MANILA, Philippines - There’s something magical, if not romantic, in the air whenever English balladeer Engelbert Humperdinck belts out a tune on stage. He’s a mesmerizing figure with a voice that captures the spirit of a song in a way nobody else can.
Humperdinck is now 75 and for a man who has survived tuberculosis, advanced asthma, a serious viral infection, a swindling manager and jealous husbands, he’s in excellent shape. He was recently in the country to perform shows at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu, the Manila Hotel and the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The fans who packed the three venues had probably watched Humperdinck perform before but they still came out in droves because nothing beats a live performance by a music legend.
Ovation Productions’ Renen de Guia, who brought Humperdinck over with an entourage of 23, said the sold-out shows confirmed the crooner’s unsinkable durability. “All the venues we did were packed,” said De Guia. “He really clicks with the Filipino audience; his sense of humor, perhaps, his being charming and gorgeous as the concert ads would go, his songs. It’s everything combined. As far as marketability, the fact that he has done in recent years, four sold-out shows in Manila, the fourth visit actually consisting of three shows, should prove it. It also happens that he is getting old so there is also the factor of urgency to watch him before he retires or whatever. As a performer, he is definitely first-class and on top of the heap. Other good singers don’t have charisma. Engelbert is overflowing with it.”
At the Manila Hotel dinner show last Valentine’s Day, Humperdinck refused to start until the floor was cleared of waiters. “He’s a perfectionist and true professional,” said Manila Hotel president Joey Lina who sang three songs in the two-part front act that also featured Pilita Corrales. “Engelbert wanted the dinner service to stop so he wouldn’t be distracted by movement on the floor.”
In his autobiography Engelbert — What’s In A Name? he spoke of his professionalism. “I live for perfection when I’m on stage,” he said. “I had — and probably still have — the reputation of having worked my way through the most sound men and that, I’m sorry to say, is because of my need for perfection.”
Humperdinck didn’t get to where he is by accident. He worked hard at breaking through and had to change his stage name from Gerry Dorsey to Engelbert Humperdinck — the 19th century German composer of Hansel and Gretel — to begin his ascent in 1967. His million-seller Release Me stayed at the top of the UK charts for five weeks that year, preventing The Beatles’ Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever from taking over the No. 1 spot. He went on to score seven more Top 10 UK hits with No. 2 There Goes My Everything, No. 1 The Last Waltz, No. 3 Am I That Easy To Forget, No. 2 A Man Without Love, No. 5 Les Bicyclettes de Belsize, No. 3 The Way It Used To Be, and No. 7 Winter World of Love. Today, he has sold over 150 million albums, including 64 gold and 24 platinum with a fans club of more than eight million disciples.
The Manila Hotel gig gathered a huge audience that included Vice President Jojo Binay, former President Erap Estrada, former First Lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, former Sen. Kit Tatad, Solar Entertainment chairman William Tieng and wife Aida, Solar Entertainment vice chairman Willy Tieng, Metrobank chairman Tony Abacan, Flying V CEO Ramon (Chito) Villavicencio, Air 21 chairman Bert Lina. Kitchie Benedicto and her 94-year-old mother Julita, businessman Lambert Ramos and lawyer Romy Macalintal.
Humperdinck burst onto the stage singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow dapper in a black tux with a bowtie. Backed by a six-piece band and two singers, he quickly segued into Santana’s Smooth then Am I That Easy To Forget. Humperdinck kept a steady pace with the Love Story theme and A Man Without Love before sitting down on a stool, taking off his tie and swinging into After The Lovin’ and I Can Get Used To This. He removed his jacket and opened his white shirt down to the sixth button near his waist to reveal a well-tanned chest. Humperdinck wiped his perspiration with a trademark red handkerchief, took a sip of what looked like red wine in a glass and cracked a green joke about a senior patient on a dentist’s chair gulping down Viagra to hold on to something hard while getting treated with three root canals and four fillings.
