THE BEST OF THE SEASON TO ALL.
MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
Steve O' Neal
“Your daughter’s name is RUSSELL? Why?” It’s the common remark I hear whenever friends ask for my daughter’s name. I named her after AIR SUPPLY’S two RUSSELLS- RUSSELL HITCHCOCK and GRAHAM RUSSELL.
AIR SUPPLY has been one of my all time favorite performers since the 80s and although their songs are in every jukebox, Karaoke clubs, MTV, AM, FM and even elevators, like most Pinoys, I couldn’t seem to get enough of their music.
I actually met the guys back in the 90s when I covered their Press Conference for my TV show “Celebrity Secrets” at Galleria Suites (now Holiday Inn Galleria) tendered by Rudy Tee, CEO of Sony Music (Sony-BMG back then). I was already star struck and impressed at that time and dreamt of promoting them in a concert. Fast forward about a decade later. It was Valentine 2008 when I found out they were doing a world tour from my promoter friend in Macau. AIR SUPPLY hasn’t been to the Philippines for a long time and I was positive their fans would like to see them live again. I convinced him to introduce me to AIR SUPPLY Management so I could make an offer for the Philippines. It wasn’t easy though and took me a couple of months to negotiate and seal the deal. My instincts were proven right and we did 6 sold out shows in the Philippines (Araneta Coliseum, Subic, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod and Ilo-ilo). Although our schedule was so tight, six shows in seven days, I got close to the guys and enjoyed every minute of it. Im proud to say AIR SUPPLY is one of the very few groups Ive brought to the country that have given me the least headaches and worries. They are so professional and their entourage works cohesively as a team. From the guitar technician to the lighting director (the only female member of the entourage) to the band and of course Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock.
Right after their 2008 Philippine tour, I already initiated negotiation to bring them back in 2009. There were some Philippine cities who wanted to have them but due to time constraints weren’t able to. After countless phone calls, postponements, trips to Los Angeles and emails, the deal got signed in July 2009. As expected, the Philippine schedule is so tight again. Clark Expo on Oct 1, fly early next day to General Santos City for the Oct 2 concert at Lagao Gym then wake up early next day for the flight back to Manila for the Oct 3 show at Araneta Coliseum. Oct 4, They leave at 6AM for the 5 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur via Singapore (plus a 2 hour bus ride to Genting Highlands) and next day, onward to Palembang and Jakarta- 2 shows in Indonesia promoted by my friend Tommy Pratama, then to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for another 2 shows then back to Manila for the Koronadal City show on Oct 12. The Philippine tour extends to Doha Qatar where there will be a show at Ceremonial Court on Oct 15 for the Filipino community. Whew!
Graham and Russell spent both their birthdays here last year ( June 12 & 15) and had celebrations almost every night. They love Philippine hospitality, friendliness and the knack to sing along in tune. They would have wanted to spend a few days in the sun in one of our Boracay or Cebu resorts this year but due to hectic scheduling, it will have to wait. AIR SUPPLY does around 100 shows every year around the world and spend over 100 days flying or traveling on the road. Im honestly amazed how they do it and still perform almost perfect shows every night.
The Saturday, October 3 show at the Araneta Coliseum titled “NOW & FOREVER” promises to be another wonderful treat to all AIR SUPPLY fans. There will be singalomgs from start to finish (Most Steve O’ Neal Productions post the song lyrics of every song performed on big screen) and the entire repertoire will be the hits us Pinoys love- HERE I AM, THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE, EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER, TWO LESS LONELY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD, I CANT WAIT FOREVER, MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL, SWEET DREAMS, WITHOUT YOU, LOST IN LOVE, LONELY IS THE NIGHT, etc. Also featured in the concert are the phenomenal rockabilly band BEMBOL ROCKERS and the sexy girl group POSH.
AIR SUPPLY “NOW & FOREVER” is presented by Hyatt Hotel & Casino, House of Obagi, ABS CBN and the official concert station RJ100 FM in cooperation with PCSO, American Rag, Business Mirror, Philstar Online, Face & Figure Center, Perez Optical, Hard Rock Café, R Sun, IFM, Crossover, Jack TV, ETC, 2nd Ave, Franz Burger, Getzmo.com and Tsikot.com. Tickets available at all Ticketnet outlets (911 5555) and SM Malls.
