Hey everyone!
First of all, don't you love BakitWhy's new 3.0 site?? It's gonna make history within the Pilipino-American community here in the U.S.!! We're also gonna try to bridge the gap between young Pilipinos here in the U.S. and young Pilipinos back home in the Philippines.
One way we're gonna do that? Through ME, your Concert Chika*!
These past few months, I’ve had opportunities to experience things within the Pilipino culture that I only dreamt of experiencing. Things that I’d think of as a child with big, bright eyes (okay, maybe not big since I actually have pretty small eyes for a Pilipino) and think, “It’d never happen… but it’d be sooooo cool if it did!” Things that even just last year I thought would require $1,000+ and a whole lotta luck to happen.
And what are those things, you ask?
Concerts. And not just any concerts, but concerts featuring Pilipino stars like Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby, Sarah Geronimo, and Bea Alonzo, just to name a few.
Some people, Pilipinos included, would ask me “Who are they?” or “So?...”. But I am an avid TFC (The Filipino Channel) viewer. Teleseryes (soap operas), no matter how unbelievably dramatic, are addicting to me. I watch ASAP XV (short for “Allstar Sunday Afternoon Party, TFC’s equivalent to maybe MTV’s old school Spring Break) just so I can scream “AYYYYYY SI SAM!!! (It’s Sam [Milby]!). When a new movie comes out, I always ask my mom if we’re gonna see it when it comes to the Chicagoland area. I’d watch these programs and movies and think, “I’m never gonna get to meet them.” But now I can say, “Hmm, maybe I’ll meet them.”
To make a long story short, last year I met Bboy Mangubat, a pretty famous concert promoter within the Pilipino entertainment circuit (he has Sam Milby’s phone number and Sam even knows his real name!). Because of my involvement within the Pilipino community in Chicago, my knowledge of and interest in the Pilipino entertainment industry, and my work with BakitWhy, he asked me to assist at, promote, and write about these concerts. Just this year, I’ve gotten to see/meet Sarah Geronimo, Erik Santos, Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby, John Lloyd Cruz, and more.
This past Friday, August 13, 2010, I went to the Teleserye Royals concert featuring the soap opera stores Gabby Concepcion, Maja Salvador, Coco Martin, Gerald Anderson, Kim Chiu, and Maricar Reyes, singer/songwriter Yeng Constantino, and comedian Chokoleit. It was different from the previous Pilipino concerts because it was HILARIOUS, given Maja and Chokoleit’s comedic personalities. There was also a dance-off among a few audience members – including my cousin! – hosted by Maja (also known as the dance princess) and Chokoleit, an apple eat-off with Chokoleit and teleserye bad boy Coco Martin, and a dance line with veteran actor Gabby Concepcion, a favorite among the titas and lolas.
So if you’re an avid TFC viewer just like me, check out the photos from the Teleserye Royals concert! You can also see BakitWhy's coverage of the Heartthrobs & Friends concert and the Record Breaker concert.
Keep checking back here with me, the Concert Chika, for more blogs about Pilipino concerts!
*"Chika" is a Tagalog slang word for "gossip" or "chit-chat."
