Color Me Badd and All 4 One in Cagayan de Oro Philippines experience – the highs, the lows and yes, I even danced onstage Part 1

Color Me Badd. All 4 One. I literally waited decades before it happened. And when it finally did, I forgot all the questions that I wanted to ask All 4 One and Color Me Badd for the longest time. I just simply enjoyed every moment I spent with them, did not hesitate to let them know that I was a certified fan, became their self-appointed paparazzi for the day, screamed at the top of my lungs, danced onstage (gulp!) and told them again and again just how loved they all were, still are and always will be! And – get this – I spent time again with them a few days later, got autographs and a special video message from All 4 One and Color Me Badd for all my beloved readers! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!

BUT!!! I’m getting way ahead of myself. Ch-ch-check out my big All 4 One and Color Me Badd experience ! I hope you enjoy reading this Color Me Badd Live in CDO Philippines and All 4 One Live in Cagayan de Oro Philippines article and always remember: you’ll never know when you’ll have a date with destiny so hold on to that dream, always smile, think positive and be inspired!

So go grab some popcorn and your favorite drink, folks! This will be one very interesting read that’ll be worth your time 😉

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE ME SMILE AND DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE COMMENTS AND KINDLY SHARE THIS POST AS WELL 🙂

Thank you so much!

You know when they say that the music you listened to when you were 14 will stay with you forever? It’s like first love – you can’t forget it. And I could not agree more. When I was 14, I listened to the music of All 4 One and Color Me Badd and to this day, I still remember them and their music as if time just stood still.

My love affair with the music of Color Me Badd and All 4 One helped me go through various chapters of my life — All 4 One’s “I Can Love You Like That,” “So Much In Love,” “Beautiful As You, “Someday” and “I Just Wanna Be Your Everything” played roles in the teeny bopper romance department.

“I Swear” — that song that made Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Tony Borowiak and Alfred Nevarez win a Grammy Award in 1995 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal — became a personal theme song for weeks, if not months! Everyone (and I mean everyone!) knew the lyrics of that song. Everyone sang that song. Yes, even the macho guys  who probably did not expect they can be mushy, too! I bet my bottom dollar we all shrieked whenever a boy dedicated an All 4 One song to us girls back then!

Color Me Badd, on the other hand, well, (for the lack of a better term) virtually “colored” my world. Like seriously colored it with all possible hues! You see, apart from the fact that I super loved their monster hits “Wildflower,” “I Wanna Sex You Up,” “All 4 Love,” “Thinkin’ Back,” “Choose,” “Sexual Capacity,” “Close To Heaven” and “The Earth, The Sun And The Rain,” I harbored HUGE crushes on all of the members – Mark Calderon, Bryan Abrams, Kevin “KT” Thornton and Sam Watters (Sam decided not to join the newly reunited group, by the way. He’s now reportedly a successful music producer). My room was filled with their posters, I saved up my allowance and bought magazines (and songhits, too, if you still remember what these were!), their faces were on the covers of my notebooks, I had all their cassette tapes (by the way, how we all managed to survive with cassette tapes back then is beyond me!) and my diary was full of their names encased in hearts, bows and arrows and all that jazz!

* standing (L-R): Kevin, Bryan, Mark (*sigh*) and then Sam *

I must emphasize, though, that I was TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY in love with Mark (a.k.a. the guy who had fabulous hair) that I went through that “I will be Mrs. Mark Calderon someday” phase. Oh-so-innocent, young love, sweet love!

Read how crazeballs I was over him in this related post HERE.

And then later on, I went gaga over Bryan Abrams (a.k.a. the hazel eyed guy who had better looking eyebrows than I did)! Ah, those were the days. Of course, all these were just part of me growing up. More on this lovestruck confession plus a completely catastrophic (and a bit cute, I daresay) story in a bit!

Anyways, as you guys may know by now, I first wrote about me wanting to watch the All 4 One and Color Me Badd back to back concert a few weeks ago. You can read that post HERE. I was so ready to do anything in exchange for a few golden minutes with Color Me Badd and All 4 One. I wanted to meet the guys up close and personal. Heck, I waited 20 years! Twenty long years! Well, yes, while it was my chance to relive the good ol’ days of MTV, MC Hammer moves, shoulder pads, color blocked outfits, teased up hair, Marithe Girbaud overalls and Doc Martens, it was, more importantly, my chance to finally meet the guys who rocked my world.

