The SUN HK : Rousing performances, happy crowd in Concert in the Park

Big Band Express injects classic jazz into the program.

Concert in the Park, a yearly display of Filipino musical talent on a Hong Kong stage, returned today to a rousing welcome after being silenced by the Covid-19 pandemic for the last three years.

Seven Filipino bands performed on a stage put up by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in the Piazza of the Hong Kong Cultural Center in Tsam Sha Tsui.

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Consul General Raly Tejada and Hong Kong Musicians Union chairman Lito Castillo cut the red ribbon in a ceremony that signalled the six-hour program that starred seven bands whose members include the newest generation of Filipino musicians, who started arriving in Hong Kong in the 50s.

In his opening remarks, Tejada thanked the organizers, sponsors and the crowd for their support to the yearly project.

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“Pinagtrabahuan natin ito, kasama ang ating mga kasama sa Konsulado, LCSD, mga performers,” he said. “Lahat tayo naka-survive sa pandemic at tayo’y nagkakaisa pa rin. Sana tuloy tuloy na ito at sana maging maligaya din ang inyong Pasko.”

(We all worked on this, along with our colleagues at the consulate, the LCSD, the performers. All of us survived the pandemic still united. I hope this will now continue and that you all have a merry Christmas)

As part of the opening, Tejada and Castillo gave out souvenirs to representatives of bands, sponsors, and others who were involved in the production, including the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong government.

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H and Others broke the ice with the 1973 song from Grand Funk Railroad, "We’re an American Band." They followed up with several more hits from the 70s and 80s.

The crowd started responding when Thor and Friends sang familiar songs, opening with "Come Together," a Beatles song written by John Lennon and and became the opening track on their 1969 album Abbey Road.

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When they sang "All Out of Love", Air Supply’s 1980 hit, the crowd began singing along. And they did more enthusiastically when the band sang the Whitney Houston medley of "I Have Nothing" and "I Will Always Love You," as well as Michael Jackson’s 1995 hit, "You are Not Alone."

Retro Groovers then took over, opening with the Earth Wind and Fire’s 1978 hit "September" and getting the crowd dancing with Chicago’s 1972 hit Saturday in the Park and the Miami Sound Machine’s 1985 hit, Conga.

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The band also accompanied Jorbi Gabrillo, winner of Prime Credit’s Superstar Search Season 7 Grand Finals, when he sang the 1977 Hajji Alejandro hit "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika."

Big Band Express injected classic jazz into the program with "Get Away" and "The Pink Panther," among others.

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Hybrid Stereo band opened with their original composition, Museum of Memories, and played an all-original collection that included Embrace, Shoegaze, Sun and Underwater.

Rewind Band brought the crowd to their feet again when they sang Unstoppable, a 2016 song by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, followed by more danceable hits.

Organizers seemed to have saved the best for last when a group of hunks mounted the stage.

D’ Hiking Boyz made the crowd dance and jump to their rousing rendition of Filipino rock classics, such as "Tropical Depression’s "Kapayapaan" and "na Naman ang Buwan," and River Maya’s "Kisapmata."

Even Congen Tejada was seen dancing with the rest of the crowd before taking to the stage to join the performers for the finale.

ConGen Raly gives the performers a big thumbs up while dancing along with the crowd

The band even made the crowd finish the Mayonnaise’s song, Jopay, after starting it.

Jun “Tita Kerry” Paragas and Michael Vincent Benares had their own funny exchanges in between performances and offered free t-shirts for winners of their parlor games, to give time for each band time to plug in their instruments. In the process, they discovered an OFW who has been in Hong Kong since 1985.

Tita Kerry (Jun Paragas) works the crowd

According to an LCSD announcement, "Concert in the Park 2023 aims to promote cultural exchanges between the Filipino community and local citizens towards building an inclusive society.”