Yes, it was an amazing nightYes, it was an amazing night

They couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate title. By all accounts, the back-to-back show of Gary Valenciano and Ryan Cayabyab last March 5 at the NBC Tent at the Bonifacio Global City was one amazing night!

From the ambience alone – the tables were lit with tiny candles, and the stage was dominated by two baby grand pianos – you could tell that this show was going to be different from any of Gary’s previous concerts. Although Mr. C decided to go formal in a suit, Gary said that he purposely dressed down (in jeans and a long-sleeved white polo) because he intended to relax and have fun.

Indeed, "relax" and "fun" became the buzzwords of the evening. As Gary’s sister Gina Valenciano-Martinez said at the end of the concert, "We should have done this (kind of concert) earlier!" I agree. It was a different, but very nice, Gary Valenciano that the audience saw and heard that night.

From the opening number, it was obvious that the songs were chosen to heighten the evening’s relaxed mood. Gary and Mr. C (who are the only two artists to be named TOYM awardees for Contemporary Music) started out with Kailan, a song the latter wrote for Smokey Mountain and which was popularized by Geneva Cruz. It was followed by Gary’s rendition of Di Na Natuto, a song written for him by Danny Javier of The Apo.

Then Gary did Just Once, a song that has special meaning for him. Gary sang the James Ingram hit when he auditioned for the Kundirana, the La Salle Greenhills singing group that started him on his singing career about 20 years ago. But more than that, Gary says the song helped him impress one of his early girlfriends. "I wrote down the lyrics, gave them to her and told her I wrote it," said Gary to the audience. "And she believed me." Needless to say, laughed Gary, that relationship didn’t last very long.

Actually, all the songs he sang that night – with Mr. C accompanying him at the piano – held special meaning for him. For instance, his next two songs were from movies. The first, Someone in the Dark was written by one of Gary’s favorite artists, Michael Jackson (for a while, Gary was known as the "Michael Jackson of the Philippines") and used in the movie ET. Gary also did a beautiful version of Reaching Out, the theme song of one of his early movies, Hotshots. The song turned out to be one of the evening’s most applauded numbers.

After Brian McKnight’s One Last Cry, Gary gave in to something he’d been wanting to do all evening – move around. For this, he chose to sing the vocally challenging jazz piece Blue Rondo, originally done by Dave Brubeck, with a later version by Al Jarreau. In his spiel, Gary admitted that Blue Rondo – which is about 80 percent scatting – is a very difficult song, especially for the one on the keyboards. But both Gary and Mr. C proved why they are acknowledged masters of what they do. Mr. C’s fingers just flew over that keyboard effortlessly (and I do mean they flew!) while Gary just moved around that stage singing and totally enjoying himself. It was the first time in the whole two-hour concert that he actually broke a sweat!

Then Gary took it low-key again, with songs like Send in the Clowns, Could You Be Messiah (where he sat down and dueted on the piano with Mr. C) and Sana Maulit Muli.

Gary also rendered two special duets, one planned for, and the other, an impromptu treat for the audience. The first was with his special guest, Bituin Escalante. Bituin, who will be the next artist to grace the Amazing Nights at the Tent series in a back-to-back show with Anna Fegi, sang How Do You Keep the Music Playing with Gary, while Divine Diva Zsa-Zsa Padilla – who was in the audience with good friend Kris Aquino – was called up onstage to sing Used to Be with him, still with Mr. C backing them up on the piano. The duet was so good, that it left the audience screaming More! More! Zsa-Zsa would probably have obliged if not for the fact that she’s suffering from chronic laryngitis and is supposed to rest her voice.

Gary ended the main portion of the show with a jazzed-up version of the Michel Legrand hit Windmills of Your Mind from the movie The Thomas Crown Affair. I wish I could have found out who arranged the song for Gary – it was brilliant!

For an encore, Gary gave the audience Kung Ikaw ay Isang Panaginip, and Once Upon a Life, a little-known, but beautiful, song whose lyrics were penned by the late Roman Cruz, Jr.

Then he did the song that everyone had been waiting for from the beginning: I Will Be Here, which is included in his album Revive. You could hear the audience singing along to the song’s oh-so-romantic lyrics that talk about a husband’s love for his spouse. Of course, said Gary, it can also refer to the love of a God who will never leave us, no matter what. "God will always be there for you," he said. Truly, what an amazing night. By G. Jemuel C. Salterio They couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate title. By all accounts, the back-to-back show of Gary Valenciano and Ryan Cayabyab last March 5 at the NBC Tent at the Bonifacio Global City was one amazing night!

