Back in 1997, the Divas Band played their debut gig for the 4th of July in Manila's commercial district, Makati. The Manila-based cover band will celebrate their 4th anniversary in Taipei at the Hard Rock Cafe, where they will be performing until the end of July.
Since this first performance, with its Diana Ross look-alike outfits and a repertoire from the 1960s, the Divas have changed their repertoire considerably.
With the advent of Spice Girl fever the band adopted a new look to follow the trend, not surprisingly including a slew of Spice Girl hits. In addition to the mellow tones of Diana Ross's Touch Me in the Morning came up-tempo numbers such as Madonna's jubilant Holiday and Janet Jackson's When I Think of You, and of course Holle, Viva Forever, and Generation X from the Spice Girls.
According to band leader and drummer Ronaldo Papasin, their gig in Taipei will be the first they have performed abroad. For the Taipei audience, the band will be speeding up the tempo.
In Manila, the band might open with 1980s hits like Love Shack and Butter Cup, roll into the 1990s love songs and then go on to more energized dance music.
"Here [in Taipei], we start with the latest top 40 and dance songs. Ricky Martin is indispensable and wildly in demand," says Papasin. "You can see the audience loves it so much. We have no problems at all getting them onto the dance floor."
To extend their appeal further, the Divas will also perform some ballads by Chinese-language stars like of Chou Hui (周蕙) and Faye Wong (王菲).
Performance Notes:
What: The Divas Band
When: Until the end of July, Monday to Saturday
Where: Hard Rock Cafe -- Taipei, B1-1, 100 Tunhua N Rd. (
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