Gary V’s Reenergized concert a rare overload of his original songs
An overload of Gary Valenciano’s original songs was what the full-house audience at the Newport Performing Arts Theater got in Reenergized Manila, the latest iteration of Mr. Pure Energy’s concert this time for Valentine’s.
It is rare that Gary carries out only his hits in a full-length concert. The most that he usually does is to sing a medley of his most popular ballads or his biggest dance hits in every show.
But Reenergized Manila gave the audience a real treat reminiscing and even singing to Gary’s biggest chartbusters. From his first single, Hang On, recorded when he was a “scrawny” 18-year-old in 1983, to the moving piece he wrote within the pandemic, Make Us Whole Again, Gary delivered his original tunes for Valentine’s — much to his audience’s delight.
The last time Gary did a Valentine’s concert was in 2018, when he staged Love in Motion at the Shangri-La Ballroom at The Fort. After five years, he returned onstage to serenade his fans anew.
Gary V: Reenergized was originally a successful, seven-city concert tour, staged in the US in September and October last year.
It was only fitting that Reenergized Manila was held as Gary’s two-night Valentine’s surprise to his loyal followers.
To start the night, Gary’s daughter, Kiana, regaled the crowd with original singles she also penned — Safe Place and Does She Know.
Understandably, majority of the songs in Gary’s repertoire took the audience down memory lane.
Starting from the familiar strains of his dance hit, Eto Na Naman, to his popular ballads, the audience sang every ditty with Gary. They clapped their hands as if on cue, as a highly-energized Gary sauntered onstage.
Following his opening, Gary gamely asked the crowd, “Are you ready? I can see you’re ready to have some fun tonight.”
It was amazing that at 58, Gary could still move and freely strut onstage from end to end, doing an upbeat medley of his popular tunes. While he would understandably catch his breath after singing and dancing, he admirably carried on to the next number in his repertoire.
In only the second song, Gary took the audience back to the ‘80s as he enjoined his fans to raise their clasped hand for the dance move in his familiar hit, Growing Up, from Maryo J. de los Reyes’ youth-oriented classic, Bagets (1984).
A medley of Gary’s hit ballads followed — How Did You Know from the Aga Muhlach-Kristine Hermosa film, Laurenti Dyogi’s All My Life (2004), ’Di Na Natuto, written by Danny Javier, Paano by Ray-An Fuentes and Gary’s self-written Narito.
With Each Passing Night, Gary reached out to his audience, all excited to be near him. A few even quickly posed for snaps with him as he went down the stage.
Midway into the concert, Kiana returned onstage to do a duet of the hit ballad, Sana Maulit Muli, with her dad.
The lady who wrote the song, Gary’s wife, Angeli Pangilinan, was in the audience and she was in tears as father and daughter did the haunting duet. She shed tears anew when Gary crooned Lead Me Lord, Basil Valdez’s inspirational tune.
While many of Gary’s well-loved tunes were heard, an extensive, eight-minute rendition of Al Jarreau’s Spain made it to Gary’s repertoire that night.
It was inevitable that Spain was included. Otherwise, the song will be undoubtedly clamored by the fans in the By Request portion of the concert, where Gary generously gave verses of every tune hollered by the crowd.
Yeng Constantino joined Gary onstage and they did a duet of her first big hit, Hawak Kamay. Performing together is nothing new for the two artists. Yeng did a Middle East tour with Gary back in 2008 and she also joined him in his Reenergized US tour last year.
Both did a slower version of Babalik Ka Rin, that had Gary playing the zendrum. Throughout the concert, he also played the keyboards, as well as the drums, even other percussion instruments.
Expectedly, Yeng had her spot number onstage as she belted out one of her biggest hits, Ikaw.
Gary’s ever reliable dancers then, The Manouvres, danced with him in Look In Her Eyes. To date, like the artist they were backing up, The Manouvres are still very much agile to every beat.
“For as long as this heart keeps beating and kicking. As long as nandyan kayo,” Gary assured his audience that will give him the energy to perform onstage.
Gary was undoubtedly proud about the two inspirational tunes — ’Wag Ka Nang Umiyak and Ililigtas Ka Niya — which he wrote for Coco Martin’s top-rating primetime series, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. The songs were well entrenched into Gary’s repertoire that night.
The By Request portion was well-received and everybody had something to pitch in for Gary to sing, from his first hit, Hang On to Warrior Is a Child to his version of Lead Me Lord.
“It’s always a challenge to do what I do now onstage,” Gary admitted. “But no matter what age I may be, this is what I’m going to do. Gagawin ko ang lahat para lang humataw.”
That line apparently segued to Gary’s biggest dance hits, Hataw Na and Di Bale Na Lang.
Gary thanked his son, Paolo, who worked at the helm of Reenergized Manila. Gary’s six-piece band was led by Mon Faustino on first keyboards and also the musical director.
The band had Junjun Regalado on drums, Richie Ramos on bass, Migs Raneses on guitar, Mike Guevarra on saxophone and Jem Florendo on second keyboards. Back-up vocals were Elke Saison-Ortiz and Alyssa Quijano.
Gary fittingly closed his Reenergized Manila concert with two, iconic dance hits — Sa Yahweh and Shout for Joy.
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