By Ruben M. Cruz Jr. / Online Editor
“Tell me it’s not over now, will you?”
Well, for at least one more night, it won’t be.
Those who have been pining to hear Luchie Huang and Mark Laygo’s live duet of the ’90s anthem, You Won’t See Me Crying, will get that chance again when Passage holds their one-night-only reunion gig at 19 East in Sucat, Muntinlupa, on the 26th of July.
Formed in 1992, Passage charted a prolific career for over a decade, displaying a unique musical chemistry that produced jazzy pop ballads like Till My Heartaches End, Forever, Seasons, Temporary Love and the aforementioned You Won’t See Me Crying, which earned the most plaudits and became the band’s most widely-known song, spawning many cover versions.
Coaxed out of musical retirement, the band’s sax player and founding member George Dimayuga, a registered nurse who had been working in the healthcare industry since he left the band, said they are quite excited to be back from their decades-long hiatus and are yearning to play their old songs again.
“I’ve been waiting to get back into music…get back together with the band…been thinking about it even while I was working ‘in the real world’ as they say. We hope to see familiar faces, our friends and supporters over the years, in the audience,” Dimayuga said.
He hopes the Gen-Xers, who used to date to their songs, would bring their kids as well, so the new, younger generation who have grown up nostalgic for a past they’ve only experienced secondhand can relish it themselves.
It was Dimayuga who coined Passage, a name he finds more apt now that they are at a notable juncture in their individual lives and careers, many years removed from their youthful prime.
The one-night gig, he notes, is not just a ‘greatest hits’ rendition, designed as some last-ditch effort to recapture their glory days.
“Of course, nostalgia would be very much a part of it. But we are also bringing something new into these old songs, something we earned through years of experience, through life’s joys and pains. We have all gone through a lot, individually, and it shows in our musical evolution. The group has gone through a lot as well, and having Oman Peradilla and Gigi Arcay from the newer Passage with us…to come together and celebrate the legacy of the band… it’s really cool and makes this reunion gig more valuable and meaningful.”
Tickets will be sold at the gate for P500.