The mayhem, the moshpits, and the magic of the late ’80s were what produced and embraced legendary OPM rock band The Dawn. After landmark OPM hits “Enveloped Ideas,” “Salamat,” and “Iisang Bangka Tayo,” after accolades, accomplishments, and national and international tours the past four decades, the experiences of their early years are still incomparable. 

Founding members Jett Pangan and JB Leonor always cite the Ultra Storm concert of June 1987 as the most unforgettable performance of their entire career. At that time, they were very new and sharing the stage with two other bands. They didn’t know what to expect from the massive crowd that filled up the ULTRA Arena, now known as the PhilSports Arena. 

Pangan remembered the nerves. “We weren’t sure anymore if that’s our core audience, if that’s a mixed audience, if it was people walking down the street and decided to watch the show.”

But interrupting their fears and doubts was the intense energy of the crowd. 

“There was this buzz coming from the audience, from up in the dugout where I couldn’t see them. So binabato na ba sila (were people throwing things at the band) while they’re setting up, are they being booed? But the moment I stepped up on the ramp, it just exploded. It was overwhelming. The crowd was ours. And that was the time when I said, okay, we’re good for another year.” 

Little did they know that another year would turn to 40. 

Whatever you do, it should kick ass live

The Dawn of today, consisting of Pangan, Leonor, guitarists Francis “Brew” Reyes and Rommel Sanchez, and bassist Bim Yance unanimously agree that they are first and foremost a live band. In their creative process, every song they write is composed with the end in mind: live performance. “Well, most,” Pangan interjected. “I’d say 98% or 99%.”

“Even at the inception, during Teddy [Diaz]’s time, that was his edict for us, or principle. It should sound good live,” said Pangan, honoring the influence of the band’s late co-founder. “Whatever you do, whatever you write, whatever you put together, it should kick ass live.” 

He also admitted that recording songs, while necessary, “bores the hell out of me.” 

Sanchez added on to that sentiment, sharing: “Kapag recording, ‘yung nilagay mo doon, ‘yun na, hindi mo na mababago, panindigan mo na ‘yun. But kung ano man ‘yung bagong ideas mo, you try them out live.” 

(When recording, what you put in there, that’s it, you can’t change it, you have to stick to it. But whatever new ideas you get, you try them out live.)

This attitude means that each live performance brings out something new and exciting from even their staple hits. “That’s why, for me,” Leonor smiled. “Our songs sound better live.” 

Even as live performance technology significantly evolved since they first started, the veteran artists learned how to adapt and work with more sophisticated equipment. Leonor reflected on his experience of this transition. 

“It’s easier to perform now, especially with the in-ear monitors. There’s so many things to set up before you perform. But compared to before, it’s almost plug-and-play. Before, we have to test everything extensively. If we had a show in Cebu, we would fly the day before [for the preparations]. Now we fly the day itself.” 

The evolution of music production technology in the past four decades is even more impressive. Reyes broke down the layering and “bouncing” involved in making demos of song ideas back then, all tediously done on a four-track cassette recorder. For just one song, a demo could take several days. 

“But now, we all have our own little systems. If someone has an idea, here’s my idea. There’s a rough idea for the rhythm. There’s a rough idea for the arrangement. And then we swap files. I say send it to me, I’ll mix it up. It’s a lot faster now,” Reyes explained. 

But just because some things are a bit easier now doesn’t mean that the band has become complacent. Pangan insists that all the technology around them are “still just tools.” 

“We’re also conscious of not making the machines make us lazy. It’s easy to be lazy. But, for us, being lazy means there is energy that is lost, and that’s what The Dawn is all about. It’s that invisible energy that’s present in all our songs, even if it’s just a ballad or a total rock out number. There’s always that energy that needs to be maintained because we’ll be performing that live. We don’t want to lame up when we play live. We need that energy.” 

Experience that can’t be taught

That unique, singular energy is something The Dawn has developed on their own and over time, as veteran OPM artists. It is something that they want younger generations of Filipino talent to develop for themselves. 

Reyes calls this energy “feel.” For Yance, it’s “groove.” Whatever name they each have for it, they all agree that it is a defining element that is very important to being artists. 

Sanchez said that it’s the kind of thing that can’t be taught. “You come up with your feel on your own. Kahit sa anong music school, hindi natuturo ang feel (No music school can teach you this). Maybe give you a little direction, but the feel? They don’t teach you that.” 

Yance said that artists should develop it through experience. “Play more. Live. And stick to your guns.” 

“Kahit ano ang ginagawa mo, panindigan mo (Whatever you do, commit to it)!” Sanchez echoed. 

Reyes agreed with the sentiment. “If you’re a musician and you’re playing, no matter what age you are, always be in the moment. The moment you start playing and you’re on autopilot, that’s gonna be a problem.”

This applies to the band members themselves, especially when performing songs they’ve played countless times. 

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“Like ‘Salamat,’ we’ve played it like a million times,” Pangan said. “And every time you play it, you make people happy. And I don’t know if you call that a legacy, but for us, at the moment that it’s happening, it’s everything.” 

A legacy paved with memories

Every moment of a Dawn concert accumulates into a lifelong memory; not just for the band, but for their audience, too. 

For my own dad, seeing The Dawn live with his highschool barkada at the 1987 Oktober Storm in the Araneta Coliseum is a core memory. It was the very first concert he had ever attended. He vividly recalled how the entire crowd turned into one giant mosh pit, moved by the music and the presence on stage, and the unreal guitar stylings of Teddy Diaz. 

With the thousands of shows the band has done throughout their career, it can be easy to forget how one concert can mean so much to one person. Sharing this personal story with Pangan, he said that hearing these kinds of stories elicits the best feeling. 

“It keeps me grounded and it keeps me going on, really, as an artist. For our shows and our songs to have such an impact on people, that’s no small thing. It means a lot to us. Cheers to your dad.” 

In their 40 years together, The Dawn has seen line-up changes and tragedies, triumphs and tribulations, reunions and evolutions. These are all part of the history of a musical act that has managed to remain relevant and present today. Their Kwarenta concert on Saturday, June 27, at The Theatre at Solaire is a celebration of all that The Dawn has gone through as a band, their many friends and collaborators, and the influence they have had on OPM and Filipino culture. 

At the end of the day, The Dawn belongs on stage, in front of a live audience performing together. Reyes said it best as he gestured around at his bandmates: “This is what we go home to. Besides our proper homes, this is home.” – Rappler.com

Elise Suarez is a Rappler intern from Puerto Princesa City and a Humanities student of the University of Asia & the Pacific.