Seeing stars at Party in the Park

Some years ago on a trip to London, I went to Hyde Park to look for the statue of Peter Pan I had always wanted to see. And surprises of surprises, I stumbled on Party in the Park. To use a cliché, the place was a teeming mass of humanity who showed up to watch some of the most popular names in pop music perform in the day-long event. And they were really big! Artists from Robbie Williams to All Saints were among those who came to what must be one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

Needless to say, Peter Pan was nowhere to be found in that huge crowd but it was a truly exhilarating experience to watch the crowd sway to the music, sing out the words of the songs and shout "I love you’s" to performers. It rained around noontime but nobody left the place. Umbrellas, raincoats and even plastic bags emerged to keep bodies dry and the show continued. Later on, Prince Charles himself ascended the stage to express his gratitude to the artists present and those who came to watch.

It turned out that the yearly Party in the Park is one of the projects of the Prince’s Trust, a charity that offers opportunities to young people when no one else will. Set up by The Prince of Wales himself, the Trust works with 14 to 30 year olds who are unemployed or face other barriers in realizing their full potentials. It provides support and basic financial assistance to help those who want to learn new skills, get jobs or start their own business.

Judging from the number of people watching the show that day, the huge support from the media (the papers were full of stories about it and a radio station was airing the entire show), The Party in the Park must be one of the major fundraisers of the Prince’s Trust. And with the Prince himself spearheading the event, it was no wonder that the most important stars made it a point to be present year after year.

This year is no different. Held last June in the same place, Hyde Park, The Party again presented an all-star cast of performers. Among them were Will Young, UK’s first winner of the Pop Idol contest, original version of American Idol, Anastasia, Jamelia, Avril Lavigne, Sugababes, Busted, Nelly Furtado, Blue, Alanis Morissette plus others. Best of all though, the show boasted of the legendary Lionel Richie in one of his rare appearances.

Richie, the former member of the Commodores behind the hits Still, Stuck on You, Three Times a Lady, Endless Love, Say You, Say Me and many others, had been in self-imposed retirement for almost a decade. So it was quite a treat to find out that he was at The Party and that he did new songs like Dancing on the Ceiling and Just for You and one of his classics, All Night Long.

Most of us were not there to watch him live but we can still catch Ritchie, Alanis and everybody else at The Party when Star World airs the event tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 9 p.m. If you missed that, there are replays on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

As for Peter Pan, I had to come back the next day to see the statue. There he was grinning with mischief in his eyes in a quiet corner of the park. And it was indeed quiet. I could not help but take note of the fact that the place was so clean and peaceful and it seemed inconceivable that only a few hours ago Hyde Park was a concert arena. But topics like cleanliness and the efficiency of government employees belong to another column. This one is all about the music and The Party in the Park brings out lots of the best every summer.

Chicago Jazz Quartet At The Shang Mall

Speaking of great music, you jazz buffs might want to check out the Chicago Jazz Quartet in their performance this Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at the atrium of the Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong. They will do compositions by legends like Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Benny Goodman and others. Those interested can also go to Merk’s in Makati where they will join local musicians in a jam session tonight at 9. The group is here as the Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassadors for 2004.