3 Tenors

The last time the 3 tenors got together, it was in the mid-80s. I was fortunate enough to see them perform as a group and was extremely impressed with their talent and professionalism.

Now I know what you’re thinking, as I can imagine seeing all the question marks popping up all over your head.

You’re wondering how you could miss watching José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti in the Philippines back in the 1980s when they only started collaborating in the 1990s, right?

Well the 3 Tenors I refer to are none other than Ogie Alcasid, Dingdong Avanzado, and Rannie Raymundo.

The Kundirana

As I mentioned earlier, the last time I saw them perform was over 25 years ago in La Salle Green Hills, when they were still part of the Kundirana.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Kundirana, it is a musical group formed by the La Salle Green Hills Brothers decades ago.

As far as I can remember, the members of this group were hand-picked purely for their talent in singing, performing, and blending. Many play more than one instrument, while others, like the 3 Tenors, have churned out hundred of songs over the years.

These guys are professionally trained to perform under a multitude of environments and to adjust to changes on-the-fly. Though these guys are at home on a big stage, they are equally adept at working impromptu in a house or an open field without any equipment. For this group, “the show must go on” is meaningless if the show that goes on is not the best.

The La Salle Brothers knew, at the onset, that the strength of a group is only as good as its weakest link. So if a guy failed to make the cut during training, he would be quickly replaced with another.

It may sound harsh, but the high standards and stringent training have churned out the best performers in the industry. In addition to the 3 Tenors, The Kundirana alumni include top performers such as Gary Valenciano, Juan Miguel Salvador, and Randy Santiago.

The Venue

Last night was the first time I entered the Music Museum. I had heard stories of its opulence prior to it being burned down, but this was the first opportunity I had in patronizing the place.

After climbing up the stairs, one is greeted by memorabilia in the lobby. I saw a CD of Rannie Raymundo from the 90s hanging on one of the walls. A collage of black and white pictures of performers can be found on several of the posts.

A small game of “who’s that performer” ensued as the pictures were performers when they were young, making quite a few of them look a lot different when compared to their latest photographs.

The seating positions were alright; they were high enough so we could see over the heads of tall people ahead of us. I found it interesting that there were small shelves, acting as tables to hold drinks or food in front of us. A couple of my High School classmates ordered beer, which prompted thoughts of toasting (or was it roasting?) the tenors.

My only complaint was that the seats were divided into groups of five. Since people normally attend these activities as couples, the odd number meant that one of us had to sit elsewhere.

I particularly liked the lighting as it helped to set the mood when the 3 Tenors performed individually.

3 Tenors, 3 Personalities

After the opening act played a couple of songs, the 3 Tenors walked on stage in tuxedoes.

For some, it was reminiscent of Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras, but it reminded me of the 1980s all over again.

Back in the 80s, dressing up was something people took the time to get right. Everything, from the color to the style and even the pattern of the fabric, had to be perfectly coordinated. In addition to semi-formal dressing being the standard just to get out of the house, 3-piece suites and trench coats complemented the colorful clothes of the era.

So when the three walked on stage, memories of over 25 years ago flooded back to me.

Their performance was augmented by the video shown on the wall behind them. In fact the video was so good that it distracted the audience every now and then. There were times when I had trouble keeping my eye on the performer as snapshots of their past would be flashed. It was a show all in itself but helped to complement the performance.

Each performer had a distinct personality and style. Even the clothes each one wore during the numerous costume changes were very different.

Dingdong Avanzado remains the boy-next-door. I am amazed that he still looks the same after so many years. He is lively and full of energy, just like the young man I remember him to be.

Rannie Raymundo is the tough guy of the group. Called “The Boss,” he is a man’s man and it shows in his performance. He has gone through a lot in life but is able to convey some of this to the audience when he sings. This guy is also a prolific writer with over 500 compositions to his name.

Ogie Alcasid is the more refined member of the group. His movements provide the perfect visual impact to complement his style. He is a master at cracking jokes, eliciting laughter in serious conversations.