From the ambience alone – the tables were lit with tiny candles, and the stage was dominated by two baby grand pianos – you could tell that this show was going to be different from any of Gary’s previous concerts. Although Mr. C decided to go formal in a suit, Gary said that he purposely dressed down (in jeans and a long-sleeved white polo) because he intended to relax and have fun.

Indeed, "relax" and "fun" became the buzzwords of the evening. As Gary’s sister Gina Valenciano-Martinez said at the end of the concert, "We should have done this (kind of concert) earlier!" I agree. It was a different, but very nice, Gary Valenciano that the audience saw and heard that night.

From the opening number, it was obvious that the songs were chosen to heighten the evening’s relaxed mood. Gary and Mr. C (who are the only two artists to be named TOYM awardees for Contemporary Music) started out with Kailan, a song the latter wrote for Smokey Mountain and which was popularized by Geneva Cruz. It was followed by Gary’s rendition of Di Na Natuto, a song written for him by Danny Javier of The Apo.

Then Gary did Just Once, a song that has special meaning for him. Gary sang the James Ingram hit when he auditioned for the Kundirana, the La Salle Greenhills singing group that started him on his singing career about 20 years ago. But more than that, Gary says the song helped him impress one of his early girlfriends. "I wrote down the lyrics, gave them to her and told her I wrote it," said Gary to the audience. "And she believed me." Needless to say, laughed Gary, that relationship didn’t last very long.

Actually, all the songs he sang that night – with Mr. C accompanying him at the piano – held special meaning for him. For instance, his next two songs were from movies. The first, Someone in the Dark was written by one of Gary’s favorite artists, Michael Jackson (for a while, Gary was known as the "Michael Jackson of the Philippines") and used in the movie ET. Gary also did a beautiful version of Reaching Out, the theme song of one of his early movies, Hotshots. The song turned out to be one of the evening’s most applauded numbers.

After Brian McKnight’s One Last Cry, Gary gave in to something he’d been wanting to do all evening – move around. For this, he chose to sing the vocally challenging jazz piece Blue Rondo, originally done by Dave Brubeck, with a later version by Al Jarreau. In his spiel, Gary admitted that Blue Rondo – which is about 80 percent scatting – is a very difficult song, especially for the one on the keyboards. But both Gary and Mr. C proved why they are acknowledged masters of what they do. Mr. C’s fingers just flew over that keyboard effortlessly (and I do mean they flew!) while Gary just moved around that stage singing and totally enjoying himself. It was the first time in the whole two-hour concert that he actually broke a sweat!

Then Gary took it low-key again, with songs like Send in the Clowns, Could You Be Messiah (where he sat down and dueted on the piano with Mr. C) and Sana Maulit Muli.

Gary also rendered two special duets, one planned for, and the other, an impromptu treat for the audience. The first was with his special guest, Bituin Escalante. Bituin, who will be the next artist to grace the Amazing Nights at the Tent series in a back-to-back show with Anna Fegi, sang How Do You Keep the Music Playing with Gary, while Divine Diva Zsa-Zsa Padilla – who was in the audience with good friend Kris Aquino – was called up onstage to sing Used to Be with him, still with Mr. C backing them up on the piano. The duet was so good, that it left the audience screaming More! More! Zsa-Zsa would probably have obliged if not for the fact that she’s suffering from chronic laryngitis and is supposed to rest her voice.

Gary ended the main portion of the show with a jazzed-up version of the Michel Legrand hit Windmills of Your Mind from the movie The Thomas Crown Affair. I wish I could have found out who arranged the song for Gary – it was brilliant!

For an encore, Gary gave the audience Kung Ikaw ay Isang Panaginip, and Once Upon a Life, a little-known, but beautiful, song whose lyrics were penned by the late Roman Cruz, Jr.

Then he did the song that everyone had been waiting for from the beginning: I Will Be Here, which is included in his album Revive. You could hear the audience singing along to the song’s oh-so-romantic lyrics that talk about a husband’s love for his spouse. Of course, said Gary, it can also refer to the love of a God who will never leave us, no matter what. "God will always be there for you," he said. Truly, what an amazing night.