Friendship beyond celebrity

MANILA, Philippines - Prior to getting involved with touring artists and promoting concerts, my business was built around supplying gear to TV networks and Audio/Video production outfits. For an odd 12 years, it fed me well until the Asian crisis hit in 1997. The peso devalued by over 100 percent and suddenly the economy turned sour.

Instead of slugging it out with my competitors for whatever little business was left in the industry, I deemed it optimal to go on hiatus and think of a new business to get in. I spent a good five years bumming around and traveling, in the process, squandering every peso I earned. Being poor once again compelled me to seek comfort in my first love — music. I was lucky Ramon “RJ” Jacinto took interest and gave me a DJ slot on RJ100 FM.

It was a stark realization for me that when you don’t have money left, most of your so-called friends disappear. I wasn’t bitter though and out of the few left, I found some selfless friends whom I treasure to date. They were the reason I found confidence to embark on concert promotion.

One of the nicest I met in the business was John Ford Coley. He recently placed a post on his Facebook account requesting friends to pray for the victims of Typhoon Sendong in a country he calls his second home, the Philippines. We met in 2005 and have since gotten even closer as friends. In fact, he became godfather to my daughter Russell over two years ago and I would say he is a godfather in the true sense of the term and role. He even keeps my daughter’s picture in his wallet together with his own children.

Last month, we went on another concert tour of Asia that included cities in the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

John Ford with Arnel and members of Zoo, his backup band for his Asian tour

John arrived in Manila to rehearse with his back-up band Zoo during the long All Saints Day weekend. At that same period, I was scheduled to visit my deceased mother, father, brothers and grandma at the provincial cemetery in Bulacan. I told him to proceed with the rehearsal without me as I had to do the yearly ritual. I was touched, delighted at his insistence to come along and postpone rehearsal so he can also offer prayers for my dearly departed family members, most specially my brother who was his friend and recently passed away…

The sun was high and the air was humid when we arrived at the cemetery. There was mud on the ground from the recent downpour as we negotiated our way through the path that looked like a maze leading to the graves. The moment we arrived, we closed our eyes for a few moments and mumbled prayers. When we opened our eyes, we found a multitude of kids curiously staring at us. I wondered why but as the crowd grew bigger we had to make a beeline for the exit. It turns out people recognized John Ford and were probably thinking he’d do a concert in the cemetery.

John Ford oversold his last concert in Singapore three years ago. Since then, he had the yearning to return. His wish was granted in 2011.

On the morning we boarded our Philippine Airlines flight to Singapore, John Ford had the pleasure of meeting Arnel Pineda in the flesh at the pre-departure area of Terminal 21. Arnel, who used to be a member of Zoo band, was bound for a vacation with his family to Hong Kong. The flight got delayed for two hours and landed in Singapore close to 4 p.m. instead of the 1:50 p.m. schedule, thus making John miss some media interviews to promote the concert. Unlike some artists whom I’ve traveled with who would make a big fuss and blame the airline or the weather, John Ford was cool and apologized to the media for being late. Patience and understanding are his innate qualities.

The Singapore concert at Max Pavilion was scheduled at 8 p.m. two days after we arrived in the city-state. Around 7:30 p.m., the concert venue was empty. I started to worry about an anemic attendance but my anxiety turned to delight when upon checking 20 minutes later, the venue was almost full. It was one of John Ford’s longest concerts breaking the 100-minute mark because it was very well-received by the predominantly Singaporean crowd sprinkled with some Pinoys.

With (from left) Peter Cox of Go West, John Ford and Richard Drummie of Go West

John Ford was very ecstatic and fed on the applause that was afforded to each and every sing. He got two standing ovations and ran out of songs because the crowd wouldn’t let him go. He ended up singing three solo encores. The Zoo band did a great job of backing him up. Concert was over by 10 p.m. but we ate supper at 1 a.m. The line for the meet and greet stretched further than the eye could see and John made sure everyone was graciously accommodated.

Simultaneous with John Ford’s Asian tour, I had concert bookings for the ’80s duo Go West (Call Me, Faithful, We Close Our Eyes, What You Won’t Do For Love, etc.) in Kuala Lumpur and Manila. Instead of going back to Manila after the Singapore concert and relax for the next few days to prepare for his Philippine shows, John Ford showed his selflessness once again by volunteering to join me in Malaysia and assist me with my chores.

He became my Go West liaison when I wasn’t available which was almost half the time we were in KL. Richard Drummie of Go West couldn’t believe he was the John Ford Coley of England Dan & John Ford Coley because he loved the song Love Is The Answer. John Ford and Go West had a great time in KL.

Upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur with barely a hint of sleep, John Ford went straight to his press conference and charmed the reporters. Three hours later, he proceeded to do a tedious sound check followed by the private concert for Midas Hotel VIPs which, needless to say, was very well applauded.

The next three days got more hectic with four shows in Tarlac, Clark, Las Piñas and Resorts World that involved a lot of traveling. The show at Newport Theater at Resorts World featured some of John Ford’s closest friends like Lenny De Jesus, Ciara Sotto and rock ‘n’ roll legend RJ Jacinto. It featured a riotous rock ‘n’ roll encore with all the artists performing to the max with the audience dancing in the aisles.

On the day of his departure for Nashville, John Ford spent the whole day shopping for Christmas presents at Mall of Asia not only for his family but mine as well.

Besides the gifts, he gave me with $1,000 to buy whatever I wanted for my forthcoming birthday. John Ford is one of a kind and I will keep bringing him back for as long as I can even when I’ve retired from concert promotion.