Songbird gets emotional in ‘Twenty’

By Ronald Mangubat

Inquirer

Last updated 00:48am (Mla time) 10/21/2006

Published on page F4 of the October 21, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

REGINE Velasquez, arguably the most successful singer in the country today, unabashedly cried twice in her recent concert, “Twenty,” at the Araneta Coliseum. The show celebrates two colorful decades of success in the business. After an operetta-inspired opening, where Velasquez sang about her humble beginnings, and the joys and pains of a performer, she got emotional during her opening spiel.

“Marami noon ang nagsabing hindi ako magtatagumpay, kasi hindi daw ako kagandahan, at hindi pa marunong mag-Ingles,” she confessed to a crowd that applauded her honesty and spontaneity. “Akala ko, naubos ko na ang luha ko kagabi (we watched the second night’s show), kaso, hindi ko mapigil, e!”

Outburst

The second emotional outburst happened toward the last part of the show when, prior to singing Didith Reyes’ “Bakit Ako Mahihiya?” (one of her winning pieces when she started joining singing contests), she narrated how her mother pawned an old ring so she and her father would have money for bus fare.

As her parents were shown on the video wall, she tearfully verbalized her gratitude:

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Diyos dahil kayo ang naging mga magulang ko. Mahal na mahal ko kayo!”Aside from those soggy moments, the two-hour musical treat was well-conceptualized and highly entertaining, with Velasquez doing what some singers fail to achieve -- establish a strong connection to her audience.

Jokes

Admitting she was not in her element that night, with her speaking voice hoarse (“…kasi itinodo ko ang pagkanta kagabi. Nasobrahan yata”), she made fun of the situation by cracking jokes. “Alam ko, wala akong gaanong boses ngayon, kaya dinadaan ko na lang sa ganda!” And, to a member of the audience who kept shrieking at the top his voice, she retaliated: “Mas mataas pa ang boses mo sa akin, bakla!”Regine compared her 20-year singing career to a love affair. In fact, she said it’s been a series of “love affairs” between her and the people with whom she has shared her musical passion -- composers, arrangers, co-singers, directors, photographers, even wardrobe designers.

Flirtatious looks

Her former musical arrangers/directors -- Louie Ocampo, Tats Faustino and Gerard Salonga -- joined her onstage to either play the piano or conduct the Manila Symphony Orchestra. Asia’s Songbird also sang her hit duets -- this time, with Jed Madela, Eric Santos, Gabby Eigenmann, Dennis Trillo, Mark Bautista and Shyrock’s lead vocalist, Mark Tupas. Of course, to heighten the thrill, Robin Padilla went up the stage to exchange flirtatious looks with Regine.But, it was her trademark songs, made more famous by bravura belting, that elicited the most cheers from the responsive audience. While she mostly spoke in whispers during spiels, her ability to beautifully reach almost-impossible notes never failed to impress. In a country where birit (high pitch) is regarded as a benchmark of good singing, Velasquez reigns supreme.

In fact, three of her old winning pieces, “What Kind of Fool Am I?,” “And I’m Telling You,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” got much-deserved ovations -- because the Songbird reached those songs’ extremely high notes with relative ease.

Softer versions

Regine is undoubtedly a great chanteuse who, through the years, has deepened her vocal interpretations with the right emotions. We still like her birit, but we like her mellow, softer versions better. A case in point is “The Music of Goodbye,” the theme song from the movie, “Out of Africa,” which she sang while sitting on the stage floor. For us, the first strains of the song were more haunting and moving than the last bars, which she belted out in melodious albeit screaming fashion.

To us, the most touching part of the show was when Velasquez sang a medley of her winning pieces, while footage of her early years as a struggling singer was shown on the big screen: The video showed an awkward, coy singer, but the woman singing onstage has finally grown into a mature, confident and sophisticated artist.