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Concert review: 'APO 50 years' is nostalgic, emotional and for ages

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Rick Olivares

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Jim Paredes and Boboy Garrovillo at last weekend" s="" Hiking="" Society="" The="" Rick="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/entertainment/07/17/07172023-jim-paredes-and-boboy-garrovillo.jpg"/><figcaption>Jim Paredes and Boboy Garrovillo at last weekend&#x27;s &quot;APO Hiking Society 50 Years, The Concert.&#x27; Rick Olivares</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Nostalgic and wonderfully entertaining, &quot;APO Hiking Society 50 Years, The Concert&quot; will go down as one of the best performances ever by this legendary pop band.Held at the Hyundai Theater of Arete inside the campus of the group’s alma mater, the Ateneo de Manila University, on July 15 and 16, the two-hour and 20-minute show was sold out, and the standing ovations given says a lot. A whole lot.While the majority of the almost 2,000 people who went to the shows had seen them many times over, there were quite a number of first-timers who were buzzing after the show.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/07/08/23/apo-hiking-society-marks-50-years-with-2-night-concert">APO Hiking Society marks 50 years with 2-night concert</a></li></ul>As someone who has seen them perform dozens of times, these pair of shows will go down as landmarks much like their &quot;Eto Na Po Sila&quot; concert at the ULTRA on November 30, 1985 that was widely praised for its performance that was released on vinyl not soon after. That concert was also famous or infamous -- depending on which side of the political fence you find yourself in -- for their humorous slant and political commentary that has since become a staple of their shows.That brought a lot of attention to the twin show that followed a few weeks later in January 1986 at the Loyola Center inside the Ateneo that was just as well-received, however with a lot of buzz and anxiety and trepidation due to fears of a clampdown by the powers that be back then.Now these twin-50th anniversary shows stand out because they are exactly that – the 50th anniversary shows. How many performing artists get to this stage of their careers? You cannot say they are a legacy band living off old hits – well what is wrong with that to begin with – because they are releasing new music to this day. And watch out for the record that will be out this November under independent label Eikon Records.An anniversary show means you are taking a trip on a time machine, and they will be performing their cavalcade of hits. And they certainly watered my eyes. These are music of generations. I, along with millions of others, swooned to them and learned to play guitar using the Jingle magazine chord book. And they were theme songs for loves – consummated or lost – and golden moments.Again, I have always enjoyed their shows and as a trio with Danny Javier, Jim Paredes, and Boboy Garrovillo as the consummate showmen. They have the gift of gab much like the sainted Rat Pack. They are deep and learned men, and when you watch them, you feel enlightened because they imbue their songs with the love and passion for the classics, but also by including tidbits of Filipino pop culture or history.If the November 1985 and January 1986 shows were wildly entertaining, these July 2023 shows were emotional.You are watching one of the finest performers ever in Original Pilipino Music history (that Javier coined a long time ago) and their songs are classics and remain popular to this day. So a show like this takes you through decades and generations of work.And of course there is the loss of Javier, who passed away in October 2022.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/31/22/danny-javier-of-apo-hiking-society-passes-away-at-75">Danny Javier, one-third of APO Hiking Society, passes away at 75</a></li></ul>When his Jobim came out to perform his father’s parts on “Batang Bata Ka Pa” (while pictures of the father and son flashed on the screen), I wondered how choked up not only they were on stage but we in the audience.And that part where Javier sang on his camera phone “Lahat Tayo Mamamatay” that was posted after his death was dark humor as he performed this when he wasn’t well. Paredes and Garrovillo added their trademark APO humor to the song, but it was a stark reminder of everyone’s mortality. I wondered how Paredes and Garrovillo were taking this all in.These were their first performances without Javier. As thoroughly enjoyable as the show was every now and then I kept looking and waiting for those parts of songs that were supposed to be sung by Javier. I admit that I wasn’t used to it.This is not to take away anything from Paredes and Garrovillo who were magnificent. They certainly were in masterful form.And speaking of Garrovillo, I always felt he was like Ringo Starr of the Beatles.The shadow that John Lennon and Paul McCartney cast was so huge that even George Harrison who late in the band’s career proved that he was as adept as the former two, chafed at it. And Starr only received the props he richly deserved much in life.It was the same with APO Hiking Society as Javier and Paredes were usually the focus of much of the attention. This isn’t to take away anything from Garrovillo who is equally talented.These 50th anniversary concerts brought Garrovillo front and center. If anyone had seen them before I am sure you would have come away after these evenings with a new-found appreciation for Garrovillo’s talents. He is always funny, but his voice even after all these years, was amazing.Even as I kept waiting for Javier to come in, I would instantly forget as Garrovillo totally stepped up to the plate.&quot;APO Hiking Society 50 Years, The Concert&quot; is an amazing concert. Literally, one for the ages. Then as now I am buzzing like everyone else. Now if they too will release these landmarks on vinyl. After all, I like my music history preserved.<div>Related video:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FSKzkma7KoQ?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Nostalgic and wonderfully entertaining, 'APO Hiking Society 50 Years, The Concert' will go down as one of the best performances ever by this legendary pop band.