Color the night Maroon

Maroon 5 sang only 10 songs during its Big Dome concert last March 5 but the band’s fans were more than satisfied as shown by their enthusiastic response to every song, including Won’t Go Home Without You, Harder to Breathe, This Love and She Will Be Loved. In fact, just seeing their idols singing “live” was already an experience to remember.

After the successful concert (with an estimated audience attendance of 20,000), produced by Viva Concerts & Events, Inc., the Maroon 5 guys had time to unwind during the after-show party at the Bar One of the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, the group’s official residence.

Seen at the party were Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila and VIVA Entertainment VIPs led by Vincent del Rosario (VCEI executive vice president), Brent Fernandez (VCEI project director), Crowne Plaza  general manager Paul Rene Lee, resident manager David Jamieson and Pearl Peralta-Maclang (Crowne Plaza’s director of sales and marketing). 

Among the celebrities present were Anne Curtis, Sam Milby, Rufa Mae Quinto, Maui Taylor and Andrea del Rosario. The STAR’s Supreme editor Tim Yap and The STAR’s Y Style editor Celine Lopez came with their friends Anna Angara, Geni Psinakis, Paolo Araneta and Rich Herrera. 

The Beatles band The Members entertained the international crowd. Maroon 5’s drummer and percussionist Matt Flynn even jammed with the band to the amusement of everybody.

“Maroon was strictly the color of the night,” said Crowne Plaza PR girl Yasmine Hidalgo.

Wish we were there, ‘no?

Last word on Earth, Wind & Fire minor ‘issue’

The rejoinder (published in this corner over the weekend) to the Earth, Wind & Fire story drew yet another rejoinder, this time from “Long Tall” Howard who titled his e-mail “The real story on Al Mackay’s all-star Earth, Wind & Fire Experience.” (Mackay’s group, which performed in a series of concerts here recently, calls itself “Earth, Wind & Fire Experience” to differentiate it from the other Earth, Wind & Fire group also doing a world tour.)

Dear Ricky,

I chanced upon an e-mail from a certain Rich Salvato, who did not even give an address, and a certain Mark Young of The Fame Factory last March 15 in Funfare and I just could not take it sitting down. Here’s the real story:

I am “Long Tall” Howard, one of the radio jocks of RJ100.3 and at the same time the artist handler and tour coordinator of Steve O’Neal Productions. Since I was in the midst of everything during the four-day concert tour of Al Mackay’s all-stars, I felt it would be right to clarify some matters of which I was part of. The concert was never billed as”The Earth, Wind & Fire” but as “The Earth, Wind & Fire Experience with the Al Mackay All-Stars.”

As a matter of fact, I even got into an argument with Al Mackay himself during a guesting on Umagang Kay Ganda on ABS-CBN. I was in charge of coordinating with the TV show’s hosts at that time and after a miscue Donita Rose, one of the hosts who was to interview the group (Al and the three singers), was replaced by Edu Manzano. I handed a piece of paper to Donita before the interview to mention that the group was the Earth, Wind & Fire Experience with the Al Mackay all-stars.

There was a mix-up and Edu introduced them as the Earth, Wind & Fire without no malice intended. The guys did an a cappella of some EWF songs and then went to the holding room where Al Mackay blew his top and told me that it was wrong to introduce them as the Earth, Wind and Fire because it was clear that they were advertised in the posters and print ads as “The Earth, Wind & Fire Experience,” and because of Umagang Kay Ganda incident he was going to cancel the shows.

I talked to Edu about the matter. He and Kim Atienza, another host, went back on the air to clarify the matter while showing the poster. Even before the Al Mackay all-stars arrived, some people had been trying to dispute their being the Earth, Wind & Fire and that none of the group were original members of the EWF. There were even text messages going around saying so.

In fairness to Al Mackay and his group, they have been clear on the matter that they were not the Earth, Wind & Fire during the negotiations with Steve O’Neal Productions. It seemed that some people were out to create the impression that the Al Mackay group was claiming to be Earth, Wind & Fire. Well, whoever spread the rumor might find the whole thing blowing up in their faces. I was even used by a certain group to book the EWF at the Araneta Coliseum last December but nothing happened.

I was in all their four shows in the Philippine leg of their tour and never did these guys claim that they were the Earth, Wind & Fire; they always introduced themselves as the Al Mackay all-stars. Well, I hope Maurice, Philip, Verdine and Ralph get the message right this time because whoever is spreading the wrong information here in the Philippines are the ones to blame; they should know who they are. Should anyone need more information on the matter, I can be contacted during my radio show on RJ100.3.

Thanks,

— “Long Tall” Howard

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