Songbird gets emotional in ‘Twenty’ Ronald Mangubat Inquirer
November 03, 2006
REGINE Velasquez, arguably the most successful singer in the country today, twice cried unabashedly in her recent Araneta Coliseum concert, “Twenty,” celebrating her two colorful decades in the business.
After an operetta-inspired opening, where she 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, (Many used to say I wouldn’t succeed because I wasn’t too pretty and didn’t know how to speak English.)” she confessed to a crowd that applauded her honesty and spontaneity. ““Akala ko, naubos ko na ang luha ko kagabi kaso, hindi ko mapigil, e (I thought I cried all my tears last night, but I can’t help it”)!”
Outburst
The second emotional outburst happened toward the last part of the show when, prior to singing Didith Reyes’s ““Bakit Ako Mahihiya (Why Should I be Ashamed)? ” – one of her winning pieces when she started joining singing contests, she narrated how her mother pawned an old ring for bus fare for her and her father.
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 (I thank God that you have been my parents. I love you a lot)!”
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 that she was not in her element, with a hoarse voice that evening, she made fun of the situation. “ “Alam ko, wala akong gaanong boses ngayon, kaya dinadaan ko na lang sa ganda , (I know my voice isn’t too good now so I’m making up for it by looking good)!” 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 , (Your voice is higher pitched than mine, fag)!”
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 Regine onstage either to 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. 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 reach near impossible notes beautifully 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 as she reached their extremely high notes with relative ease.
Softer versions
Regine is undoubtedly a great chanteuse who has deepened her vocal interpretations with the right emotions through the years. 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. To us its first strains were more haunting and moving than the last bars, which she belted out in melodious, albeit screaming, fashion.
The most touching part of the show was the medley of her winning pieces, as footage of her early years as a struggling singer was shown on the big screen. The video showed a coy and awkward, singer, with the woman singing onstage finally a mature, confident, and sophisticated artist.