Luckily, the universe has her ways! Days later, with the help of Sir Boy and Sir Mike (I will eternally be grateful!), I received fabulous news – my blog, Mindanaoan.com, became one of the official media partners of the Cagayan de Oro leg! That meant that not only would I have VVIP tickets, I would also have the chance to meet them during the press conference! And then about two days before their arrival, Sir Boy asked me if I wanted to take photos and tag along when they fetched the guys from the airport.

I WANTED TO DIE.

I practically had to read the message again and again just to make sure that I didn’t miss a single word. And so after a thousand cartwheels, a lot of excited phone calls to friends and screaming-at-the-top-of-my-lungs episodes, I prepared for what was to be one of the most memorable days of my little fangirl life!

September 10, 2011. If you’re a great believer of the power of numerology, it’s 9-10-11. They arrived on a Saturday morning. I was already wide awake by 5 AM even though we were only expected to be at the airport at around 10:30 AM. That was HOW excited I was. No, make that excited, nervous, a little scared and I-was-not-sure-if-I-wanted-to-puke-or-pee. Yeah, that. I kept my nerves at bay by flooding my Twitter, Plurk and Facebook timelines and sending frantic text messages. Thank goodness for sympathetic, understanding friends.

A few hours later, I met up with the local producers Sir Boy, Sir Tommy, Sir Jojo and Sir Bobby. They were so fun to be with! I was practically the only rose among the thorns and they were all very nice to me. Thank you so much to all of you!

By 10 AM, the local producers and I were already waiting at the airport VIP parking lot. We even brought along a shiny new bus!

Armed with my camera and other gadgets, I then proceeded to the VIP arrival area as soon as we got clearance. Believe me, my heart was pounding so fast I thought I was going to faint. I’m not kidding! The moment I walked inside the VIP room, it was as if everything became a blur and my eyes only wanted to spot one person — Mark Calderon! There he was — with his friendly, million watt smile. Breathe in, breathe out. My knees shook as I strode towards him. Thoughts ran across my mind: so this is how it feels to finally meet someone you’ve adored for 20 years! Good God, did I remember to comb my hair?

I spotted Kevin Thornton of Color Me Badd. He was sitting on a couch and was playing a game on his phone. He looked up, smiled at me, said hi and said he remembered me from Facebook. (Okay, quick story – right after I learned I was to be a media partner of the event, I did what every normal fan would do – stalk them online! Thankfully, they added me back!) Anyways, KT’s words made me smile. That was really nice of him to say. Oh yeah, can I just say that he looked as if he didn’t age at all? Still a very good looking KT! Check out the funky pose he gave!

Then, I spotted Bryan Abrams, who flashed me a disarming smile. Okay, ladies, I must say this — I know A LOT of you out there LOVE Bryan. In fact, I received several messages of undying love and devotion from fans via Twitter, email, Plurk, Facebook and through this blog! Several fans asked if I could hug Bryan Abrams in their behalf. Mission accomplished! Bryan’s very friendly and there’s this genuine warmth about him. Let me all assure you as well that he’s still HOT as hell! Or hot damn, my gay friend who saw him would say.

Bryan Abrams is still super sexy and super handsome. He still has that famous grin that has successfully melted a million hearts the world over.

Go swoon now!

  One thing I had the privilege of seeing, by the way, is just how goofy he can be! Never thought he’d be super hilarious. You can find some photos I took of him in this article. I’ll tell you more about him in a bit and yes, before I forget, I would like to thank each and every one of you who sent those messages. So sweet!

And then…finally…the moment. Mark Calderon.

I wanted to say hello and tell him that that very smile of his made me so happy since I first laid eyes on him 20 years ago. Actually, my brain wanted me to say something that would make quite an impression – not just the “Hi, I’m your biggest fan” type of greeting. I also wanted to make sure that my voice wouldn’t fail me and that I’d say something that actually made sense! I think my mind froze for a bit and good God, did he just turn around, face me and say “Hi there!”?

Unfortunately, what happened next could very well be considered one of the most embarrassing things I ever did in my life! But first, here are photographic pieces of evidence! (Yeah, nothing like capturing the very moment you make a fool of yourself hah! Thank you Sir Bobby for the photos!)

