Renowned National Artist Ryan Cayabyab once more impressed the audience during the second night of his “Gen C” concert at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.
A standout moment of the evening was singer-actress Janella Salvador’s rendition of “Can This Be Love,” a timeless classic originally performed by the group “Smokey Mountain,” which was formed by Cayabyab in the early 1990s.
“Actually, when I was 11 years old, I was a scholar of Mr. C,”
“So it’s like a full circle moment for me, to be able to perform with him again.” Janella said.
Additionally, another remarkable performance was the 9-piece band Ben&Ben, who delivered a memorable mash-up of their own hit “Leaves” with the timeless tune “Tuwing Umuulan.”
Ben&Ben had previously performed this same song at Cayabyab’s 65th birthday celebration five years ago.
Miguel Benjamin, one of the vocalists of the band, also expressed their gratitude towards Cayabyab who has been a huge inspiration in their musical journey.
“He has been a huge part of our journey as musicians, and of course, isa lang kami sa napakarami niyang na-inspire,” “Hindi lang na-inspire — natulungan talaga.” Benjamin said.
BINI delighted the audience with their performance of “Da Coconut Nut,” a song composed by Cayabyab for Smokey Mountain in the 1990s, which later became the pre-debut single of the “Nation’s Girl Group” in 2020.
“‘Yung pre-debut song po namin na ‘Da Coconut Nut,’ siya po ang gumawa. We want to honor our National Artist, so finally nagkita na po kami kanina after ilang years na kinanta namin ‘yung pre-debut song,” BINI leader Jhoanna Robles said.
“Marami na din po kami na-perform na songs niya…So hopefully po, makapag-collaborate kami with him,” Jhoanna added.
Meanwhile, Juan Karlos sang a rendition of “Paraiso,” another iconic song originally performed by Smokey Mountain.
The concert also featured “It’s Showtime” host Vice Ganda, who brought the audience to laughter with his jokes while also performing the song “Wala Kang Katulad.”
Additionally, many artists who graced the event included Bituin Escalante, Jed Madela, Basil Valdez, and Martin Nievera among others.
The concert was a celebration of Cayabyab’s 70th birthday.
In an earlier interview, Cayabyab credited his love for music as the secret to staying youthful.
“Meron akong innate na ayaw ko ng problema; alam ni misis ‘yan,” he said. “So hindi niya ako ina-approach ng may problema, kasi meron akong allergy sa problema.”
The concert title, “Gen C,” plays on Cayabyab’s surname. Actress and producer Celeste Legaspi clarified that the aim is to move beyond Cayabyab’s “The Maestro” persona, redirecting attention to his music and embracing his childlike nature.
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