Feb. 13, 2004 Concert
The Songbird and the Songwriter
Araneta Coliseum

7:30 p.m. The lyrics for the teleprompter was being prepared and they were testing the fog machine. As I talked with the production staff, I noticed how nice, simple and low the stage was. The stage was made of plexi-glass and it was just a few inches above my waist. There were no furniture or props. A 2nd stage where the band stayed was placed behind and it was higher. A big video wall was on top and 2 smaller ones were at both sides.

8:40 p.m. 90% of the venue was occupied. Not bad since they were competing with many concerts (foreign and local) and that 1st show was promoted late. Besides, if the show was held in F.A.T., it would be jampacked because Araneta Coliseum has a 17,000-capacity while the other venue can accomodate only half that number.

8:55 p.m. After the national anthem, Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid started the show with their first up-beat songs - "Urong Sulong" and "Dito sa Puso Ko." When Regine came out, our eyes were on her for a while since she looked different - with the long, curly hair and short, red dress. Only after getting used to her look that my attention shifted to the music. They changed the songs so their '80s sound was minimal. What followed was another brilliantly mixed "Ako'y Iyong Iyo" and "Hinahanap-hanap Kita."

9:07 p.m. A video footage of Regine's and Ogie's parents were presented. They asked the parents questions regarding their marriages. What struck me most was when Mang Gerry was asked what was the sweetest thing your partner did to/for you. He answered, "binigay niya sa 'kin si Regine." Regine and Ogie did "Longer" and "All My Life" to complete this segment.

9:18 p.m. Regine and Ogie took the time to greet the audience. Before Regine went backstage to change clothes, they did a funny intro. for Ogie. Soon after, the Hotlegs joined Ogie in doing "Peksman" which they made more danceable. It was only then that the crowd realized that Ogie could dance.

9:25 p.m. Ogie had the audience at the palm of his hand. Whatever joke he said, the audience lapped it up. Then he turned serious and did "Sana" and "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala."

9:33 p.m. Regine and Ogie spoofed "Mano Po 2" with them doing Zsa Zsa Padilla's and Christopher de Leon's roles respectively in a video footage.

9:36 p.m. Ogie started singing well-liked "Meteor Garden" songs. He did the Chinese versions while Regine did the Filipino versions. We were dazzled by Regine's gown. She wore a lime green, sheer dress. No wonder she has been keeping herself slim because with that kind and color of fabric, any bulge would be seen. In addition to that, the gown has a plunging neckline and a low cut at the back so her butterfly tattoo was showing.

9:40 p.m. Ogie and Regine stated that even with the popularity of foreign songs here, we still make good songs like the ones of Ryan Cayabyab, George Canseco, Rey Valera and Willy Cruz. Then they sang a top-notch composers' medley that has "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika," "Ngayon at Kailanman," "Sinasamba Kita" and "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas." What dampened this number was the vocal performance. Erik Santos and Jennylyn Mercado joined Regine and Ogie in this medley. I think it was too soon for them to perform with major stars especially Jennylyn. They could hardly be heard, their voices could not go up against the voices of Regine and Ogie.

9:50 p.m. After thanking Erik and Jennylyn, Ogie left Regine onstage. Regine took off the lower part of her dress making it mini. I told myself, "what is she going to do?" We heard the intro. of "Crazy in Love" (by Beyonce) and she started dancing. The people became wide-eyed and we shouted "wooohhhh" because it was the first time we saw her dance like that. Boy, she has guts! They connected "Baby Boy" to "Crazy in Love" so she danced pretty long. At the end, she said "parang sumakit ang balakang ko ro'n, naggaga-ganyan ako.... prinactice ko sa banyo 'yon kasi nahihiya ako...."

9:58 p.m. While catching her breath, Regine informed us about the first song Ogie did for her ("I Have to Say Goodbye") which could be found in her "Nineteen 90" album. She said that it was with this song that she realized that Ogie is a good composer. Her rendition of the song in the show was more soulful compared to the recorded version.

