USA: Filipino music, culture blossom In historic show at Hollywood Bowl

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The world famous Hollywood Bowl seats nearly 13,000 Filipinos for “Apl.de.ap takes you to the Philippines” concert.

Words and photos by Dionesio C. Grava
First posted:  www.pinoywatchdog.com

LOS ANGELES — It was easily the biggest gathering of Filipinos this side of the Diaspora. The nearly filled Hollywood Bowl on Highland Ave. was a sea of bobbing heads and a babel of regional dialects going into a crescendo when the appointed time drew near. It was our turn in the 14th season of Radio Station KCRW’s World Festival of Music in partnership with the LA Phil.

Joel Jacinto’s Kayamanan ng Lahi cultural dance ensemble and the Rondalla Club of Los Angeles did the warm up with a Hispanic-influenced dance number. The Harana Kings and the Philippine Chamber Singers of LA brought back homeland memories with their kundiman. Singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid and Philippine “Concert King” Martin Nievera dished out their shares of Pinoy originals.

Then the subdued light of the setting sun played magic on the vegetation all around and on nearby hills. Moments later only the illuminated 33-foot tall cross on a hilltop above Ford Ampitheatre was visible in the gathering dusk, an amazing bonus to a night of star-studded entertainment in the open-air amphitheater.

Singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid entertains

Notwithstanding the huge iconic band shell of concentric arches that serve as the stage backdrop of the world-famous venue, the nature ambience and the folkloric presentations that evening of June 8 were reminiscent of rural Philippines. The show title was apt: ‎”Apl.de.ap takes you to the Philippines: A celebration of global Filipino music.” It was a night to be long remembered.

Ted Benito, who collaborated in producing the music and cultural feast with Apl. de.ap and Arvind Manocha, chief operating officer of the venue, placed the total attendance at 12,825. Average cost for tickets was $45.00 each, he said in a Facebook posting. The entire time for planning the event was seven months and the actual production involved a cast/crew of 200-plus. The value of presenting Filipino artists and culture on stage of the Hollywood Bowl for the first time in history: Priceless!

The song “I gotta feelin” brings everyone to his/her feet.

Apl. de. ap, formerly of the break-dance crew Tribal Nation and currently with the multi-Grammy award winning Black Eyed Peas, is our very own Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. He was curator and a star performer of the show. In the latter role, he was joined by fellow Peas will.i.am & Taboo. Apl’s mom, Cristina Pineda, was in the audience and duly acknowledged.

Will.i.am and Taboo (the latter said his wife is a Filipina) were a hit and obviously embraced by the crowd. The former, the Peas frontman and producer, praised buddy Apl. de.ap grandly for his generosity in giving back to the community through a charitable foundation for kids. Philanthropy is the right thing following success, he said. Eight days later on July 16 will.i.am was reported announcing at the Oprah Winfrey Show his own scholarship initiative funding seven students $10,000 per year for the duration of their undergraduate education.

The BEP dedicated a song to SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans), the organization they credited with helping them in the early years, and to Apl. de. ap’s adoptive parent. In place of Fergie — the fourth member of the group who was not around — pop singer and dancer Nicole Elikolani Prescovia Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls provided a delightfully sexy alternative. She is of Hawaiian, Russian and Filipino descent. The group entertained with “Bebot,” “Take me to the Philippines,” “We can be anything,” “Right there” and “Where is the love.”

Some theater patrons continue to drink and loud in conversation oblivious of the performance in the stage.

A pleasant surprise was the appearance of newly-crowned WBP-IBF super bantamweight king Nonito Donaire, Jr. The Filipino Flash did the “Mga kaibigan Apl song” with Apl.de.ap while clutching the championship belt he wrested from South African boxer Jeffrey “Mongoose” Mathebula the day before at the Home Depot Center boxing ring in nearby city of Carson.

Also in the stellar cast was the five-member Sandwich, said to be among the most prominent rock bands back home. Singer-songwriter Becca rendered Freddie Aguilar’s famous “Anak.” Also contributing numbers were the Legaci, Jeremy Passion, Culture Shock, Bucky Jonson, DJ E-Man and Tateng Katindig and friends. Jo Koy got the crowd in high spirits with sidesplitters. The comedian was a co-host along with KCRW’s Anthony Valadez and filmdom’s Lou Diamond Philips and Vanessa Hudgens.

Martin Nievera’s profile fills one of the Bowl’s giant monitors while a nearby hilltop and its 33-foot tall cross serve as backdrop.

Other songs heard that evening included “Kahit isang saglit,” “Ikaw,” “Don’t throw my love away,” “Be my lady,” “Kailangan kita,” “Dahil sa iyo,” and “Basta tayo’y magkasama laging meron umagang kay ganda.” It was an evening of pop and traditional Pinoy artists, song and dance numbers, of the old and the contemporary, a tinikling that became hip-hop, jazz, soul, R&B, OPM (Original Pilipino Music), traditional Filipino love songs and break dancing. The three-hour extravaganza ended with “I gotta feelin,” which brought everyone to his/her feet.

It was a wholesome and splendid way of spotlighting Pinoy talents, Pinoy music and heritage and Pinoy togetherness. Mr. Benito said that he doesn’t know if there will be another event like that at the Bowl in the future. Proceeds from the concert went directly to the LA Philharmonic’s ongoing music education program that benefits children in Los Angeles schools who have no access to music education, he added. The Bowl is owned by the Los Angeles County and the LAPhil calls it home.

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