The Company at 40: A Nostalgia Trip with a Sweet Reunion and P-Pop Surprise

You'd think that the Company's 40th Anniversary Concert last Saturday at Solaire's The Theatre wouldn't be complete without Everlasting Love.

- By Nathalie Tomada

Released in 1991, it was their first pop radio hit from the debut album "Yon Na," and it changed everything for the group, who had been hustling for five years prior. Not only was it a commercial success, it also earned them multiple accolades, including their first Gold Record award.

So when the country's premier vocal group—Moy Ortiz, Annie Quintos, Sweet Plantado and OJ Mariano—announced they were skipping Everlasting Love on their most important night yet, some audience members might have felt a bit disappointed.

Truth is, the group hasn't been able to perform it for two years now. "The song was—and still is—a huge blessing to us," Sweet said. "Sadly, we can no longer perform our first hit because circumstances have prohibited us from doing so. We haven't sung the song in two years, and we miss it."

If there was any disappointment, it didn't last—or even show. As The Company had the audience, instead, singing along to a 30-year-old video performance of Everlasting Love with National Artist Ryan "Mr. C" Cayabyab on piano, while they did a live counterpoint: You and Me Baby, a Moy Ortiz original written as a tribute to the "everlasting love" of their fans.

It was a touching moment that still stayed in tune with the night's feel-good, "no-tears" tone, thanks to Moy's friendly reminders before anyone could even begin to get emotional.

And feel-good, even funny, moments came aplenty. The concert was really a celebration and a thanksgiving. But even after four decades, the group remains in awe of their journey. "We are celebrating 40 years tonight because four very different people deliberately made a choice to stay together," Annie said onstage. "And just like in life—and in music—we are always better and stronger together."