Some bands return to the stage to relive the past.
Side A returns to remember it—together.
In February 2025, the beloved Filipino pop band comes home to the Metropolitan Theater (MET) for Now & Then, a two-night gathering that reunites the founding and current members of Side A. Set on February 21 and 22, the concert is produced by Minsan Studio, with orchestral arrangements by acclaimed musical director Ria Villena-Osorio, and features a 30-piece orchestra that gives familiar songs new space to breathe.
More than a concert, Now & Then feels like a family gathering—shaped by years of shared music, faith, and quiet perseverance. It brings together musicians from different chapters of the band’s story, bound by the same gentle center that has defined Side A from the beginning.
“Bringing both the OGs and current members together on one stage shows how the Side A story has grown through the years but kept the same heart,” the band shares. It is a sentiment that mirrors why their songs endure: they never tried to be louder than life—only honest about it.
How the Reunion Began
The idea for Now & Then began not as a plan, but as a moment of wonder. Joey Benin recalls attending his daughter Clara’s concert at the Metropolitan Theater, struck by the venue’s sound, scale, and quiet dignity.
“I was so impressed with the whole production,” Benin says. After the show, Jason Conanan of Minsan Studio posed a simple thought: What if Side A did a passion project here, at the MET?
Benin reached out to longtime manager Lito Fugoso, who brought the idea to the band. The response came quickly. What followed was not just another show, but a homecoming years in the making.
Two Generations, One Heart
Now & Then gathers two generations of Side A—musicians who joined the journey at different points, yet carried the same sense of care into the music.
Side A Now
- Naldy Gonzalez – Keyboards / Musical Director (the only remaining and active original member of Side A)
- Ernie Severino – Drums
- Leevon Cailao – Lead guitars and vocals
- Ned Esguerra – Bass
- Yubs Esperat – Lead vocals and acoustic guitar
Side A Then
- Rodel Gonzalez – Lead vocals / guitars
- Pido Lalimarmo – Guitars and vocals
- Joey Benin – Bass and vocals
Their presence on one stage feels less like eras meeting and more like time folding in on itself—past and present listening to each other.
Songs That Grew With Us
With orchestral arrangements shaping the night, Side A’s catalog is heard anew without losing its intimacy. The orchestra does not overwhelm; it listens—expanding the emotional landscape while honoring what people remember.
“Expect to hear Side A songs in a new way, but still very familiar,” the band shares. “The orchestra adds a bigger emotional landscape. It’s going to be special—for us, and for the audience.”
For many listeners, Side A songs were never just heard. They lived in living rooms and long drives, in weddings and quiet reconciliations, in moments that asked for understanding rather than spectacle. These were songs that stayed.
A Quiet Thank You
At its core, Now & Then is an offering of gratitude.
“We hope people go home reminded of why they fell in love with Side A songs in the first place,” the band says. “And maybe fall in love with them all over again.”
They speak of thanks—to God, to the listeners who stayed, and to the families who grew alongside the music: wives, children, and now even apos who carry the songs forward in their own time.
If audiences leave the MET with full hearts, good memories, and renewed hope, Side A believes the gathering will have done its work.
Now & Then is not about longing for the past.
It is about standing still long enough to honor what has lasted.
Tickets for Side A: Now & Then are available via minsan.studio.
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