To celebrate the occasion, Humperdinck sang My Funny Valentine then got the crowd singing to Quando Quando. He did his version of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire which is in his country music album with a fiddle-sounding accompaniment from a mellotron. Continuing with his jokes, Humperdinck quipped, “You like comedy more than singing.”
Humperdinck paid tribute to his late friend Dean Martin and did short impressions of Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime and Amore before introducing his new single Somebody Tonight which didn’t seem to catch on with the audience. He followed it with You Don’t Know Me, singing to a fan that volunteered to come up on stage to sit on a chair and hold up a lyric sheet. Humperdinck asked the fan if she was married. “Yes but he’s not here,” said Lucille. That was Humperdinck’s cue. Later, he jumped on Lucille while she was sitting like mounting a horse, tied a red handkerchief on her neck and slightly kissed her lips. Only Humperdinck could’ve gotten away with that.
The show moved on to I Hate You Then I Love You in a duet with back-up vocalist Ashley Locheed then he took a brief leave in the middle of Ain’t That Peculiar. Locheed stayed on stage to extend the song with Roberta Freeman, the other back-up vocalist, and guitarist Errol Cooney. Humperdinck came back wearing a black shirt. Then it was time for Bryan Adams’ Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman. He called the song a “standard” like The Last Waltz which was next on the set list. Humperdinck continued with a medley of Love Me With All Of Your Heart, The Way It Used To Be, Spanish Eyes and Ten Guitars before winding up with There Goes My Everything, Release Me and for his encore, My Way. Humperdinck closed the show wearing a red bathrobe, ready to go to bed. And the crowd loved it.
Before the show began, the huge screens on both sides of the stage showed Humperdinck being introduced by Eddie Izzard in a ’60s TV show. And as the concert progressed, a film of Humperdinck from the ’60s would be shown singing the same song he did at the same time on stage — an uncanny video-audio-live lock. A footage of Humperdinck in a duet with Dean Martin was also shown on the screens.
De Guia said Humperdinck’s group flew in from various points in the US. Humperdinck’s son Scott who acts as manager came in from Australia where he lives with wife Joanna. From Manila, the tour proceeded to Singapore. Humperdinck will end his Asian series with a show in Dubai on March 7 and Beirut on March 9.
“So many of his songs drew the same enthusiastic response from the audience,” said De Guia. “The surprise number which Engelbert did very well, although not his signature song, was My Way. He didn’t really rehearse much since he’s constantly on the road performing everywhere year in and year out. His kind only comes around every once in a while. He is truly a joy to watch. People go home from his concerts happy.”
Once ranked No. 4 in the world’s sexiest men poll, Humperdinck has been married to wife Patricia “Popea” Healey for 47 years. They are blessed with four children and nine grandchildren. Humperdinck maintains homes in the US and England. He lived in the late Jayne Mansfield’s home called “The Pink Palace” in Los Angeles for 27 years. The mansion had a 24-foot ceiling in the living room, an indoor waterfall and a heart-shaped swimming pool. It was demolished to make room for a bigger real estate development in 2009.
Humperdinck performed with a 100-piece orchestra during the 1988 Seoul Olympics and once sang to 110,000 fans in a day. In the late ’60s, he was a proud owner of a Rolls Royce Phantom VI, the world’s largest limousine equipped with a TV and mini-bar. His collection counts 14 Rolls Royces. In 1989, he received a “star” at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the same block as The Beatles, Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Stevie Wonder.
In his book, Humperdinck said he still occasionally plays in big places. “But the places I prefer to play now have seats for 2,000 to 5,000 people,” he said. “The casinos where I do many concert performances are smaller with about 1,500 to 1,800 places but that’s fine. I love singing in those. Supper clubs are few and far between now but I never really liked performing in those but I would always say ‘I will only go on if there is no service, no food or wine being served at the tables while I am on.’ Things like that were such a great distraction and I wanted the audience’s undivided attention.”
Humperdinck is now in his sixth decade as a performer, still going strong and living up to his reputation as the undisputed “King of Romance.”