OPM icon Gary Valenciano is set to reconnect with audiences with “Back at the Museum,” a 10-show concert series scheduled next month at the Music Museum in San Juan.
The shows on all Thursdays and Saturdays of October (Oct. 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31) take Valenciano back to a venue that has been closely associated with his career now spanning more than four decades.
“I think this is one of the most intimate venues we have in the Philippines today, and I think it’s a perfect venue for a concept such as this,” Valenciano said during a press conference.
The upcoming run will mark his 104th show at the Music Museum that dates back to the early years of his career.
“I’ve been performing there even before the original Music Museum was destroyed by fire,” he recalled.
This concert series follows his successful “Back at the Museum” run in 2023 and coincides with the 40th anniversary of Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management, which produced Valenciano’s concerts at the Music Museum.
The shows also follow his six-show “Pure Energy: One Last Time” concert run in 2024, which marked the end of his solo concerts of massive magnitude.
Valenciano said he now prefers the intimacy of smaller venues, while remaining open to guest appearances in large-scale concerts.
“With regard to the solo, big stadium performances, I have put that chapter to the side already. I’m into more intimate shows, which I’m finding out more people would rather do,” he said.
Despite moving away from massive solo concerts, Valenciano said his desire to perform remains as strong as ever.
“It’s so deeply ingrained in me, it’s in my blood to step out on a stage to hopefully not just entertain but to inspire and encourage,” he said. Valenciano also addressed questions about his health as he prepares for the multi-show run, saying he continues to undergo regular medical checks.
“With my health, I’m okay. I have annual checkups and sometimes, in the middle of the year, I have to go in for other things. There are times that I see that there’s swelling in my leg, and I have to have that checked. And then I take medication when I need to,” he added.
“So, with regard to my health, I’m good. If I was not good, I would not pursue ‘Back at the Museum,’” Valenciano said.
Kakie Pangilinan, whom Valenciano described as an artist with a strong sense of identity, will be performing as well. His daughter, Kiana Valenciano, was the one who encouraged him to listen to Pangilinan’s music.
“Kakie not just an artist, she’s a deep artist. She knows exactly what she wants people to hear, how she’s going to deliver it, and how the sound should be when she delivers that song,” he said.
Pangilinan previously performed at a Genesis fundraiser, where Valenciano said she made a strong impression on audiences. That event raised half a million pesos in six days, and he later heard that Pangilinan had “kind of stole the show.”
“She’s not an opening act. She’s not a front act. For me, she’s a show in itself. I wanna keep watching Kakie because I really believe in her as an artist,” he said.
Looking beyond “Back at the Museum,” Valenciano said he hopes to bring more intimate performances to audiences in other parts of the country.
“My desire is really to go around the Philippines while I still can. I would love to go to Cebu. I would love to do something like this in Cebu, maybe three or four shows, and then have a day off in between,” he said.
“I also want to go to Bacolod. And then we’re going to do something there where we combine the concerts with face-to-face advocacy. We’ll go to schools, speak to the students, stay there for a longer period of time, and then have a public concert.”
“Back at the Museum” is directed by Paolo Valenciano with musical direction by Mon Faustino, and is for the benefit of the Shining Light Foundation. Tickets are available through TicketWorld.
