Classic Lineup, Classic Anthems: Here’s What Happened At Rivermaya’s Reunion Show

Many fans were overjoyed when it was announced that the “classic lineup” of Rivermaya would reunite for a one-off show on February 17, 2024, but a few questions were raised, too: Why isn’t so-and-so part of it? Will they play any of the post-Bamboo hits? And of course, the gossip-mongers’ favorite: Are they friends?

After many weeks, dozens of social media posts, and several rehearsal videos and TV guestings, it became apparent that much of the band’s setlist would be pulled from Rivermaya’s second and third records — 1996’s Trip and 1997’s Atomic Bomb. As only a very specific (and brief) era of the band would be represented, it seemed that the reunion show would mainly appeal to fans of the aforementioned two records, and/or people curious to see former frontmen Bamboo Mañalac and Rico Blanco play together on stage again. Personally, I fell under the latter camp, having seen the original lineup of Rivermaya only once, at a bar gig during the summer of 1995.

So, when Rivermaya opened with “Monopoly” at around 8:15 PM at the SMDC Festival Grounds last Saturday, it was remarkable for two reasons: that they kicked the show off with a deep cut from Trip, and that it sounded like that incarnation of the band never left in the first place. Mañalac, Blanco, drummer Mark Escueta, and bassist Nathan Azarcon follow through with “Kung Ayaw Mo, Huwag Mo,” “The Princess Of Disguise,” and “Hinahanap-Hanap Kita” rather flawlessly (although Blanco’s guitar was inexplicably cut from the mix early on the latter song), as if on a mission to convince naysayers that the four of them were enough to give a memorable and satisfying performance. This was further proven when they played their debut single “Ulan,” albeit aided by famed musical director Mel Villena and his band, who also enhanced the sound of other numbers with their horns and strings.

At some point in the show, I began to realize how sonically adventurous Rivermaya already were during the first era of their career; songs like “Sunny Days,” “Kundiman,” and “Flowers” have traces of ‘90s British rock like Blur and Radiohead, while “Ballroom Dancing” and “Hilo” explore a more art rock territory. But the band’s trademark anthemic choruses tied everything together, and crowd sing-alongs were frequent throughout the two-and-a-half-hour-long show, especially during “Panahon Na Naman” and “Awit Ng Kabataan.”

In Feeding Back: Conversations with Alternative Guitarists, The Breeders singer/guitarist Kim Deal quoted her ex-Pixies bandmate Joey Santiago and said, “There are two kinds of frontmen: the preacher and the karate instructor.” Bamboo was definitely the latter that night — a ball of energy, prancing and leaping all over, confronting the crowd, and egging his bandmates on to match his intensity.

Blanco, on the other hand, played the preacher, treating the audience to an unexpected but welcome solo rendition of “You’ll Be Safe Here,” and occasionally bringing his right palm to his chest, as if to signal his heartfelt gratitude to everyone for showing up and making Rivermaya’s music a part of their lives.

When Bamboo and Blanco sang together — most notably on “Luha” where they even faced each other — it was fireworks (and yes, there were actual fireworks, too). A Bamboo-sung performance of “Nerbyoso” from the first post-Bamboo album It’s Not Easy Being Green was another welcome surprise, and an indication of what could have been had the singer not decided to stay behind after the band’s 1998 US tour.

The encore consisted of the triple-hit combo of “214,” “Himala,” and “Kisapmata,” closing out what was ultimately a rewarding show, despite a technical issue that halted the set for at least 10 minutes during the concert’s first half. At the end of it, witnessing Bamboo and Blanco share the stage with their erstwhile cohorts and current keepers of the flame Escueta and Azarcon was worth the price of admission alone. As the four of them thanked the crowd and made their final bow, it somehow made me wish for a sequel, but featuring the songs from the Rico Blanco-fronted era of the band. I’d love to see how that would play out, not because I prefer one version of the band over another, but because it’s an integral part of Rivermaya’s story — that despite all the different eras and lineups of the band, the songs remain loved by generations of fans.

Check out the set list below:

• “Monopoly”
• “Kung Ayaw Mo, Huwag Mo”
• “The Princess Of Disguise”
• “Hinahanap-Hanap Kita”
• “Ballroom Dancing”
• “Sunny Days”
• “Ulan”
• “You’ll Be Safe Here”
• “Luha”
• “Bring Me Down”
• “20 Million”
• “If”
• “Fever”
• “Kundiman”
• “Hilo”
• “Flowers”
• “Panahon Na Naman”
• “Elesi”
• “Nerbyoso”
• “Mabuhay”
• “Awit Ng Kabataan”
• “214”
• “Himala”
• “Kisapmata”

Rivermaya grace the cover of Billboard Philippines’ Rock Issue, available for purchase via Sarisari Shopping. E-magazines are available at PressReader, Magzter and Readly.