People go back to their great inspiration from time to time for different
reasons. In the case of artists, it may be to get inspired again in their
work; it may be to pay tribute to a major influence that made them what
they are today; it may be to see if they can still do what they did
before. I arrived with these reasons while watching the latest concert
series ("Songbird Sings Streisand") of Regine Velasquez at Onstage.
By 8:15 p.m., there was a line outside Onstage. They let the people in
after 15 minutes. The venue was packed enabling the production staff to
have a sigh of relief. I spoke with one of them and she told me that they
were nervous regarding the attendance because Gary Valenciano and F4 were
staging shows the same time. It is heartening to know that in the previous
playdates, the size of the crowd was more or less the same as in this
show. It means that they were not affected by the "foreign
invasion." However, there was another "foreign invasion" happening. A
number of adult foreigners were in the crowd. One of them (a male
Caucasian) was beside me. A few minutes before the show, I was getting
worried that I might not be able to enjoy because he was very talkative and
loud. But the moment Regine sang, he got knocked out. Praises were the
only words I heard him say from that time on.
Regine stepped out wearing a black, bustier gown with a long train and fine
jewelry. She was a sight to behold, mesmerizing the whole crowd. She
opened the show with "As If We Never Said Goodbye." When the curtains were
lifted, we saw the band in an all-black attire. The stage looked huge due
to the position of the band and the effect of the white backdrop and white
linoleum flooring. There were lots of candlesticks and lights that created
an enchanting atmosphere. They immediately did the second song, a catchy
tune - "Everybody Says 'Don't'." It gave us a jolt because we were like in
a dream when she was singing "As If We Never Said Goodbye." The usual
greetings were said. She asked about the traffic and what was going on
around: "May midnight madness (sale) ba ngayon? Wala naman... mayro'n? O
sige, mamaya na lang tayo magkita." For those who did not know, she
explained that she holds a concert series every Christmas season at Onstage
and she loves it because she gets to do things that she cannot do in bigger
venues. This series was extra special since it was her way to honor the
artist she has long been admiring - Barbra Streisand. Then she launched to
a medley that had "My Heart Belongs to Me."
In Barbra's long career, she (like Regine) has experimented and
collaborated with many artists. Two of her popular collaborations were the
next in the repertoire. Regine first did "Guilty" then "Woman in
Love." She grooved to the music and took full advantage of her svelte
figure. She showed no discomfort in dancing and moving across the
stage. It would have been hard for other singers to do that in a long,
body-hugging gown and high heels. In "Woman in Love," they had a technical
problem. Regine made several small hand gestures to inform the crew that
the sound was too loud. She sang with the microphone a bit far from her
until the sound system was fixed to soften the music. Nevertheless, she
amazed the crowd with her lung power when she sustained a high note for a
long time. She blurted after the song, "nagulantang ba kayo
diyan? Pasensiya na ha..."
Regine revealed something not a lot of people know about Barbra - that she
is the 1st woman songwriter to win at the Academy awards in the "Best Song"
category for the song, "Evergreen." She told that trivia since she was to
do a medley of songs from the movie, "A Star is Born" in which "Evergreen"
was heard. The Hotlegs danced beside her while she sang the medley.
Before Barbra became a movie star, she was already big in Broadway. Regine
chose to do the Broadway songs Barbra had popularized. She began with the
unusual, percussion-intensive "Memory." She sang the 1st stanza of
"Somewhere," proceeded to do the haunting "Send in the Clowns" and "With
One Look" then got back to "Somewhere." She gave her all in that last
segment, her voice went to the roof.
Regine left the stage along with the band. A big screen went down and
video clips and pictures of Barbra were flashed. They presented a short
biography of Barbra with Regine as the narrator. Soon after, the band
members were onstage in their all-white outfits and Regine changed into a
long, cream, tight-fitting, beaded gown (with a long train again) that made
us think if she had something underneath. Regine got the 2nd half of the
show underway with the high-spirited "Don't Rain on My Parade." She was
given a big round of applause to which she remarked, "kanta ba yung
pinapalakpakan ninyo o yung gown?"
Since she did the Broadway tunes, it was time for her to sing the pop movie
tunes by Barbra. Of course, the sentimental "The Way We Were" could never
be forgotten. This was followed by a medley of Barbra's duets: "You Don't
Bring Me Flowers," "Till I Loved You" and "I Finally Found
Someone." Everytime a song in the medley started, a few bars from "I
Finally Found Someone" was played. So people always clapped their hands
expecting to hear that song already. As in the previous medley, the
Hotlegs came out to enhance the number. Without any word, Regine and Raul
Mitra (the musical director) sang a duet of "The Music of the Night" that
surprised everybody.
Another memorable song that livens any show came next: "No More Tears
(Enough is Enough)." While singing, Regine gave side comments ("uh huh,"
"yeah, right," "shiiit," "I don't like this song") that made it funny. The
song was turned into mambo. They also used this song to introduce the
members of the band. Afterwards, Regine thanked the producers and
sponsors. She said their names fast because they were more than a dozen.
