Amore Entertainment soared high in the box office with the sold-out show of First Light with Arnel Pineda and Bamboo at the City National Grove Anaheim. The event kicked off with the red carpet where sponsors walked and promoted their businesses. The first one to walk the red carpet was the executive producer of Amore Entertainment, Pia Amore Legaspi. Pia rocked a red halter pleated dress which shouts lady boss in a good way. Before the show, I asked her how she felt about the concert. She said “First of all, I’m very thankful, but my blood pressure is very high. I also would like to thank everybody who is supportive of this project.” Another attendee, who I could not help but look at because of her crown and long train, was the gorgeous Didi Caneda, 2020 Miss Asia USA. I asked her about her thoughts on watching the concert of these two Filipino heavyweight artists. She replied, “Being here after the pandemic is so amazing and having camaraderie with everyone and enjoying the Filipino spirit is so much fun.”
First Light
Two world-class Filipino artists, Arnel Pineda, vocalist of the band Journey who replaced Steve Perry, and Bamboo known as the Prince of Philippine Rock, performed at City National Grove of Anaheim on October 3rd. The First Light concert kicked off on September 17 for a seven-city U.S. tour: Las Vegas, San Diego, San Jose, Anaheim, Seattle, Atlantic City, and Dover. I was fortunate to see the show at City National Grove of Anaheim.
Arnel Pineda
Arnel Pineda was the first one to perform and his opening number was “Foolish Heart” but the audience was mesmerized when Arnel belted out “Faithfully”. I was blown away. Arnel brought out a varied selection of classic hits such as Yellow by Coldplay, Every Breath You Take” by The Police, “In the Name of Love” by U2, “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams, and even a Filipino classic “You” by Basil Valdez. Although Arnel is not in his 20s anymore, he easily demonstrated that he can defy gravity when he performed “Are you Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses. His jovial stage presence exhibited that he was born to be a performer. But the song where I felt a mix of elation and nostalgia was when he sang “Love of My Life” by Queen, one of my favorite songs of all time and I love Queen and Freddie Mercury.
Bamboo
Things took on a harder rocking tone as Bamboo entered the stage. He was clad in an all-black outfit with a printed collared top over solid black long sleeves. Bamboo rendered a classic Filipino hit with his rock version of “Umagang Kay Ganda” (Beautiful Morning). The audience got the chance to witness with awe when the rock artist sang the classic song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. The song allowed Bamboo to showcase his voice in an expressive way.
Overall, it was a remarkable night of fantastic live music from two talented Filipino artists. Will I see them again? Absolutely!
Special thanks to Vic Perez.
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