By Maridol Ranoa-Bismark
Midweek is usually a slow day for bars, which thrive on nighttime crowds unwinding on weekends. But that Wednesday, cars lined the spacious parking area of 19 East Bar & Grill along East Service Road in Sucat.
InnerVoices, the all-male band with years of experience and awards to its name, was in the house. The group was there, not only to perform its repertoire of `80s songs and others. It was there to celebrate the birthday of long-time manager lawyer Rey Bergado.
Bergado’s – and the band’s – friends were accounted for. The amiable manager acknowledged friends from Letran College, where he studied. There were musicians, like the De Torres family, headed by dad Porong (real name: Telesforo), and his gifted children James and Esang (James is a guitarist-pianist and is a singer-songwriter-actress, who, at nine years old, is the youngest artist to hold a major solo concert in the country).
As always, a lady lawyer sat near the stage to sing and dance to her favorite band’s songs.
Before launching the first musical asalto onstage, Bergado and lead singer Angelo, who leaned on a crutch when he greeted guests offstage – set the evening’s light, casual, mood. Bergado pointed out that Angelo was lame that night. The latter, not to be outdone, shot back, “Ikaw naman, matanda (You’re old)!”
The good-natured teasing made the crowd erupt in laughter. Everyone relaxed. They knew the band is in for a good time.
The exchange of jokes also speaks volumes of the brotherhood that has kept the band together all these years – through the pandemic and others. In fact, the members have stood as ninong (godfather) to each other’s children. What other proof of closeness is there?
A nod, a look, a slight head tilt, and they know what to do, on stage, and off. They don’t even have to say a word. They don’t need a script to move the show forward. They can—and are – as spontaneous as can be.
That’s one of the secrets of good performances. It’s free-flowing, as natural as keyboardist Joseph Cruz’s smile the minute hears the first beat from Jojo Esparago and Ruben Tecson’s drums.
What you give is what you get. The audience returned the band’s energy with an unbridled gusto that lasted till 1 am the next day.
“That’s why I love it here,” Angelo looks all around him. The place, including the gallery – with its share of music lovers — came alive.
“We’re up close with the audience,” he continues.
This gives him – and his bandmates – a good view of most everyone’s reactions. The band can interact better with the crowd. This produces a chemistry between performer and audience that rewards the giver as much as the receiver.
If interaction is the second ingredient of good performances, passion is the third – not necessarily in that order.
Angelo willed himself to mount the stage, stand there and even rock back and forth, despite a painful leg. The rest of the band joined him in some parts of his song. Soon, the audience was singing their hearts out.
Originality is the fourth ingredient of a good show. InnerVoices could have been just another cover band. That could have made their job easy. They need not wrack their brains for a new arrangement, for a fresh attack in delivering melodies.
But it chose the straight and narrow path of originality. Angelo penned the haunting Isasayaw Kita for unborn daughter Hope. When he sang it, as a video of himself and a pretty little girl whose hand he held, flashed on the wall behind him, the audience fell silent. The mood was solemn, even reverent, as the audience joined Angelo down memory lane to pay tribute to the daughter he lost in 2020. “Daddy loves you!” Angelo shouted.
But the show must go on. Lively numbers must bring the audience to their feet. So the band dished out Freddie Mercury numbers, and songs like Electric Dreams and Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
People rise, clapped, swayed upheld arms, and danced to the music.
Night gave way to a new day, and the band delivered its last song – an encore number – at 1 a.m.
Each went about his or her own way –InnerVoices songs still ringing in his/her ears.
