LOS ANGELES, USA – I don’t get to attend concerts by Filipino artists in LA as often as I’d like to. My darn busy work schedule always gets in the way.

So, I was happy that I recently got to watch a concert tour titled Four Kings and a Queen. In one night, I saw five talented OPM (Original Pilipino Music) artists – Hajji Alejandro, Pops Fernandez, Marco Sison, Rey Valera, and Nonoy Zuñiga – in one place, the historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. It was a rare chance to see again these performers, some of whom we have a personal connection.

One Sunday night (June 26), just looking and listening to the quintet in their solos, duets, and group numbers brought back a lot of memories, many sentimental.

Listening to Marco croon some of his hits was especially poignant. Back in the early ’80s, I was a publicity manager of WEA Records Philippines (on the side, I contributed to newspapers and magazines), where Marco was one of the contract artists.

In an office building right in front of Sta. Cruz Church, near the world’s first Chinatown (Binondo) and Escolta, I heard composer Nonoy Tan sing, while strumming his guitar, some of those songs that would become Marco’s popular tunes.

As Marco was singing a couple of these ballads – “Always” and “My Love Will See You Through” – at Saban, I was instantly transported to those days when Nonoy excitedly let us hear his compositions in progress or tunes he just finished.

Marco would become a personal friend. We even went once on a foursome date in a disco – Marco and Jojo Sison, Janet and me.

Seeing Marco onstage – still looking boyish, tousled hair styled the same way since his Student Canteen amateur singing contest days – I swear the dude must have secretly found the clichéd fountain of youth!

Before WEA, I worked as a publicity writer at Vicor where Rey Valera was one of the contract artists and in-house composers. Tato Malay and Nesty Mendoza, my colleagues at Vicor’s Ad Prom (advertising and promotions) who also became my buddies, championed Rey.

Feeling that Rey was not being promoted by Vicor as he deserved, Tato and Nesty made an extra effort to promote him on radio and TV. The duo also asked Nida Lagrimas and me – fresh college graduates who were publicity supervisor Remy Umerez’s underlings – to write more press releases on Rey and his records.

In those times, Nonoy Zuñiga was a rising star over at Jem Records. Back then, people said I had a slight resemblance to Nonoy. Janet, who was writing for the Times Journal publications in those days, agreed. I think she had a crush on both Nonoy and me.

I can still remember that night at the Folk Arts Theater when Hajji dazzled us in his white ensemble with his performance of Ryan Cayabyab’s “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika” in the first Metro Pop Music Festival in 1978.

“Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” which has been described in an article as a “currency of the Filipino soul,” won for Cayabyab the grand prize. Hearing Alejandro sing again this lilting tune, a “rallying cry…claiming how beautiful our music is,” (in Cayabyab’s words) “Kay Ganda…” is indeed valuable currency.

I first saw Hajji in person by chance when he and his then-girlfriend who would become his wife, the late TV host and beauty queen Rio Diaz, graced this event in a mall. It was a pleasant surprise when Hajji announced, at some point during the concert, that the drummer was his son (with Rio), Ali Alejandro.

As for Pops, who didn’t immediately like her and Martin Nievera when they hosted Penthouse Live? In one of Pops’ trips to LA, we got to know her more and learned that she is a sweet, down-to-earth woman.

So, that recent Sunday night was a sentimental trip down musical and personal memory lane for Janet and me. So many memories and connections flooded my mind, but if I mentioned them all, they would make this piece very long.

But first things first about the show – it was a riot to hear Marco, Hajji, Rey, and Nonoy dish politically incorrect jokes and comments! What a refreshing, welcome chance to laugh over quips by these guys who came from Manila, without the politically correct filters we have now been accustomed to here in the US of A.

No one was spared among the four. They gamely bantered and teased each other. Rey and Nonoy, both of whom got ribbed the most, took those howl-arious comments with humor. And boy, the duo, especially Rey, can dish back! I don’t remember Rey being this funny at Vicor.

Rey’s own digs at his looks – like his make-up was by Funeraria Paz – were laugh-out-loud funny. I didn’t get to know Rey that well in Vicor. He was close buddies with Tato and Nesty.

Musically, these OPM kings and a queen delivered. One hit after another, they deserved the audience’s vigorous cheers and applause throughout the night.

In addition to their medleys and duets – Pops got to sing separately with each of the guys and held her own – the five performers shone in their solo spots.

Pops made the full-packed audience stand up and groove in her dance medley.

Many of the guys’ signature songs brought back recollections of the years I lived in Manila – Rey (“Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo” sounded even more moving; “Maging Sino Ka Man;” “Naaalala Ka;” “Kung Kailangan Mo Ako”), Nonoy (“Never Ever Say Goodbye;” Kumusta Ka?;” “Doon Lang”), Marco (“Make Believe;” “I’ll Face Tomorrow”), and Hajji (“Nakakapagtataka;” “Tag-Araw;” “Panakip Butas”).

These songs’ music and lyrics have stood the test of time, as proven again when the performers sang them onstage. And their Tagalog lyrics are timeless and hit the spot with just a few words.

For example, just this one stanza written by Rey himself in his own hit, “Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo”: “Kung tayo’y magkakalayo/At kahit mayro’n ka nang iba/Ikaw pa rin ang buhay ko/Kahit ika’y malayo na.”

Or Baby Gil’s lyrics to Nonoy’s “Kumusta Ka” (music by the late Willy Cruz): “O kay tagal na ako’y nag-isip at naghintay/Makita ka, mayakap, at muli pang mahagkan/Ngunit ngayong nangyari na, ako ay nauutal/Walang masabi kundi kumusta ka.”

After the show, Janet and I wished we could have stayed to say hello backstage, but these entertainers had to pose for photos with their many fans.

If these four kings and a queen take their very entertaining show, a brainchild of Pia Amore Legaspi with Vic Perez as showrunner, to your city – do go and watch them! Before the sold-out LA stop, the show was also presented at the Graton Resort & Casino (also sold-out) in Northern California.

Due to COVID-19 exposure in the production, the Four Kings and a Queen’s Las Vegas engagement was rescheduled to July 10. But first, the troupe will perform at Bally’s Atlantic City Casino Resort on July 9.

And then the show is staged back home on August 26 and 27 at Resorts World Manila. A second leg of the show is being planned in other US cities in October.

Pops, Marco, Rey, Nonoy, and Hajji – thank you for the memories! – Rappler.com