89 DMZ’s 30th anniversary special

November 20, 2019

From the pigeonhole, this review of the recent DMZ 10th anniversary show:

The mood was jubilant and festive. From the strike of the very first note, it could be deduced that the night’s affair would be a celebration in the most frenzied scale, a decidedly boisterous merrymaking that was to continue even through the last leg of the evening.

Cuneta Astrodome was packed to the rafters, not by the usual basketball fans but by partygoers of all kinds and ages who came in droves to witness 89 DMZ’s 10th anniversary. Billed “89DMZ-X,” and touted as the party of the new millennium, the special is one for the books as it gathered the country’s best entertainers imposing a big challenge to IBC 13 producers Joe-An Guillero, Gina Borinaga, Aida Reyes to the writers Marlon Lucas and Toffie Runas, to musical director Mel Villena and most of all to Mark Reyes who is over-all director of the live presentation and the TV special as well.

Setting the vigorous pace in the opening number were Rica Peralejo, Dingdong Dantes, KC Montero, Michael Flores with the Kids at Work, DTM, DJ Ouch, and the VIP Dancers against a giant videowall which espoused a state-of-the-art deconstructed industrial background showing bemuscled construction workers soldering on the metallic logo of DMZ. The opening delivered a fiery, bombastic and jubilant salvo to the danze station and a welcoming tribute achieved by the performers’ wearing of construction worker apron in luminous orange, yellow, and green.

With this, the hosts for the evening made their applauded entrance: MTV Queen Donita Rose, Master Rapper Michael V, Star Circle talent Rica Peralejo, and current “Crush ng Bayan” Paolo Fabregas.

Next was the thundering one-on-one production duel between MTV winners Eraserheads and Parokya Ni Edgar with EHead’s Ely Buendia singing “Pare Ko” and Parokya’s Vince Montaner dishing out “Pizza Pie.”

What followed were a string of well-applauded numbers by the country’s top performers. Concert King Gary Valenciano and his equally-dynamic dancing group The Maneouvres, garbed in all white started the dancing mood. Then came the Girl Power as alternative artists Cookie Chua of the Color It Red, Skarlet, Barbie, and Cynthia Alexandra dished out songs popularized by Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, and Spice Girls.

What would be more fitting to complement this than a production number involving the most popular alternative male singers Jet Pangan of The Dawn, Wency Cornejo of After Image, Medwin Marfil of True Faith, Jonathan Buencamino of Introvoys, and Paco Arespacochaga also of Introvoys accompanying them on the drums.

Concert Queen Pops Fernandez, still reeling from the success of her newly-launched album “Moments,” proved that her mere presence was enough to thrill her audience. Likewise, Cris Villonco popularly known as Pop Cola girl sang a cut from her album complete with a specially-made MTV on the giant videowall.

The inimitable trio of the APO Hiking Society with pop princess Jessa Zaragoza mesmerized the listeners with their OPM hits. In a tribute to pop superstar Madonna, Cacai Velasquez draped in black navel-revealing two-piece outfit and Viktoria garbed in a prostitute red body-hugger with flaming red hot pants, paid their respect to the MakeOver Queen in two seductive and explosive numbers.

Working on the concept of DMZ’s radio segments, the next featured performers breathed life to a flurry of high-energy numbers. The collective trio of sexy stars Angela Velez, Patricia Javier, and Samantha Lopez displayed an adrenaline-pumping aerobics numbers called “Pump It Up.” Retro ’70s and ’80s was given life by powerful divas Lani Misalucha and Dessa with the Retrospect. The Rockin’ Manila segment by POT, the legendary Joey Pepe Smith and Queen of Rock Sampaguita was greeted by thunderous applause when sex goddess Rosanna Roces went on stage to jam with them. Ritmo Latino and Strictly Ballroom, the current craze upped everyone’s adrenaline in the finale as Vina Morales and Ogie Alcasid proved to all and sundry they were not only good singers but terrific dancers as well.

As a TV special, “89 DMZ-X” was a tumultuous success. Not only did it prove a first-of-its-kind showing, it likewise sustained audience interest in the entire two hours of musical artistry. There were no huhum moments obvious in many other TV specials, awards’ nights in particular. The fast-paced specially-produced numbers, the diversity of musical presentations, the spontaneity of the special’s hosts with special mention on Michael V who really brought the house down with his hilarious antics and one-liners, the intelligence in the script and sequencing, the glitter and glamour of the performing list, all worked out to make the special a great musical journey.

Of course, without the magic touch of Mark Reyes, the over-all director of the show, it would not have been as successful. Mark lived up to his greatest challenge. His innovative ideas, from the backdrop to the performer to the MTV concept makes him the most appropriate director for this kind of musical showcase.

Graced by no less than the IBC president herself, Boots Anson Roa with guests that included “Keep on Dancing” host Marc Nelson, GMA’s prized talent Champagne Morales, and PBA’s anchorwoman Chiqui Roa-Puno, the special was even made more special with the raffling off of almost-a-million in total prizes which included Philips VHS Players, colored Daewoo TV sets, Aiwa mini components, a Yamaha motorcycle, and a brand new Honda City.

“89 DMZ-X” is IBC’s third in a row successful TV special coming after “Boys to Men” third quarter of this year and “Through Thick and Thin” last Valentine’s Day. No small thanks to the pioneering efforts to Boots Anson Roa who initiated the move and has proven the IBC can now rightfully claim the title to the station of specials.