August 1999

Review by 2Net

Not seeing Regine live onstage for 8 months surely made me decide to catch
Regine's show, no matter when and where in Manila it would be. I guess a
lot of people had the same thing in mind since her latest show, "Regine
Velasquez at Her Very Best," was sold out.

Standing in line for about an hour, the ushers finally let the people come
in the venue. Seeing it was quite disappointing. It was small. The
chairs were so near each other. Since it was a ballroom, there was no
elevation. We (the people at the sides and back) were like packed birds in
a box with stretched necks. If the prices of the tickets were a little
lower, it would have been okay. As usual, the show didn't start on time
making a lot of people restless. But with a different entrance of Regine
in the show, the long wait was soon forgotten.

The show started with the overture they used in the concert, "Isang
Pasasalamat." Then from the back, the curly Regine emerged in a black,
sleeveless, long gown with cuts or holes at the side and back showing some
skin. She began to sing "You Are My Song" which was quickly followed by
"Shake Your Groove Thing." After those songs, she drank water and was
breathless that she said to the audience, "Good night! Tapos na yung show"
which made people laugh. She then started talking seriously saying that it
had been a long time since she last did a concert in Manila and in her show
in Westin last Christmas, many complained of not hearing this or that song
from her so they decided to sing those songs that the people want to hear.
"But of course, mayro'n mga something new, something borrowed at mayro'n
pang something blue..." With that line, what else would she sing next but
"Bluer Than Blue." She proceeded to sing "Ikaw." These songs sounded
different since she was saying or whispering and not really singing some of
the lines of the songs. What came next were "Emotion" and an awesome
medley of her old Tagalog hits ("Narito Ako," "Babalikang Muli," "Kung
Maibabalik Ko Lang" and "Buhay ng Buhay Ko") which were connected at the
high parts of the songs except for "Babalikang Muli."

After singing her own songs, the show focused on songs that she likes but
are not hers ("something old"). Before that, she took off her shoes since
her feet hurt but she put them again when she realized that the guy (a
foreigner named Edward who she met at the Library) she took from the
audience to be with her onstage was tall. Before and after slow dancing
with the guy while singing "The Way You Look Tonight," she made people
laugh with her comments with/about the guy. She proceeded to sing
back-to-back songs ("On the Sunny Side of the Street" and "On the Street
Where You Live") which were first heard in her "Reminiscin'" concert.
Afterwards, there was a sudden shift to the "something new."

The "something new" had "Do You Believe in Love" (by Cher) that was the
next number. In this number, she had a quick change of dress. After
returning in a silver, spaghetti-strap, low-back, long gown (the one she
wore in "A Songbird Sings for the River"), she introduced the members of
the band. When the song was finished, she started commenting on her look
and dress. She said that she looked like 'Annie' because of her curly
hair. Then she talked about her back saying that she has a big back while
showing us her back onstage. But first, she sang a Barbra Streisand medley
("People," "Evergreen," "The Way We Were," "All I Asked of You" and
"Somewhere") that elicited a thunderous applause. Actually, everytime she
started a song in the medley, people clapped loudly. She said that the
show couldn't be finished without her singing even just one Streisand song.
To lighten the mood, she then sang "Follow the Sun" - her usual playtime
song. "You Were There" soon followed but she first talked about how
handsome the original singer of that song is. To go back to the "something
new" theme, she began to sing "If You Have My Love" (by Jennifer Lopez) and
"How Could You Leave."

The show was near to its end when she started thanking the sponsors, the
famous people watching the show (Jejomar Binay, Kris Aquino, Carmina
Villaroel, Paula Peralejo, Philip Lazaro, Melissa Gibbs and her mom,
directors Joyce Bernal and Louie Ignacio, Viva boss' Vic del Rosario, Mel
del Rosario - the scriptwriter, some press people) and of course, everyone
in the audience. Her anxiety over the show (which was most probably due to
intrigues and absence in the concert scene in Manila) was revealed when she
said that she thought people didn't want to listen to her anymore. She was
so thankful that she said, "Kahit ano pa hong problema, kahit na ano pa
hong intriga na harapin ko... right this moment, I'm the happiest girl in
the world because you are all here for me." Soon after, she sang "Sana
Maulit Muli" (unplugged version) with so much emotion. She finished the
show on a high, positive note with the long disco medley that she
previously did in the "Drawn" concert. Some people wanted to dance but
they couldn't because it was cramped. Of course, the people asked for more
when Regine went backstage. She obliged, coming back looking so stunning.
She was wearing a black, sleeveless, long gown with super bare back. She
joked about it that she'd get sick because of it. It's a shame that she
just wore it in the encore portion that was only one song, "What Kind of
Fool Am I?."

Kudos to Regine and the band for a wonderful and entertaining performance.
With the vocal prowess of Regine in the show, every cent we gave for the
tickets was worth it. Thank God that the huge chandeliers in the ballroom
didn't shake whenever she belted.
________

2net : )                                                                        

stage director: Rico Mortel
musical director and lead keyboard: Homer Flores
2nd keyboard: Rica Arambulo
bass guitar: Sonny Azurin
lead guitar: Cesar Aguas
back-up singers: Zebedee, Sushi and Cecille
dancers: S.O.P. dancers

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