(This was an entry written before I got to San Francisco for Halloween and kinda picks up from two entries ago. I just thought I would still include it here before I write about our show here in San Jose which will happen tomorrow night).
We arrived in Austin in a bangag state last October 23 after a show in Detroit the night before. With hardly any sleep, we rode on a plane that took us to this premiere Texas City that is home to the current US President. We checked in at the Park Hotel and after a few hours, we were dressed for the show which was in the ballroom at the lobby floor.
The ballroom was small but the crowd of about 400 was enough to make it full. It was a minus-one show, meaning, we were singing to taped orchestration–no live musicians! Nevertheless, it was a great and fun show since the Pinoy Texans knew how to make us feel at home with loud applause and screams. What made the show more special was meeting up with an old friend of Danny’s from college. LJ, who was UP’s heartthrob and who played the lead role in the prodction of ‘Hair” during the wild 70’s, found us backstage before the show and even joined us after.
This was our third gig in three nights and showing up for each one involved getting up early and taking a plane ride. We were tired when we came on stage, but the enthusiasm of the crowd revved up our adrenalin. By the third song, we were in fighting form.
The next few days were spent doing promo work in San Antonio and Dallas and catching up with sleep. Our San Antonio show was held at the Pueblo Hall last October 28. Again it was a minus-1 show but it was pretty good. The stage was tiny, the audience had tables which were too expensive to take out, and we also had no backstage for costume changes. We literally had to dress up outside the hall under the stars. But again, meeting all these new people who were watching us for the first time compensated for everything.
The next morning saw us on a 5 hour land trip to Dallas for a show the same evening at the Black Academy of Performing Arts within the Dallas Convention Hall. The last time we performed in this city was in 1975. We were very psyched up for the show since the venue was so elegant and we were performing with our musicians. The evening of the 29th of October was our crowning glory for the Texas leg of ‘The APO Experience’ tour. The sound, lights, audience were simply wonderful. Our performance was the ingredient which made the synergy that evening really super. We could not help but be in top form. We felt that strangely enough, we were effortlessly giving 120% and getting returns in the 300% or higher. Dallas will be hard to forget.
Doing an Abbey Road ala Beatles with Sammy Samaniego, our production guy where JFK was shot! Thanks Rico Villavicencio for the pic.
All in all, the Pinoy Texans were very hospitable, friendly and a lot of fun. We thank the Last Minute group who front-acted for us and gave us real genuine cowboy hats. Special Thanks also to our producers Gigi Hobson, Susan Young Blood, my newly discovered cousin Vicky Lopez, Rico Villavicencio, the Orosa Family, the Valeras (relatives), and Gilbert,(Gigi’s brother who drove us all around), Cathrina of Hilton Hotel who made our stay there very comfortable and all the great Pinoy restaurants which hosted lunches and dinners for us. There are too many names to mention. Forgive us if we missed out.
Red elegant seats! Theater usher gamely posing for me.
Hey Texas, thank y’all! Till we meet again, hopefully before 20 30 years.
Thanks for the great write up, Jim…It was truly nice getting to know you, Danny and Boboy..Good Luck on your show tomorrow night.
Never to forget y’all,
Gigi of Texas!
Wheew! Reading this post made me felt like I was there going along for the ride.Thanks for sharing the experience Jim.
It’s nice to see Filipino hospitality alive and well in the Lone Star State.
wow! and you have time to write your blogs eh..great experience indeed! btw sir, i tagged you on my meme post. it took all my courage to tell you..hehe! anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to try! 🙂
WOW! you sure got a lot of energy! that’s a very nice post. iba talaga kapag pinoy kahit mang saang lugar at bansa! 🙂
I’ve always wanted to avoid commenting on your blog about APO stuff, since there is a channel APO website to share my views and this is your own personal musings as you say, and that there is more of you, than beig a major part of APO…but since you posted some APO experiences, just to let you know that shot with the theatre usher in red is so cool! What makes APO performances and music transcend generations of Pinoy? Its the giving of 120% performance level whether the audience is a group of four, family or football field… very few artists (Pinoy or foreign) have that dignity to enjoy performing and be able to share their talent. Mostly, they are concerned with the statistics of commercialism. Pero ang APO,,, give all pa rin. That’s the reason why you will be in Pinoy music’s history books! That’s why I look forward to watching the show tonight in San Jose. Hoping part of the repertoire is “LOVE IS FOR SINGING” — favorite naming mag-asawa since we were kids… More power!
hello Mr. Jim Paredes! I’m tagging you for my new post, I’m sure you might get interested cuz it’s about songs. You can check my post at vanillaskiesheaven.blogspot.com
Thanks! 😉
After talking with a New Orleans kid on campus yesterday, I was totally considering going to Austin for a little visit (that’s where he’s from), but I wasn’t sure if i should take his word because he was a bit inebriated =p. But it sounds like you did have tons of fun and met super nice and polite folks in the Lone Start State!!
Hey Gigi, you guys from Texas ddeserve no less. It will be on the apo site b y tonite.
snglguy and vanilla skies-nothing beats Pinoy hospitality!
maryet–i lolve blogging. Will visit your site later.
jeng- so sorry we did not sig Love is for singing last night. The un ion people running the theater kept reminding us that the show had to end by 11 or there would be a sizeable fine. Mwisit talaga sila. We cut two songs along the way.
ang–you should have gone.
sir jim, i watched your show at the atlantic city and it was great! we had to drive for two hours on a cold rainy weather but it was worth it.
congratulations on a successful US tour!
please, please, please have a concert dito sa manila before you leave for australia. oh, please, sir jim…:)
sir jim,
galing nung shot na red seats!
its great to see your adventures! keep well Jim!
Nerie–glad you enjoyed
baby pink–there will be. I promise.
benjie and enigma–salamat sa bisita!
The feeling is mutual, we feel that you would be very hard to forget, too. You blew us away!
We were entertained beyond our expectations. Dallas loves you!
I hope you can come back soon. If you do, make sure you make a lot more noise. Although you guys were great the promotion for show wasn’t to great. I’ve recently talk to friends who would have loved to see you had they known you were coming.
I was surfing around and found your blog.
Great blog!…and looking forward to your next post. 🙂
hehe. apobeatles ;p
ala beatles! nice. 🙂
🙂
hi sir jim!
will you have a show in austin? naku, sna naman po!
i was one of your students in the ateneo 2nd sem ata yun of 2001. are you still teaching?
congratulations and God bless po!
Jim,
I sincerely hope you guys had a good time in Dallas. The day after the concert, I received a lot of emails congratulating us for the success. A lot of them also commented that they come and see you guys again. “We enjoyed a lot, we laughed a lot” are the common quotes from people. We miss you already. Susan and family….
Hi Rizza
Yes, we did perform in Austin! Too bad di tayo nagkita.
Hey Susan–Dallas is THE BEST!!! We love you guys and miss you na!
Anonymous, al, slither, rey, pacific–salamat sa dalaw!