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For the umpteenth time, legendary Pinoy supergroup
Juan Dela Cruz band staged a “reunion” show over the weekend,
but it wasn’t some lame production at a seedy bar with a perpetual
cloud of cigarette smoke hanging over the air. The venue was the
Cultural Center of the Philippines and Mike Hanopol, Wally Gonzalez
and Joey “Pepe” Smith headlined a fantastic, three-day concert
billed as Fiesta ng Musikang Filipino.
Sugarfree and UpDharmaDown were
the opening acts on the first night. Despite their relative youth,
both bands are pretty much pros in the local music scene. Ebe Dancel
in particular stole the show when he started crooning Sharon
Cuneta’s immortal classic “Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas.” It was
obvious he was struggling in some parts, but the sheer bravado he
displayed in belting out the videoke staple was impressive. Ate
Shawie would’ve been proud. Armi Millare, on the other hand, was
in her usual element, with her distinct vocal stylings lending an
air of originality to their songs, including their take on the Apo
original, “Kaibigan.”
The curtain behind the bands came
up afterwards, and the musicians of the Manila Philharmonic
Orchestra were revealed, all wearing white shirts and jeans.
Performing Bamboo’s hit “Hallelujah,” the MPO received
thunderous applause from the audience. A traditional orchestra
performing contemporary pop hits isn’t exactly jump-off-your-seat
exciting and new, but in today’s musical landscape of tired old
acts, the attempt of jumping out of their tight dresses and suits
and reaching out to more mainstream audiences is still very much
appreciated.
International violinist Lucia
Micarelli was up next. I wasn’t exactly blown away with her
largely experimental repertoire the first time I saw her perform at
Embassy last Valentine’s Day, but I much preferred her this time
accompanied by the MPO in a stirring violin solo. I had the chance
to interview Josh Groban’s punky violinist the first time she was
here and she’s always expressed her desire to break boundaries and
perform in front of newer audiences, not just in front of the
classical crowd, and it looks like she’s getting her wish. (It
didn’t hurt, too, that she was looking might fine when she played
barefoot and in that plunging dress.)
But the night was about Juan Dela
Cruz band. Launching into their first song, it seemed like the trio
of Smith, Gonzalez and Hanopol still played like a tight, mean,
Pinoy rock-playing machine. But midway during the song, there were
unexpected technical difficulties that forced them to stop playing.
And as usual, dear old Pepe entertained the audience with his
antics. He walked around spewing verbal nonsense, pretended (?) to
drink out of his trusty whiskey flask, laid down onstage and even
gave somebody in the audience the finger. Yep, it wouldn’t be a
Juan Dela Cruz show without lolo Pepe being his irreverent self.
When the kinks were ironed out, the band played on, this time
accompanied by the MPO, and it was as though the music never
stopped. Up to the grand finale of “Ang Himig Natin,” with
Lucia, Armi and Ebe joining in, the whole show was truly a feast for
the senses. Organizers of the show should be proud of themselves for
mounting such a unique, genre-defying production, and here’s
hoping we get more of that soon.
Coldplay’s fourth studio album
Viva La Vida or Death and All of His Friends drops next month, and
whether you think of them as insanely talented or overrated crapbags,
this is pretty big news. Multi-hyphenate musician and producer Brian
Eno takes the helm for this outing, and Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow and his
cohorts promise something “new” and “completely different.”
That’s certainly the least that I could say about the first
single, “Violet Hill.” If you didn’t get the chance to
download the song for free off their website, you’re gonna have to
wait till the album’s release in these parts June 19th. (That or
you can ask nicely and I might just send the song to you for free). 
pjcana@gmail.com
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