One of Regine's favorite Barbra songs (if not her most favorite) is the sad
"Songbird." While singing, she got teary-eyed near the end. As I recall
in the "Streisand" series she did in 1995 at the Captain's Bar, she said
that this song seemed to be made for her since she could totally relate to it.
The last part of the show was allotted to one of Barbra's best works -
"Yentl." Regine liked it a lot. She spoke about its story through a
narrative and some songs. She did "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" but before
doing so, she sat on the floor and lit a candle on top of a chest. She
emoted and belted right there. I wonder if people knew how difficult that
was. The scenes from the movie were shown at the back. At the end, she
touched her eyes so that tears would not fall down her face. She stood up,
turned her back and sniffed a couple of times but gained composure right
before singing "The Way He Makes Me Feel" and "No Matter What Happens."
After thanking the audience for supporting her, she sang the final song -
"A Piece of Sky." She went all out here. I think this sounded higher than
her previous renditions of the same song in other concerts.
When Regine left the stage, many of us knew that she would come back since
the band stayed in its place. However, there were still people who shouted
"more." Regine said while walking back: "Kayo naman, tatlong taon na
nating ginagawa ito - nagpapaloko pa kayo sa 'kin. Para namang 'di n'yo
alam na yung encore namin eh 55. Sayang naman, pinagtuunan din ito ng
pansin at ni-rehearsed. Of course, I am not going to forget to sing this
song..." That song was Barbra's anthem - "People." Soon after, she did
the upbeat "On a Clear Day." She gamely posed for those taking pictures of
her. About a hundred people were at the foot of the stage holding their
cellular phones high. If she was not singing, she could have grabbed all
those phones because they were that near. The show ended literally on a
long and high note.
What struck me the most in this show was Regine's enthusiasm. She sang the
songs with fervor. Perhaps she missed singing them and they challenged her
anew especially in those fresh and appealing arrangements. Regine already
did a "Streisand" series but this latest one is different because it has a
band. I am glad for this since I do not think songs like "No More Tears
(Enough is Enough)" would work well in a piano-only setting. Compared to
the previous one, Regine is also more into this series. One can feel that
she is trying to make us into fans of Barbra like herself. About her
performance, I have always been astonished with the volume of her
voice. The microphone can be placed a foot or two away from her and she
can still be heard. Hey, there might be an amplifier implanted in her
throat. Seriously, her confidence level spells the difference between her
performance now and then. She is more at ease in everything - talking,
moving, singing onstage. She has no apprehension in reaching and
sustaining those high notes song after song and has this strong belief that
she will still have a voice and energy at the end of the show.
It is obvious that I enjoyed the show tremendously. But let me tell you
this, the one beside me seemed to have enjoyed it more than I do and got
highly impressed - he said "wow" for like 15 times.
2net : )
_____
Stage direction: Regine Velasquez
Musical direction and piano: Raul Mitra
1st keyboard: Bong Adela
2nd keyboard: Ajie Manalo
1st lead guitar: Noel Santiago
2nd lead guitar: Noel Mendez
bass guitar: Soc Mina
Drums: Niņo Regalado
Back-up vocals: Cecille, Sushi, Manolo and Zebedee
dancers: Hotlegs
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Date Posted:03:50:59 12/18/03 Thu Author Host/IP: ppp102.pool4.mnl.skyinet.net/202.78.107.102
>I was able to watch her show last Dec 13. The venue was packed and additional chairs were placed on the aisles to accomodate more people, Although I am a big fan of Regine, the last concert of hers that I attended was several years ago. So I was really excited to see her perform. Well to make it short, she's better than ever. I still had the same intense feeling, the sense of awe, the goosebumps that I feel only when she performs. She really has reaffirmed my belief that she is our best singer and concert performer.
Date Posted:18:27:00 12/21/03 Sun Author Host/IP: NoHost/203.177.28.30
We watched Regine on the same day. Like you, I only watch Regine perform live at the most once a year. She does not fail to give me goosebumps whenever she performs challenging pieces -- something which I can't say among other local artists.
And I think, she is the only singer here who can do justice to Barbra Streisand on a long stretch -- note for note, through all the sustains and nuances, without resorting to vocal tricks. The nice part of it all is that she still brings "Regine" into the interpretation and not merely a Barbra-copycat.
Needless to say, I had a wonderful time.
>>I was able to watch her show last Dec 13. The venue
>was packed and additional chairs were placed on the
>aisles to accomodate more people, Although I am a big
>fan of Regine, the last concert of hers that I
>attended was several years ago. So I was really
>excited to see her perform. Well to make it short,
>she's better than ever. I still had the same intense
>feeling, the sense of awe, the goosebumps that I feel
>only when she performs. She really has reaffirmed my
>belief that she is our best singer and concert
>performer.
"Songbird Sings Streisand" (Nov. 29)