See you at the Concert! Click here to directly go to Ticketnet's Air Supply Page:
By YUGEL LOSORATA
June 26, 2009, 9:18am
Two lovely foreign voices, Susan Wong and Julienne Taylor, both of whom popular among the people in Hong Kong, expressed their urge to come to the Philippines and perform in front of locals they believe are “famous for being musical.”
The Hong Kong pride Wong and Scottish-born Taylor front-acted for “love song” icon John Ford Coley in the latter’s Hong Kong concert held last Friday at the Shouson Theatre of Hong Kong Arts Center. Both acts were well applauded by a remarkably disciplined audience as Wong, known for doing English covers, did a duet of “Sometimes When We Touch” with Coley and the thin, tall Taylor came out with a set of her kind of music.
In an exclusive interview with the Manila Bulletin, Wong noted, “You guys are famous for live music. I went to Manila once, about eight years ago, and everywhere I go there’s live music. The quality of the singers and the bands is just so high. Philippines is really well known for live gigs.”
The pretty Asian is looking forward to do an Asian tour which she hopes would include the Philippines. This year she just released an album called “511,” offering her renditions of notable pop songs like her single “Billie Jean,” “Blame It On The Boogie,” “Umbrella” and “September.” With her bossa nova inclinations, a visit to Manila should sound interesting for local listeners now accustomed to acts like Sitti, Olivia and the rest of the girls doing laidback revivals of familiar tracks.
Both she and Julienne have been currently on top of the heap, with their respective albums managing to get into the ranking of HMV, probably the largest store of records in Hong Kong. As of latest view, their albums have reached fourth and seventh place, respectively.
Julienne, who had a 12-hour flight from UK to Hong Kong and describes her music as “pop with a Celtic thread,” had less to say about the Philippines, though the company of Pinoy musicians who backed her up on performance night was a telling realization. “The guys in the band are fantastic. It’s good to work with them. I’m a type of getting out there to do live shows and having observed them play makes me want to get to the Philippines.”
The all-Filipino back-up band, led by musical director Carlo Gaa (of Area One fame), did serious work during rehearsals. There was a point when, just an hour before the main thing, Gaa had to orchestrate “voicing” practice between Julienne and Filipina back-up singer Angie Bonnevie (sister of Lou Bonnevie). Thus, it resulted to a tightened harmony during the show proper.
Displaying proper singing minus belting, Julienne’s voice is so mellow that she joked she’s okay “for as long as no one falls asleep.” Credit goes to her for having melodic songs sticking to the mind and keeping one from snoring.
Insisting her wish to fly here, Wong told the Bulletin she is just waiting for Danee Samonte (a.k.a. Steve O’ Neal, the Filipino promoter handling Coley) to seal a deal that would allow her to perform in Manila.
Good ending
Of course, there’s the man of the hour, John Ford Coley who fell in love with the Hong Kong crowd. Just like his experiences with Filipinos, he couldn’t help but ask the audience to repeat key choruses of much-awaited numbers, then pour out his feelings of satisfaction while hearing them sing his songs.
“Asians know the music. They appreciate good melodies and they know the lyrics. They like a lot of love songs and that’s really nice for me. You get excited watching how they respond. I just kind of needed to step back and let them sing,” he shared.
John is about to work on an acoustic album comprising of originals and his version of “Leader of the Band,” a piece he described during the show as one of the greatest ever written. According to him he is set to comeback to Manila next year to perform live with America, something that should give him the opportunity to sing songs from the new album.
For those cynics claiming that Filipinos are still not that competent with the global standard, John is one to carry our Philippine flag. “The Filipino crew supporting me is a pool of very talented musicians. They really sit down and study. I disagree to any statement that would say Filipinos are not yet at par with the world as far as music is concerned. You just need opportunity, just like that guy singing for Journey.”
During the performance, John’s natural funny self came out again and made the Chinese crowd laugh a number of times. Some of his jokes he just repeated from previous shows, yet with the smooth way he delivered them, he made them sound fresh and worth-laughing still. He has now returned to Manila to finish his tour with a show the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig today.
Since partner Dan England died recently, the Hong Kong concert had that bit of drama and nostalgia. He mentioned that he is losing friends left and right, in one instance. Then he continued his statement by dedicating songs to some memorable friends.
As a way of dispelling thoughts that he and Dan parted ways roughly, he said, “Dan and I haven’t talked for a very long time. But before he passed away or a couple of days before he died, I got to talk to him and put everything in order, tell one another how much we meant for one another and things like that. It was a good ending.”
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