and they recently concluded a 15-city sold-out tour of China. I brought the Von Trapp children to the Philippines in December 2012 and they also sang Christmas songs besides songs from the movie The Sound of Music. At their Newport Theater Resorts World performance, they surprised the audience with an emotional rendition of Bayan Ko. Most people got teary-eyed. The thought that these kids made the effort to learn and sing a Tagalog song and it was very heartwarming. 

15. PETE BEST (Original Drummer of the BEATLES). John Lennon and George Harrison have gone to rock & roll heaven while the two remaining Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, don’t have any plans of setting foot in the Philippines any time soon due to their horrible experience in 1966. Good thing another surviving Beatle agreed to come. Pete Best was the original drummer of the Beatles during their formative years in the early ’60s. Pete  performed with a selection of Pinoy singers and musicians that included Ely Buendia, Rene Garcia of Hotdog, MCoy Fundales, RJ Jacinto, The Bloomfields and Tony Boy Cojuangco.

14. GO WEST. A phenomenal British duo composed of Peter Cox and Richard Drummie. I picked up the guys in Kuala Lumpur where I had them booked. After the show, we rushed to the airport to catch the 1 a.m. flight to Manila. The flight landed at 5 a.m. and the guys didn’t catch even a wink on the fully- packed plane. Upon checking in at the hotel, we were informed there were no rooms and neither was an arrangement made for early check-in. Tempers flared as we waited five hours at the hotel lobby for any available rooms. To avert a possible disaster, we checked in at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

13. CHINA CRISIS. Back in the ’80s, the group’s music was the staple of FM stations and discos/dance halls. Three decades later, I had the chance to work with these guys in 2010 when we did an Asian tour. China Crisis’ new drummer was a young good-looking lady named Sian who wore mini-skirts while pounding on her drum kit. She stole the thunder from China Crisis’ members Gary and Eddie.

12. X SIMPLE MINDS. I booked them in several venues in Manila and at Hard Rock Coliseum at Sentosa in Singapore. One thing that sets these guys apart from most artists I’ve toured with is that they work hard but at the same time drink and smoke hard, consuming copious amounts of alcohol and tobacco. Although they are really fun guys to be with, I could never cope with these guys’ lifestyle. 

11. GARY LEWIS & the PLAYBOYS. Gary packed both Araneta Coliseum and Manila Hotel’s cavernous Fiesta Ballroom. At the end of the tour, Gary requested me to bring him to the house where he lived with his first wife Jinky Suzara in San Lorenzo Village, Makati City, four decades ago. Gary was overflowing with nostalgia and emotion as soon as he stepped into the house. He was welcomed like a prodigal son. Gary couldn’t control the tears when he saw his original drum kit neatly displayed in the room he used to sleep in still in the condition it was when he left it. After six marriages, Gary has only one child who is half-Filipina. Gary’s favorite Filipino food is bibingka and he could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

10. CHAD & JEREMY. After going on hiatus in the ’70s, Chad Stuart settled in Idaho, USA, and Jeremy Clyde pursued an acting career in the movies and TV in the UK. Once in a blue moon, they reunite for a tour and I was blessed when they signed with me for two concerts, even consenting to perform all the C&J songs that became popular in the Philippines, except Say It Isn’t True, which was an utter disappointment because it was one of my favorites. 

9. PETER & GORDON. After they split about four decades ago, Peter Asher has always consistently refused to perform with Gordon Waller until a benefit concert for the ailing Mike Smith, lead singer of the Dave Clark 5, came along where Peter agreed to perform a few songs with Gordon. When I found out about it, I immediately pestered Gordon to convince Peter to do just a couple of concerts in Manila. Peter agreed and they did two shows in December 2005. Two years later, Gordon passed away. I think it made history because it was in the Philippines where they reunited after 37 years.

8. TONY HADLEY (SPANDAU BALLET). Handsome Tony arrived with Spandau Ballet drummer John Keeble and a full British band for the Philippine shows. We had dinner at Cabalen one night and I was amazed how game he was with exotic cuisine. He tried all the Kapampangan delicacies including fried locust (Camaru). Too bad it wasn’t durian season. I would have made him try it, too.

7. The ZOMBIES. It was only for the 2006 Philippine tour that they agreed to alter their set list to include the Pinoy favorites The Way I Feel Inside, How We Were Before, Goin’ Out Of My Head, Indication and Colin Blunstone’s solo hit Miles Away. When I brought them back last year, even Madame Imelda Marcos couldn’t stop raving how great they were at the PICC concert.

6. EARTH WIND & FIRE EXPERIENCE. When Maurice White retired in the ‘80s and dissolved Earth Wind & Fire, most members including Ralph Johnson and Verdine White joined composer/arranger Al Mckay’s All Stars band. When Verdine White and Ralph Johnson left and joined Phillip Bailey for a  reformed Earth Wind & Fire, Al McKay changed the All Star’s name to Earth Wind & Fire Experience --- a conglomeration of seasoned musicians who have worked with Earth Wind & Fire, the Doobie Brothers, Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Barry White, Temptations, etc. They truly are an “eargasmic” experience. 

5. WORLD FAMOUS PLATTERS. Although they are second generation (all members of the original group have all gone to rock & roll heaven), they sound as great as the original. Members Eddie Stovall Sr. and Lawrence Lockard toured and performed extensively with the Platters original lead singer Tony Williams. It’s my third year touring them in Southeast Asia and I yet have to hear them falter with their impeccable harmony.

4. AIR SUPPLY. 2013 is the duo’s 37th year together and it still does at least 150 concerts around the world annually. Air Supply is close to my heart because I found out my wife was pregnant with our first born during our first tour therefore I named her Russell in honor of the two members, Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell.

3. BOBBY KIMBALL (TOTO). Robert Troy Kimball, original lead singer of the disbanded Toto is a prankster. On our first tour in 2008, he brought along a pen that exploded when the cap was removed. Whenever he met someone new, he’d strike up a conversation then proceed to ask for the person’s e-mail address and hand his exploding pen. A big bang followed and the poor victim would be extremely scared. His victims included yours truly, city mayors, band members, etc. He only drew the line when I dared him to do his prank to an old nun. He was afraid the nun would pray that his soul go straight to hell. 

2. REX SMITH. Rex is singer, artist, songwriter, actor, TV host, Broadway star, pilot and more. He’s had eight Top 10 songs, recorded 12 albums with Sony Records, hosted the TV show Solid Gold, appeared in the TV action series Streethawk, played super hero Daredevil in the movie Incredible Hulk and played countless lead roles on Broadway musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Grease, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevarld, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pirates of Penzance and, of late, as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. You name it, Rex has either played or done it. Of all the hats he wears, the one I love the most is being a good caring friend.   

1. JOHN FORD COLEY. I never met an honest and straightforward person who loves lugaw and foot massages like John Ford Coley. I met him in 2006 and have booked him countless times in many Philippine and Asian cities that include Kuala Lumpur, Miri, Genting, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Xiamen. John has sold out most of his shows and his fan base seems to grow bigger every year. On one recent concert in Singapore where he got three standing ovations, I requested him to hasten the “Meet and Greet” because I knew he was very hungry and wanted to have dinner but he sacrificed and spoke to each and every fan that was on the three-block-long queue, signed autographs and posed for pictures. The concert lasted close to two hours. The “Meet and Greet” lasted twice longer than it. We had dinner past 2 a.m.