ARTSTART'S SHOW BECOMES REUNION OF FRIENDS PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF

It may have taken the current iteration of Artstart approximately 30 years to reunite, but if we go by how well its members meshed at last Saturday's reunion concert at the Music Museum, it sure looked like they were simply picking up where they left off.

- RITO ASILO

And it didn't hurt that the popular '90s band had signature hits (Misty Glass Window, Panaginip) that concertgoers were raring to revisit.

After a busy five-year run, Artstart disbanded in 1994 when its members began focusing on individual pursuits. After all, lead vocalists who are as gifted as Ella May Saison, Pido Lalimarmo, and Gina Respall (who joined the group following Ella May's departure) also need room to grow, not just as team players but as solo artists as well.

Take Ella May, who was only in her teens when she joined the band. When she decided to go solo, she didn't just wax OPM hits of her own like Till My Heartaches End and If the Feeling is Gone, she even managed to crack the Billboard chart with Reminiscin, her 2001 collaboration with American hit-maker CeCe Peniston (Finally, We Got a Love Thang).

Pido also won over new followers as a solo artist and with his Take One band via self-penned tracks like Bakit Di Mo Pansin and his soothing covers of ballads like James Taylor's 1977 single, If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight.

For her part, Gina has parlayed her evocative vocals and enviable range into musical-theater gold, most notably with roles in "Miss Saigon" and "The King and I" in the United Kingdom. Her most recent stage turn was in the original Filipino musical "Silver Lining Redux" last November.

So given the trio's enviable skill and experience, the eagerly anticipated reunion show had a lot going for it. More than anything, these gifted vocalists are proving that singer-musicians can pursue lucrative solo careers without compromising their band's unique identity.