On the road with Bobby Kimball

Having been in the concert business for over five years, I’ve been blessed with artists who are not only talented but nice. Bobby Kimball excels in the nice department. The moment I met him at the airport, I knew in my heart he was gonna be fun and I wasn’t wrong. Bobby has a playful personality and loves to play pranks with an exploding pen on anyone he meets — be it a mayor, a TV host or fan.

On stage, he’s the total opposite. He is a serious musician with high standards for his craft and consistently reliable. In just over three weeks, Bobby crammed 14 gigs, a dozen plane trips, six mall promos, radio/TV appearances, interviews and press conferences.. But he never complained even when he was sick and dehydrated for several days due to stomach trouble.

Musically, I learned one very important thing on this tour. No matter where the performance is, be it in Davao or Bali, it’s the love songs that are tremendously applauded. It’s difficult to go wrong with love songs.

I’ve sat beside Bobby on most of the plane trips and learned so much about his personal life and the music business. He’s mighty proud of the 300 Koi fish he tends to in his Encino home, his simple pleasures, his career ups and downs, the rock gods he rubs elbows with. He’s proudest of his on and off stint with recently-disbanded Toto. Besides being a Toto member, Bobby has sung back up together with Michael McDonald and Bill Champlin (Chicago) for the biggest artists in the industry including Barbra Streisand and the likes.

2008 is Bobby’s third straight year of being on the road and he longs to take a month’s vacation at home before embarking on his road tour in February 2009 starting in Monte Carlo.

Here are some highlights of the Asian tour I took with him:

Nov. 12: Bobby’s initial gig was at the Heritage Hotel and Casino. He performed for a select group of VIPS, Ambassadors, CEOs and politicians. Show highlight included the rendition of Rosanna with a female group called the Playgirls.

Nov. 14: With jet lag starting to kick in, we flew to Davao and performed at CAP Auditorium. It was in Davao where Bobby ate his first batch of fresh mangosteen and never stopped raving about it.

Nov. 15: From my initial observation, Tagum seems to be a sleepy town. I already expected low attendance for the show. As we entered the dark driveway of St. Mary’s Gym, I was taken aback upon seeing the long queue of young people around the campus. We got more surprised when the overflow crowd sang along to the hits and greeted every song with thunderous applause and shrieks. Bobby promised Mother Superior (the only person who escaped his exploding pen prank) that he would be back.

Nov. 16: General Santos is a three-hour plus drive from Davao City through a circuitous route that crossed a couple of mountains. I wasn’t sure what to expect since this was the first time any member of the entourage will visit the city of marvelous tuna. GenSan Mayor Acharon welcomed us with a sumptuous seafood lunch and we fell in love with the city right away. Bobby made history by being the first international artist to perform in the city at the fully air-conditioned Lagao Gymnasium where a record crowd of over 5,000 gathered.

Nov. 19: Cagayan de Oro is one of my favorite cities in the South.  Bobby is amazed that in this distant part of the world, people use second generation iphones and MacBook Airs. As in all past shows, the concert at Lim Ket Kai Atrium was well-attended and applauded.

Nov. 20: Hyatt Hotel & Casino is the first Manila venue Bobby is scheduled to perform in. An overflow crowd of elegantly dressed couples in Pradas, Armanis and Guccis with matching “bling blings” enjoyed thes haute cuisine before the main event of the evening. Bobby did a sterling performance and the night’s guest artists were Olivia and Joe Lamont.

Nov. 21: Aliw Theater is the main event of the entire tour. Featured guests include famed retro band RX 80’s, Joe Lamont and guest drummer Willie Revillame. An almost full house crowd sang along with Bobby. Yugel Losorata of Manila Bulletin was appalled by Bobby’s vocal range and performance level. He also commented on the tightness of the band.

Nov. 22: Although suffering from a bum stomach with a slight fever, Bobby took the four-hour flight to Beijing. What a trouper! At the show, the predominantly expat audience applauded the performance to the hilt. Bobby is the first International artist to make it to Hard Rock Beijing and definitely won’t be the last. Unfortunately, Bobby wasn’t able to fulfill his dream of visiting the Great Wall because he was bedridden.

Nov. 26: Feeling a little better but deprived of much-needed rest and sleep, Bobby hit Singapore with a bang. Although rumors flew around that he wouldn’t impress the discriminating Toto fans who were in attendance (as intimated by a Singaporean Hard Rock executive), he silenced critics with an almost flawless performance highlighted with non-stop dancing by overexcited fans.

Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day was hot and rainy in Bali but nobody complained. We were awestruck with the beauty of the island and the uniqueness of Hard Rock Hotel. I had that nagging anxiety about some possible terrorist activity (It was just days ago that they executed the Bali bombers and there were rumors about possible retaliation) but just kept it to myself and relaxed. The show was on at 11 p.m. past. Hard Rock was filled to the rafters and despite the fact the air conditioning was turned up to full blast and it was raining outside, everyone was hot and sweaty. Throughout the performance, Bobby’s voice could hardly be heard because everyone sang along. The response was tremendous and the sound was tops. This was one of the best performances of the tour.

Nov. 28: Another day, another flight, another city. Bobby is feeling much better. His appetite has returned and he’s ready to hit Jakarta head on. The newly-renovated and relocated Hard Rock Café Jakarta is inside a new mall. Again, we had the distinction of being the first international artist to perform there. It was a packed house reeking with cigarette smoke that smelled like burning cloves. As in all shows, the major sing along songs were Stairway to Heaven and I’ll Be Over You.

Nov. 29: Kuala Lumpur is the last leg before returning to Manila for the final two gigs. I love their airport — uncongested and spacious. We decided to proceed directly to the newly-renovated Hard Rock and do the sound check. At 7 p.m., people started to line up. By 11 p.m., you can’t move without bumping into a body. It was so darn full the band had to stay onstage instead of doing an exit for the encore. There was no place to move. Everybody sang along again. A local DJ intimated to me that in Malaysia, I’ll Be Over You is the No. 1 Toto song. Funny, I think I heard that line before.

I feel some pride that despite minor hiccups at the start of the tour, we were nearing the end with a big smile. Last chance to see Bobby is tomorrow, Dec. 5, 9 p.m. at the Hard Rock Café Makati. The tour would not have been possible without the Pinoy band that backed up Bobby: Otep Obama Concepcion on drums; Rolly Roldan on bass; Roy Marinduque on guitar; Neal Baruelo and Marie Nallos on back up vocals; Carlo Gaa as MD and on keyboards. Bruce Conte was the wonderful guest artist. Behind the scenes were Grace Macapagal, production manager; Howard Long Tall Medina, artist liaison; Joy del Pilar, Bobby’s personal assistant and Adrian Angeles, technical engineer.