A new direction for Erik

MANILA, Philippines - There are a number of firsts or special reasons why the upcoming concert of Erik Santos, dubbed as the King of OPM Theme Songs, is different from anything he has done live in his storied career. For one, it’s his first time to perform at the highly-valued Solaire’s The Theatre. And secondly, it will have a pure OPM catalogue as repertoire.

But one thing that gets the industry’s attention is the fact that Erik will direct his own show --- concept, script and all. That’s right, the balladeer is also sitting on a director’s chair. 

Funny if one takes that in a literal way; that the performer in front of the audience and the guy overseeing it all behind the spotlight is one and the same. But seriously, it means he has total control of this. And control, as stated by Liam Neeson in a classic role, is power. 

That leads us to the show being under the tag Powerhouse, a series of concerts created by fast-rising promoter Lucky 7 Koi Productions that features Filipino world-class performers. This is the second outing after the successful first staging that had Arnel Pineda on board.

“Lahat ng makikita niyo po sa show ay kung ano ang nararamdaman ng puso ko,” stated the Cornerstone and Star Magic talent in sincere, emotional tone. 

The concert, scheduled on April 7 at 8 p.m., is titled Erik Santos Sings The Greatest OPM Classics. For a glimpse of what he will offer, he performed a medley of three Ryan Cayabyab-written numbers during a recent promotional gathering at Solaire’s Eclipse Bar. He assured everyone that there will be a lot of powerhouse medleys of songs written by brilliant Filipino songwriters, reckoning it’s the best way to deal with OPM’s rich catalogue of now-classics.

It’s Erik’s saving grace that tried-and-tested Homer Flores sits in as musical director for his show, with Cornerstone Concerts serving as line producer. Added to the mix are his special guest performers Yeng Constantino and Ogie Alcasid who are two famous singers with songwriting skills that already produced certified hits.

When asked if he intends to take the directing route real far, Erik shared, “Hindi naman po masama mangarap to establish myself directing concerts or other types of show that involve music. I’ll take it one show at a time. For this one, I’ll make sure lahat ng manonood ay uuwi ng nakangiti.”

That he himself has hit songs under his belt makes him credible to embracing OPM in his first directorial venture. Some of the songs he popularized are Kulang Ako Kung Wala Ka, Kung Akin Ang Mundo and Pagbigyang Muli. He digs great songs written by Filipino tunesmiths with sincere poetry, saying, “May narrative ang OPM na nakaka-relate tayong mga Pilipino. Grabe ang letra, dapat namnamin kapag kakantahin.”

Erik recently recorded a theme song for the ABS-CBN soap My Dear Heart.

Lucky 7 Koi, determined to give part of the concert proceeds to certain beneficiaries, actually made Erik’s dream to direct his own show come true upon sealing the deal. And in a way, it is a major realization for the production group, spearheaded by women executives, considering it wanted Erik even before staging the first Powerhouse show.

Lucky 7 Koi cited that Erik just wasn’t available the first time around. Its spokeswoman clarified, “The first Powerhouse was an overwhelming success and we’re happy that we now finally got Erik and the ticket sales for his upcoming show are doing well.” 

Erik’s version of a Powerhouse concert, to also showcase Marcelito Pomoy, will happen on the last Friday before Holy Week. Therefore, people are likely to look for something entertaining before the solemn stretch.

Let Erik do the talking, or should we say singing and directing.

(For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or log on to www.ticketworld.com.ph.)