GARY V RETURNS TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT the three-night concert of Gary Valenciano last April and May at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena was the last of his performances in major venues.

- LEAH C. SALTERIO

"After we did those three shows early this year — in April 26, 27 and May 10 — I thought that was it," Gary told The Philippine STAR. "But then, there were requests. I have a soft heart for people who go, 'My family is coming home' or 'My mom was sick, now she's okay. We actually bought tickets already, but we had to give them away.'"

Even when Gary went on tour in the US last October, people were bugging him, "Hey, are you going to have a repeat of your MOA Arena concert?" He gave very tentative answers. The one that capped it all was Smart Araneta Coliseum, where Gary had his first concert four decades ago. He is set to return to where it all began, ready to deliver an energetic, nostalgic celebration of his storied career.

"Araneta told me, 'You started your career with us,'" Gary said. "Why don't you complete this whole 40-year journey with us, as well."

Gary's first major concert, "A-Live," was held at the Big Dome and directed by fellow singer Jet Montelibano of the Music and Magic on April 13, 1984.

Interestingly, that was the time when Gary was in the middle of controversy. Angeli Pangilinan, who would become his wife, was pregnant with the guy who calls himself "the original sin," their first-born, Paolo Valenciano.

"What happened was hyped up to such a huge controversy," Gary recalled. "In many ways, it really was. I was only 19 years old at that time, almost 20, I was not married yet and I was about to become an unwed father.

"I'll never forget the late Ricky Lo. When it came to journalism, he was the guy you didn't want to cross paths with. You don't want to catch him on the wrong side. So, I remember sitting down in the press conference two weeks before my first-ever major concert.