Gary V continues to reinvent himself

THE VETERAN performer and his guests performed.

For an artist like Gary Valenciano who has been in the business for more than 30 years, one of the most difficult—and fun—aspects of doing concerts is making songs that have been performed countless times before sound new and familiar all at once. It’s a challenge relished by the singer-songwriter who, to this day, is fueled by a desire to reinvent himself.

Change, however, shouldn’t be gratuitous. Thus, before the singer gives his past hits a new spin, Gary V always asks himself: “How different must the songs sound? Or, should I tweak them at all?”

For his set in his two-night concert, “Gary V Presents,” the seasoned performer, dubbed “Mr. Pure Energy,” figured, “Why not?”

Neither did he lace the songs with modern electronic synths and beats like he did in his last major concert, “Arise 3.0,”  nor did he drastically revamp them using different musical styles or genres.

 Revamped classics

What Gary had this time was a band of excellent singers who allowed him to present his songs in different ways—duets, trios, mashups, group numbers, sing-offs, etc.

The show, held at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater, opened with a spirited rendition of “Shout 4 Joy,” featuring the soaring voices of Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Janice Javier, Jimmy Marquez, Katrina Velarde, Lara Maigue, RJ de la Fuente, Maki Ricafort, Mitoy Yonting, Monique Lualhati and Timmy Pavino. Gary made sure to give each of them a chance to show off his or her performing strengths.

With Gary taking the lead as the rest of the artists clapped, danced and harmonized, the scene onstage in that number  was almost reminiscent of a production one might see on “Glee,” or  a part of a musical version of the local teen flick “Hataw Na,” which the 51-year-old artist top-billed in 1995.

Al Jarreau’s festive version of “Spain (I Can Recall)” is a staple in Gary’s repertoire, but rarely with other vocalists. Monique proved to be a revelation in the number, displaying her vocal agility via intricate jazz runs, scatting and belting alternately with ease. She matched Gary’s intensity throughout and kept pace with the song’s turns in tempo.

Standout number

Another standout number was his duet of “Babalik Ka Rin” with the brilliant indie-folk musician, Bullet Dumas, whose earthy singing complemented the largely acoustic instrumentation.

In “Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?” the gruff-voiced Mitoy went toe-to-toe with Gary. Janice, a big-voiced singer with a proclivity for R&B, rapped and danced to the funky “Hataw Na.” Lara, sang her own composition, the elegant “Kung Pwede Lang,” with Gary on keyboards.

Jimmy, Timmy and RJ filled the air with silken harmonies in a 1990s R&B-vibed take on “Paano.” Jimmy also joined Carla in an affecting performance of “Could You Be Messiah.” Meanwhile, Gary let Katrina and Maki shine in a medley of well-loved ballads.

Gary had everyone dancing the night away to a string of Earth, Wind & Fire ditties, including “September” and “Let’s Groove,” followed  by his rendition of “Reasons.”

“Once I start sweating onstage, I just can’t stop performing,” he said to resounding cheers and calls for more songs, before ending the night with the pride anthem “Ipagpatuloy Mo, Galing ng Pilipino.”

According to Gary, the creative world that he and his fellow singers inhabit is driven by “innovations, transformations and changes.”

And in this concert, they demonstrated that in order to stay in that world, one thing should remain constant: “talent.”

([email protected])