Bands America and Kalapana to hold concert in Baguio

IT WAS just a couple of years ago when Walltrix toyed with the idea of bringing America back in Baguio City. The idea cropped up when the concert producers noticed Baguio people are very sentimental as far as music is concerned.

Tickets were sold out for the concert featuring The Lettermen. They saw the audience singing along with the artists. The Lettermen were a hit among the Filipinos back in the days.

The same phenomenon happened when Walltrix brought Fra Lipo Lippi in town. They saw a younger audience troop to the UB gym and then again, the not so old and not so young bracket of audience sang along with Fra Lipo Lippi.

“Am sure the 70s bracket of audience in Baguio City will be happy to see America again,” Jenny Bautista, general manager of Waltrix Production, quipped during a casual conversation with the Baguio media after a press conference.

I thought it was just an idea that can be played with… until I received a text message that indeed, America is coming on October 21 and will play at the University of Baguio Gym with Kalapana.

In a flash, I went back in time when we were watching America in a concert at Scout Hill of Camp John Hay Air Station and the date was November 12, 1990. It was a very typical Baguio City concert on an open field with just a few baseball bleachers to sit on.

Other audience brought with them mats and sat on the cold ground under the moon and the stars.

Back then, my friends and I sing songs popularized by America. Songs like All My Life, Horse with No Name, Ventura Highway, Sister Golden Hair, Sandman, Lonely People, I Need You and other songs we call Folk songs. In today’s terminology, I think they call it acoustic songs.

America filled the airwaves in the latter part of the 70s and early 80s. They shifted from folk songs to the pop music with a hit “Inspector Mills” and “You Can Do Magic” and followed by more hits staying on the charts and the air waves.

On the other hand, Kalapana was another folk song group with a touch of Jazz. One of their hit songs was “Night Bird” which hit the charts in 1976 which was followed by another hit “Naturally”. Kalapana took a break for a couple of years and when they came back sometime in 2005, their 1976 hit song Night Bird hit the charts anew.

AMERICA and KALAPANA, LIVE in Baguio on October 21 will definitely re-live the lives of so many folk song lovers in Baguio City, singers and listeners alike. The audience will be able to go back in time and reminisce the days of the “Fireplace” and “Our Cozy Nook” both along Assumption rd.

The concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are now available. See posters and print ads for details.