Judgement night for Ian Veneracion, the singer

CEBU, Philippines – With more than 30 years in showbiz, former child star, matinee idol, painter, and veteran actor Ian Veneracion is set to show three different sides of himself in his maiden concert titled “Ian in 3 Acts” tonight at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Directed by Mike Alcarazen, who he first worked with in 2013 for the pyscho-thriller film “Puti,” the Ian-Mike tandem returns to put on an entirely different show.

Aside from being a passion project, “Ian in 3 Acts” is also an event of firsts. After showing us a taste of his musical orientation in his last teleserye “A Love To Last,” Ian fully expresses his musical side in this concert.

In his years of being a film and commercial director, this is Direk Mike’s first time in concert-directing. The concert series will also be opening first in the Queen City of the South.

“Definitely, there is pressure because we have a lot of really good musicians here,” Ian begins when met with the notion of Cebuanos being a tough crowd during a press conference Thursday at the Caspian room of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

“But I’m also very proud. I have so many good memories here. My mom is from Cebu, we have a house in Liloan and I would go there as a kid every summer. I caught my first fish there. I have so many good experiences. I know people here appreciate music. I hate lip sync and I know Cebuanos, being good musicians, wouldn’t like it and appreciate what we have to show with the musicians, and our manager directors being the crème de la crème of music. I’m just honored to perform and hope that Cebuanos being great musicans could be a plus,” Ian quips.

Unbeknownst to many, Ian also writes songs and plays the guitar and the piano. As the son of renowned artist Roy Veneracion, the 43-year-old actor also paints.

Music has always been a huge part of his life, and after being able to give a glimpse of that in “A Love To Last,” Ian somewhat found himself caught by the music bug.

Sending a few of his works to Direk Mike, the two decided to create a music video for Ian’s orginal song “We’re Alone.” The idea of putting up a concert came to the table. As Direk Mike puts it, “Ian in 3 Acts” presents the star in three perspectives: the Ian we know, who is an actor; the Ian we don’t know, who is private; and the Ian who is both.

“We’re all excited because it’s different. You know me as an actor and I was very apprehensive when my producer approached me about the show. It’s like, why would anyone see this guy? He’s an actor, I wouldn’t buy a ticket to see him. I was always shy about singing, but to be able to perform, I’m really excited,” Ian says.

Featuring original compositions by Ian and a repertoire of songs that he loves to cover and play with live music by a handpicked band, “Ian in 3 Acts” is a different take on how concerts are usually played out. Direk Mike and Ian share how in some ways, the show is somewhat similar to a film, narrative-wise. As visual thinkers, they hope that the concert will also become a visual experience for the crowd.

Ian says the concept doesn’t have anything to do with wanting to steer clear from the clean-cut, matinee idol image.

“I see myself sometimes as a contradiction. Sometimes I don’t like attention but I’m an actor, so a part of me deals with attention. A part of me is shy; sometimes I am a natural performer. So there are a lot of contrasting aspects of myself, and Mike knows me as an actor and as a person. He finds that interesting and he said why can’t we show the other parts that people can’t see,” adds Ian.

Asked if he’s ever wished that he pursued a career in music sooner, Ian replies: “I’ve always had this zen mentality that there’s only now. I just follow my passion and now my passion is music. It’s been dormant and I want to fully express it properly,” he muses. “I just see where it takes me because in the end I go back to my day job. It’s always been like that to me. I need to explore more.”

As a rookie in the music scene, Ian feels humbled to be working with amazing musicians and a dedicated production team. A lover of the arts, Ian hopes to go beyond mere entertainment.

“I’ve always told my kids that ideas are just like paper airplanes: you fold them some way and figure out how to make them fly, and you just throw it and see what happens. For this one, the amount of money from the producers and the effort and people involved, it’s just mind-boggling how now it’s a reality,” Ian shares.

“You know when the music bug hits you, you have no choice. You just have to play. You can’t help it. There are musicians who are entertainers and musicians who are artists just like artistas. There’s a big difference and I respect these people, it’s just that some are different in their purpose. When you’re an artist, you propose ideas, ask questions. What if ganyan, what if ganito and those are people I respect. You’re giving a contribution to the art form so I hope to be part of that someday. Apart from just entertaining, I want to contribute something,” he elaborates.

One of the reasons that also prompted Ian to take music seriously is his open despise for lip-syncing.

“I hate lip-sync. I’m sorry. Yun nga, if you want to sing, go sing. Why would you pretend to sing? Just like acting, if you’re crying you don’t pretend. You have to make yourself cry.”

What Ian loves about music is the spontaneity: how a piece is never played the exact same way regardless of how many times you play it (except maybe classical music).

Ian is not one to put himself in a box as he unabashedly dips his toes in one medium after the other.

“The root is the same. It’s just through different mediums. If there’s a certain emotion I want to conceive, I can use words, sounds, colors. Just like being an actor, you use feelings. You act out emotions, and I use the actor’s process: going into specific emotions and coming from that place,” says Ian, who is not also an artist but an equipment engineer and avid outdoorsman, a licensed private pilot, skydiver, paragliding pilot and scuba diver who also engages in various activities such as trail riding, climbing, sailing and recreational fishing.

Although he’s focused on music now, his job is still being an actor. Ian says doing a movie this year is likely.

He is acutely aware of the fact that he will pass on to different roles as he ages. And he doesn’t mind.

“I was a child actor, I did teeny-bopper films, I had my first action film at 15. I had a hard time convincing people I could do martial arts and shoot people at 15. Then I shifted to TV and romantic movies. I just feel lucky. I enjoyed all of them, although there are certain movies I consider punishment for my kids if they misbehave. I transitioned to father roles and it just felt natural. Eventually I will be doing grandpa roles and I don’t mind.”

Also performing in “Ian in 3 Acts” are Star Music talents 17-year-old LA Santos and 14-year-old Cebuana Jolianne Salvado, who is a cousin of Ian through their grandfathers. Vina Morales will also grace the show.