Photo on the left: Can you tell if I looked happy? Photo on the right: Bryan trying to convince Mark that I had a crush on him

Somehow (and this is only as far as I can remember), right after I introduced myself, I told Mark that I was SO IN LOVE with him before that my poor little heart got so crushed and heartbroken when he got married. “I was so sad and devastated. I cried for days! So without you knowing it, I broke up with you and transferred my feelings to Bryan, who I thought was a good choice, too.”

Yeah, I said that. I said THAT. OMG.

OH. MY. GOD.

It was the craziest thing, believe me. I myself was shocked! I also remember seeing two stunned faces before me — I thought Mark looked as if he was ready to look for the exit and Bryan looked so amused he just stood there silent but with a silly grin on his face. Both of them probably thought I was a stalker gone coo coo! Hah! Thankfully, they both laughed and thought it was so sweet of me to practically “confess” my love and shared what every other certified Color Me Badd fan most probably felt when the boys got hitched, too.

So WHEW. I was safe. I told them how I felt, they thought it was cute and I even received besos and hugs in exchange! Yay me!

I then proceeded to meet the rest of the group. I must admit, I sort of prepared myself to face possibly aloof people, especially given the fact that they’re all popular, award-winning and were able to sell millions of albums…but NO, SIR! They were all so friendly!

Delious was nice and cool. He then asked to take a peek at the photo I took of him. “I think that’s my good angle but in any case, there’s Photoshop!,” he joked.
The bedimpled Alfred, who was handed a guestbook at the time, gamely posed for the cam. Actually, he already finished signing the guestbook but I asked him to pretend as if he hadn’t still:

Jamie was just chillin’. He was also playing a game on his phone but as soon as he saw me taking his photos, he flashed me this smile:

I also met Jamie’s very beautiful and friendly wife Hanna, who also served as the group’s roadie that day. I will share a little story about Hanna in a bit.

The last one I spoke to was Tony, whom I never expected to be so cute and funny! Actually, he kind of startled me when he said that he knew who I was (again, because I added him on Facebook) and then he began to recite – quite literally – my Facebook status that day. It was so darn sweet I couldn’t help but blush!

Here are the other photos I took at the VIP arrival area:

We then all proceeded to the bus. I was not supposed to ride with them but Sirs Boy, Tommy, Jojo and Bobby knew exactly how much I adored the bands so they let me. Of course, I had to immediately find where Mark sat!

Aha! There he is!

After gathering a whole lot of intestinal fortitude, I sat beside him. He smiled at me, asked me something about my camera and complimented the bracelet I wore (of course, that piece is now my favorite!). I was probably grinning from ear to ear because when I looked at Bryan, who sat right across us, he had a sheepish smile on his face.

“Don’t you want to sit beside me?,” Bryan asked. “Oh, right, Mark’s there and I’m the second choice.”

“Don’t be jealous, Bryan. This is my day!,” Mark playfully retorted.

I wanted to squeeze both of them so tight for being so cute and wonderful and yeah, I also secretly prayed that the bus driver would not drive too fast. You know, in order to buy more time with them! Okay, fine, buy more time with Mark!

Unfortunately, a big, burly Filipino guy who served as their security aide transferred to the seat in front of me and whispered to me a stern warning: do not bother the artists and let them rest. That was a real letdown. I felt so embarrassed and wanted to transfer seats but instead I decided to keep quiet and just smiled at Mark. Unfortunately for the Filipino bodyguard, Mark wanted to strike a conversation himself. He asked me about the Philippines, about Mindanao and even about that giant crocodile Lolong that was recently captured in Agusan del Sur. Apparently, the guys wanted to see it. I offered all the pieces of information I could muster, despite the fact that my heart was (again) pounding so fast I just wanted to scream! My cheeks felt warm. It was a dream come true, folks!

“Did you hear the latest news, though?,” I asked him.

Mark frowned and asked, “What? What’s the latest news?”

“I’m right beside Mark Calderon!,” I said.

His face broke into a smile and the world spun and it felt like heaven on earth. Sorry, I’m a big fan!

We all then went to Hotel Koresco, their official residence during their stay at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Some photos:

And can I just say that it was so cute of Mark to approach me and say, “I’ll just go to my room, leave my things and then I’ll come back downstairs, okay? Then you can tell me more about the Philippines and maybe the food that we should try!”

Again, I was most probably grinning from ear to ear because here’s Bryan making fun of me: (LMAO!!!)

