The Return of the Hitmakers

Courtesy of Elmer Jalea (Flipmode Confidential)

The “Tanders” are back!  A younger acquaintance of mine exclaimed in jest.   When I first heard him say the word, I thought he had newly dubbed the Hitmakers  “the Thunders”.   But on further elaboration, he actually meant something else.  He coined the word “Tanders” to imply a euphemistic lingo of metaphor which meant old or “Tanda” in Tagalog.   Not quite fitting and somewhat disrespectful, I opined.   “They’re not that old”, I supposed.   “Not again when they don’t have anything new to offer.”  He chirped in.   

But there’s no stopping the return of the Hitmakers to Calgary.

For the second time around, Rico J. Puno, Rey Valera, Marco Sison and Hajji Alejandro sans Nonoy Zuniga best known as the Hitmakers are back for an encore performance.  Who could fault this rack of old spice and seasoned performers when they put out their best and most sincere performance making the concert almost personal and intimate? What made the quartet tick is their diverse styles and personality.  They blend and digress yet maintained a cohesive repertoire of individual hits defining their unique genre.   When they’re not strumming your heartstring in reminiscence, they’ll have you rolling the aisle in laughter.    Their legacies are their memorable songs made and remade from classic to contemporary.  It is when the old become new again and the artists never fade in their glory.   In the end, it’s like coming back to someone and someplace you love worthy of such adulation. 

The Hitmakers rolled, rocked and stormed the Calgary audience yet again.