Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera as1
(yahoo.omg)Top Filipino performers Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera will hold the third leg of their "AS 1" concert tour in more cities in Canada and the US starting May 28.
After performing in sixteen venues in the US, Canada and the Middle East as part of the first two legs of the tour, Gary and Martin are extending this successful run due to insistent public demand. The "AS 1" concert began in 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds.
In a sit-down interview with the press on Wednesday, May 18, at Studio V in Quezon City, Gary and Martin shared to the press what people can expect from the tour, their stories on their children and other random stories about each other, showing the closeness of the two even off-stage.
"I'm really excited because we know the show so well, we know the people we're working with. We should have more shows but our schedules are always in conflict," Gary said. The tour would have been staged earlier in Asia and the Middle East but their schedules would not allow.
With sons Gab and Robin
In this leg of the tour, Gabriel Valenciano and Robin Nievera will perform with their fathers. "This is the history of it all, two generations on one stage. And it took a year for us to come back in LA and now we have sons," Martin said.
"They get to see the original concept of As1 which is at the MOA with our two kids," Gary added.
Gabriel is currently active in showbiz, having his regular stint in ABS-CBN's "ASAP Rocks" and also does music arrangements for other artists such as Jericho Rosales. Robin, on the other hand, is busy as a MYX VJ and with his band, Wagyu. So, how do Gary and Martin feel about their kids entering showbiz and joining them on tour?
"We're not forcing them. We're not breaking their arms…They're very excited about it," Martin shared.
"It's gonna be nice for people to see us for a number, where he involves his son with him and a number of Robin and I on guitars. I'm almost sure that that's what people are looking for, not so much them doing one thing by themselves, but they want to see this father and son thing," Martin added.
Gary also added that he wants people to see more of Robin and be able to witness his musical talents.
Since they started preparing for the concert, Gary and Martin have been preparing for the repertoire with their musical director, Mon Faustino. Their previous concert had two great musical directors collaborate in one stage, Mon and Louie Ocampo. But this time, Louie Ocampo will not be able to participate on tour due to conflict in schedule. "But Mon, I have total faith in him. He is Gary's musical director. I think he has awesome arrangement and he can do it," Martin said.
Friendship
Gary and Martin have been in the business for more than twenty years and are often rivaled and pitted against each other. The two have differences when it comes to their musicality and lifestyle, but they manage to keep their relationship intact and are unaffected by intrigues. "He's a health freak and I'm not. Not only because he has health concerns, but he's also a fanatic in the gym and I'm in the restaurant. I'm a neat freak and he's not," Martin told Yahoo! OMG! Philippines.
Both have successful careers on their own and might be seen as rivals by other people, but Martin and Gary's friendship has gone a long way. "You can look at us as rivals but you can also look at us as great team players especially when we're on stage. We're probably the best. It's not easy to work with somebody who has a difficulty playing like a team," Gary told Yahoo! OMG! Philippines.
Before the interview started, Gary and Martin were taking pictures of their car using their cellphones. "How many rivals do you know who take pictures of their car together?," Martin joked.
Teamwork
People may consider Gary and Martin as rivals due to their successful careers as individual artists, but for collaborations, such as the "AS 1" tour, they always work seamlessly and effortlessly as a team. They attribute their great teamwork to their close friendship, respect and admiration for each other and how they were handled by their management.
"I never in my wildest dream thought that we would be such a great team. There's only one person that I click with on stage and that is Pops, as I have said before in many interviews. So, that's huge," Martin said. Aside from concerts, Gary and Martin once hosted a game show on ABS-CBN called "Twist and Shout."
"For someone who is supposed to be my enemy, we click so well on stage. I even know when his sugar is low, I never even know if Pops has her period. It's true!," Martin said in jest which made everyone laugh.
Gary also shared that their management also helped them in managing their teamwork very well. " But, at the end of the day it was not to outdo each other. It's about making sure that thousands of people who came to watch get what they deserve. Now, he stepped on stage and it's now what do I do, it's what do we do," Gary told Yahoo! OMG Philippines.
Good qualities
Yahoo! OMG! Philippines asked Gary and Martin what good qualities they see in each other. "His passion for music. His attention to details when it comes to everything, not just something, but everything matters to Gary. I've also learned how he balances his faith, his love, his career, his passion in many different things," Martin answered.
Meanwhile, Gary told Yahoo! OMG! Philippines: "What I've learned from Martin is how to incorporate not just the music, but also the ability to share it more of yourself by drawing people with the things you say and the way you are on stage. He wears his heart on his sleeves. How does this guy do it? That's something that I've learned. And honestly when I make people crack up on stage, it's a lot of it because I've learned it from him."
The "AS 1" tour will hit the John W.S. Basett Theatre in Toronto, Canada on May 28; Copernicus Theater Chicago, Illinois on June 3; Heritage Forum in Anaheim, California on June 4; UBC Thunderbird Arena in Vancouver, Canada on June 10; and the Cache Creek Casino in Sacramento, California on June 11.