I then started calling him Goofy B! I remember feeling so lucky to see that side of Bryan Abrams a.k.a. the very guy who knocked everyone’s socks off when he sang “Thinkin’ Back” live on the Arsenio Hall Show. If you need a little reminding, here it is:

Now wasn’t that simply amazing? Yeah, my jaw dropped the very first time I heard that, too.

A few minutes later, while the guys all went to their rooms, I was again reminded to stay away from the artists. Fine. At the time, I already felt very uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I could not understand for the life of me what I did so wrong. I only spoke to Bryan and Mark and didn’t even come near the others. It wasn’t as if I gathered everyone in a huddle and the entire schedule got ruined! Still, my first thought was: shouldn’t they at least be happy to see that there’s still an excited fan?

I was already feeling small and was debating with myself on whether or not I should immediately tweet about my “bad(d) experience” so far and perhaps write extensively about the whole drama in my blog when Bryan came up to me and asked, “Why are you silent all of a sudden? Did someone tell you something bad?”

That kind of took me aback. I never expected him to ask me that. I lied and told him that everything was fine. I felt I wasn’t in any position to tell him what was going on. I would just like to emphasize, though, that Sirs Boy, Bobby, Tommy and Jojo were very, very nice to me. I had no problem with them.

After check-in, the entire group decided to visit the Philippine Ostrich and Crocodile Farm at Opol, Misamis Oriental. Upon boarding the bus, I decided to sit at the back to stay away from the artists, lest Mr. Burly would throw dagger looks at me again. However, while we were on our way, Kevin “KT” Thornton called my attention and asked me to sit beside him. At the time, I almost felt like the security aide got so frustrated and just wanted to look at me until I vanished from the face of the earth. Seriously! But oh well. Deadma. Kebs! What should I do when the artist himself called me? Tell KT no?

Anyways, KT or Kevin Thornton apparently needed help with some local words. You know, what to say when you want to greet the crowd and stuff like that. So I taught him “Chada Cagayan de Oro,” “Mahal Namin Kayo” (We love you all) “Salamat” (Thank you) and “Mahal Ko Kayo” (I love you). In the videos I took during the concert, you will hear KT say these words, much to the delight of the audience.

While I taught him some of the words, I asked him about Tamme (his gorgeous wife). I will never forget how his face lit up at the very mention of her name.

“She’s fine. I miss her so much,” he said.

Do you think it’s all right if I add her on Facebook, I asked. KT said of course, just tell her that you’re helping us out and I’m sure she’d be glad to add you back. I was so happy when he said that (fast forward a few days later – I did send Tamme a friend request and she added me back! Yay! Hi Tamme! Thank you!)

Several minutes later, I noticed that the bodyguard transferred to a seat near me. I knew that was my cue. I made up some silly excuse that I had to talk to one of the local producers just so KT would not think that I wanted to abandon him or something. KT frowned but I guess he knew somehow that something was up.

“Okay, do your thing. Teach me again later,” KT said.

So I transferred to a vacant seat way at the back. Actually, what I seriously wanted to do was to give the bodyguard a piece of my mind but I decided to take the high road and not let someone like him ruin my day. I thought it was an adult thing to do.

Good thing I chose a seat that was in between Tony’s and Mark’s because I was able to record a video! Naturally, I decided not to sit beside any of the artists for the reason you all know by now. By that time, our bus was slowly creeping its way towards the crocodile farm. What we all did not know, however, was that the road leading towards the farm was narrow and bumpy, that the farm was far and that we had to pass through the boondocks! What I also did not expect was to see the guys’ excited faces.

Here’s a video I took: (I knew it was a risk to take this video since Mr. Burly was within earshot but everyone in the bus was noisy and excited with our “Into The Jungle” adventure so I just went ahead. AND don’t you just think Mark is the cutest? *SIGH*)

Irene, Color Me Badd and All 4 One invade the jungle! from Mindanaoan Irene on Vimeo.

Delious, who was sitting across Mark, also had a fun time recording videos and taking photos! By the way, Delious has an e-mag called Breakout Magazine. Check it out now!

PLEASE PROCEED TO PART 2 (Click, click, click!)

Related Images:

Mindanaoan Irene

Mindanaoan is a multi-awarded blogger, content creator, seasoned social media strategist and publicist with undeniably successful track record. 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (for global leaders) alumnus and O visa grantee (for people with extraordinary skills and who have risen to the top of their field). Avid traveler and a proud relief operations volunteer. Regular resource person for social media, blogging and content creation. Available for work and travel – [email protected]

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