‘Passenger Seat’ hitmaker to hold concert for Marawi soldiers

THE singer behind the 1999 hits “Passenger Seat” and “Out of my League” is back in the Phil for the wounded soldiers of last year’s Marawi siege. Rockwell Ryan Ripperger, frontman of the band Stephen Speaks, arrived in Manila Tuesday.

In a press conference Wednesday, the American singer-songwriter acknowledged how the Philippines had been instrumental at the start of his international career, and that the fundraiser is his way of returning the favor to fans here.

“When I was a kid, the Philippines helped me launched my music career and was so supportive [concert]. It’s the least I could do to help out and give a little back to a country that has given me so much,” he stated.

Ripperger further shared that when he was in college, he met a Filipino exchange student who was writing songs for an online marketing company. They got to talk and Ripperger found out that the Filipino had a brother who worked as a disc jockey in Manila.

“His brother was a DJ of Magic 89.9 [FM station] and when [my friend] returned to the Philippines, [his brother] started playing Passenger Seat on the radio and it went No. 1,” Ripperger recalled.

“We had total of three to four months [in the No. 1 spot] on the charts, and then I visited in the Philippines in early 2003,” added the lead singer of the three-man music group. Stephen Speaks returned for a second concert in 2005.

Fast-forward to 2017, Ripperger related how news about the Marawi siege was all over the United States and how Philippine troops were bravely battling out against the Islamic Statelinked Maute terrorists. It was then he began planning to mount a benefit concert in the Stephen Speaks frontman Rockwell Ryan Ripperger country, and within six months was able to work out not just one show, but a concert tour.

Philippine Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ray have been made on how the AFP can assist Ripperger during his tour. Instead, he gave an update on the number of wounded soldiers still receiving treatment at the Army General Hospital [in Fort Bonifacio] and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center in V. Luna.

“Right now, we have still have around 96 per will really help them recover quickly so they can continue to serve our country,” Tiongson stated.

Meanwhile, Ripperger’s schedule in the Philippines is as follows: January 18 at SM City Iloilo; January 19 at University of San Agustin Gymnasium in Iloilo; January 21, a meeting with the local musicians in Iloilo; January 22 at St. Paul University in Iloilo; February 10 at the Playback Music Festival in Manila; February 14, Boracay (venue to be announced) and February 17 at the AFP headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.