10:03 p.m. Ogie went back onstage to sing the movie themes medley with Regine. The medley has the songs he made for Regine's movies. They had a fun banter regarding their last movie ("Capt. Barbell") before singing their latest duet - "Sa Piling Mo."

10:15 p.m. The crew placed a keyboard onstage so Ogie played with Regine sitting beside him. They sang "Because of You" (by Keith Martin) to continue the duet portion.

10:20 p.m. Ogie gave away his observation that perhaps Regine is still single because people see her as unreachable. He said that she has to be one with the "masa," she has to do what they like. He gave an example by singing "Otso-otso" complete with dance steps.

10:22 p.m. Regine came out with the Sex Bomb dancers and sang the "Spaghetti Song." She wore what they were wearing - panty-shorts and knee-high boots. She danced with them and did well causing another wave of "wooohhhh" from the crowd.

10:24 p.m. Ogie would not let himself be left behind. He returned with the Viva Hot Babes and started doing "Bulaklak" with them. The crowd roared with laughter. Hats off to Ogie! He would do anything, even the most embarrassing, just to make the audience have a good time.

10:30 p.m. To calm things down, another video footage was shown. They presented 3 couples. The first one - Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres-Gomez. The second couple - Diego (of "Bubble Gang") and his boyfriend, Christian. This was astonishing and made the show gay-friendly. The third couple - Regine and Ogie, but they played fictitious characters with Regine being the husband and Ogie being the pregnant wife.

10:35 p.m. Regine came out in this gorgeous gown. She really looks good in pink. I remember the pink gown she wore in last year's concert with Martin Nievera, she also looked fine in it. She did a soft and moving "Dadalhin." This acoustic version was done by Cesar Aguas.

10:40 p.m. Since the show was a special one (their first back-to-back concert), Regine decided to do a special song that she rarely sings - her first single, "Love Me Again." The vocal power she did not use in "Dadalhin," she chose to showcase it here.

10:45 p.m. Ogie burst out with "Sumayaw, Sumunod" while Regine went backstage. Ogie made this the playtime song. He went down and mingled with the crowd.

10:49 p.m. Ogie followed up with "Nandito Ako." Regine came back in a blue-green gown to be with Ogie in the videoke portion of the show. This portion was composed of his and her hits. It was capped with "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang."

11:05 p.m. Ogie and Regine thanked the crowd for coming and geared up for the final song - a wonderfully intertwined "Narito Ako" and "Kailangan Kita." They belted until the end, no one backed down.

11:10 p.m. The two went backstage after taking a bow but of course, returned to thank the sponsors, band and crowd and do the encore. They used the song "Happy" (?) to name the sponsors and band members. This was a bit more fun than usual.

11:17 p.m. A long Manila sound medley with snippets from Earth, Wind and Fire songs ("September" and "Boogie Wonderland") was played that enabled some members of the audience to stand up and dance.

11:28 p.m. Everybody on the way to the exit doors stopped because there was a video footage of Regine and Ogie playing Darna and Capt. Barbell respectively, being shown on the video wall. Suddenly, Regine and Ogie returned in their costumes. They sang the main theme of the "Capt. Barbell" movie and did some fighting stances. Their energy level was outstanding. There was a dry run of the whole show and it lasted until 6:30 p.m.. So they practically did 2 shows in one day and still they had the energy to play around.

11:35 p.m. When almost everybody was outside the venue, I realized that I enjoyed this show much better than the Regine-Martin concert last year. It was not just because of the innovatively arranged songs but also because of the humor. Many numbers were already expected but they threw in a few good surprises that the audience clearly appreciated. I am happy that I decided to watch it live than wait for it on t.v.. I hope others will do the same since there will be a repeat on March.

_____
Stage direction: Regine Velasquez & Ogie Alcasid
Musical direction and 1st keyboard: Raul Mitra
2nd keyboard: Bong Adela
3rd keyboard: Monet Silvestre
Back-up vocals: The Opera
Dancers: Hotlegs