ni Julie Bonifacio - @Winner | June 30, 2022
Fresh from Washington D.C., USA, sumalang agad ang Concert King na si Martin Nievera sa kauna-unahan niyang concert sa Pilipinas after two years with a live audience.
Full-packed ang The Theatre@Solaire kung saan ginanap ang Martin Nievera: Live Again concert last Saturday.
“It’s so nice to be here once again singing live, in front of a live audience,” bungad ni Martin.
Dugtong pa niya, “And finally, I get to sing in front of people sitting next to each other in more than just my boxer shorts, just as you know…. you know, the suit, and you get the boxer shorts and tsinelas, yes!
“Living and breathing people altogether sitting next to each other, as you are, not anymore in front of a computer or a cellphone camera. Right? Isn’t it nice?”
Last time nag-concert si Martin with a live audience ay noong February 18-21, 2020 with his ex-wife, ang Martin and Pops: Together Again na ginanap din sa The Theatre@Solaire.
Martin’s sold-out concert is also Solaire’s first live show in two years.
Actually, ang Martin Nievera: Live Again is a fundraising concert na pinangunahan ng Rotary Club of Makati West para sa Gift of Life Charity.
“These are children with heart diseases and tonight you have given them a chance to live again. So, as we are here at Solaire, singing live again, you’ve given these children another chance to live again. And that’s why we’re here.”
“Now, Solaire is generously giving the proceeds of the concert for the benefit of Rotary Club of Makati West Gift of Life Charity, which provides operations to children in need."
Aapir dapat as guest performer ang panganay na anak ni Martin na si Robin Nievera sa Live Again benefit concert, pero ‘di raw ito nakaalis sa Los Angeles, California.
Inihayag din ni Martin during the concert ang kanyang 40th anniversary in show business. In line with this, ise-celebrate niya ang kanyang anibersaryo sa 'Pinas with a concert sa The Theatre@Solaire on November 19.
Present sa concert ni Martin sa The Theater ang kanyang family which includes his brothers-in-law, Pastor Luigi Tabuena (husband of his twin Gina) and Rotary Club Makati West President Franco del Rosario.
Nandu'n din siyempre ang longtime girlfriend ni Martin at pamangkin ni Ynez Veneracion na si Anj del Rosario.
Naaliw naman kami sa kuwento ni Martin about her twin sister na si Vickie Nievera. Super active pala ng twin sister niya sa Kumu kaya pati si Martin, nakaladkad sa pagso-show sa Kumu.
“My twin sister and I, I created a monster by the way, she hasn’t stopped singing. She’s on right now, you know that?
“She doesn’t even care about making bangga my show, but that’s okay.
“She’s like kumufied. She’s Kumu every freaking day, right? Even when there’s no Kumu, she’s kumued, right?”
Na-amazed kami nu’ng sabihin ni Martin na for 122 days ay nag-show sila ng twin sister niya sa Kumu.
“We sang for 122 days, three hours a night. Just to keep people’s company. Just to keep them, you know, focus on something else rather than ‘When can we get out of this?’ ‘Am I gonna catch virus?’
“We tried to defocus everyone from that by making music and we did that 122 nights. And within those 122 nights, I received a song, a melody from Homer Flores. And I said, ‘You know what? I’m gonna write a happy song. ‘Coz I believe that happy days are nearby.'
“I don’t know what we’re going through. When you read the papers, the news, I don’t even watch the news. 'Coz nobody is smiling right now.
“But I said, because I believe in my people. And Filipinos? We are the blessing of the world. Believe me. I’ve been all over the world, and they won’t even use their own people to deal with people. They out the Filipinos in front of hotel, restaurants, nurses, doctors, architects, you name it.
“So, why don’t we have that same winning attitude here in our own country?” litanya ni Martin sa concert.
Dahil d’yan, nakagawa ng bagong single si Martin, ang Smile Again.