The glorious '70s with America, Kalapana

MANILA, Philippines - The stars of America and Kalapana started to rise in the ’70s, but their luster continued to glow until the next four decades and are still visible until the present time among their legions of fans worldwide.

Despite unique differences in their individual sound and style, the two musical legends are bound by a common thread of innovation, passion and commitment to their crafts.

One has only to listen to such hits as I Need You, A Horse With No Name, Ventura Highway, Tin Man and You Can Do Magic by America and Naturally and The Hurt by Kalapana to experience the world-class quality of music that they came out with. 

Celebrate the glorious era of traditional rock, pop and folk together with familiar Hawaiian classic in the ‘70s as America and Kalapana share the same stage during a joint concert on Oct. 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

America with Kalapana 2012 Philippine Tour, to be mounted by Ovation Productions, will kick off a three-city series of live concerts that will also include shows at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on Oct. 19 and at the University of Baguio on Oct. 21.

America returns to the local concert scene more than two years after its successful four-city tour here in 2009 that was highlighted by a sold-out performance at the Big Dome.

One of the longest-standing bands in the US today with 20 full-length albums and almost 200 songs to its name, America dominated the AM radio waves for half a decade in the early ‘70s with mainstays ranging from folk to Beatles balladry and California pop.

Kalapana, on the other hand, which is celebrating its 39th year in the entertainment industry, achieved recognition for its pop and soft rock music that have made its songs, such as Naturally and The Hurt, enduring island classics.

Formed by childhood friends David John (DJ) Pratt and Carl James Malani Bilyeu, it made its debut in the entertainment circuit by playing its first gig at Chuck’s in Hawaii Kai until it became a regular performer at a new club called The Toppe Ada Shoppe.

(The Philippine concert tour is produced by Ovation Productions, Philippine Airlines, etc, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Talk TV, History Channel and Edsa Shangri-La Manila. It is also supported by Manila Bulletin, The Philippine STAR, BusinessWorld, philSTAR.com, Inquirer.net, 96.3 Easy Rock, RX 93.1 Monster Radio, Mellow 94.7, 97.9 Home Radio, ABS-CBN and OptimaSignsolutions. Tickets to the concert on Oct. 17 are priced at P4,000, P3,500, P3,000, P2,500, P1,500 and P700. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ticketnet.com.ph or call 911-5555. Tickets to the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino show on Oct. 19 cost P4,000, P3,000, P2,000, P1,200, P1,000 and P600. For details, call 232-6888 or 0917-6228705. Ticket prices for the University of Baguio concert on Oct. 21 are P3,750, P3,250, P2,650, P2,150, P1,250 and P750. For details, call 074-4423071, 0917-4476403 or 0922-550123.)