Rannie Raymundo

Prior to his solo, he and Ogie had a song together. Rannie is at his best with an instrument in his hands. Whether it is the drums, the harmonica, the guitar, or even a wooden box, his performance becomes a foot-tapping event when an instrument is around.

So when he strapped on a guitar while Ogie played with the keyboard, the performance was reminiscent of the days of old.

Among the three, it was Rannie who was the first to perform solo. The most memorable performance he had was when he sang his signature song “Why Can’t it be.”

Whenever my schedule permits, I catch his performance in Metro Manila. This song is a regular part of his repertoire so he’s done it quite a lot.

But this time, it was very different as it was a somehow more touching. During, and a few moments after the song, the audience was quiet, taking in the emotion he conveyed to us with the song.

Dingdong Avanzado

Prior to the solo performance of Dingdong, he sang Tatlong Beinte Singko with Rannie. Of the two, it was Rannie who wrote the song. But it was Dingdong’s voice that helped popularized it, making it a favorite of radio stations all over the country.

Before I go on, I will say that I’m not fond of people changing a way a song is sung. I’m a bit of a purist as I like my music done in its original form.

So when he sang Billie Jean differently, I was rather concerned about the change. But after a couple of seconds in to the song, I was simply blown away. Dingdong’s voice was perfect for it. With the clarity of the words and this fresh style, a totally new depth was added to the song.

Ogie Alcasid

At the end of Dingdong’s performance, he was joined by Ogie in a duet. Like Rannie and Dingdong, this was an amalgam of two different songs.

The blending was great. But this was not what caught my attention. The vision that was burned in to my mind was as these two were going at it, their concentration kept them fully committed to their own song.

When lesser singers belt out songs at each other, faces being millimeters apart, their first instinct is to cover an ear with a free hand. This not only happens to rookies, but even to more seasoned performers.

This never happened. As the two continued with their duel, they came out with a spectacular performance.

His rendition of Michael Jackson’s song was somewhat traditional, something which I always find pleasant to hear. For me, his connection with the audience is his forte. He cracked jokes throughout his performance, keeping things unpredictable. But while he did this, the song proceeded as it nothing happened.

Rivalry

By now, you know these three performers have equally excellent talents with drastically different styles.

With so much talent, the biggest expectation was that these three would upstage each other during the night.

To accomplish this type of rivalry, the traditional way is to have two people come from opposite sides of the stage, singing different songs in an alternating manner. This would then be accompanied with matching facial expressions of mock anger and exaggerated body movements.

Boring. Been there, done that.

If this is what I was going to get, my friends and I would have been tossing our beer bottles at the stage in protest. Mind you, they will be empty bottles. No sense in wasting a perfectly good beer.

So we had 3 established performers, 3 varied styles, 3, and 1 single start in the Kundirana.

Without having to show it blatantly on stage, it is common knowledge to those of us who were with them back in High School that the rivalry of these 3 tenors grew way before this concert took place.

Each one is great at what they do. Each one has carved out a niche for himself, yet they overlap in many other areas.

It is for this reason that getting these three on to a single stage at the same time was no easy task. Like Rannie said, it took friends to bring these three back together again after years of contention.

3 Tenors, 3 Styles, 1 Awesome Performance

So where were the sparks people hungered to see?

Well let’s put this way, John Lennon and Paul McCartney had a rivalry within the Beatles. This resulted in what is probably is the best set of songs of any band. Ever.

Like the Beatles’ rivalry, the performance of these three guys is the ultimate expression of that creative contention.

From the homage they paid to Michael Jackson in singing their favorite tracks, to costume changes they made throughout the concert, their different styles enriched the evening.

Instead of a clichéd presentation, what we got was the best performance we have ever seen of a group in over 25 years.

The last song probably summed it all up. Aptly titled Sama Sama, it was co-written by the 3 tenors. It talks about old friendships coming together again.

In the end, those were the reasons why our empty beer bottles stayed on our table.