A Concert Diva in the Making

I have been to only two concerts in my life. The first was a Martin Nievera Concert, which my parents made me go to. I was not at all interested, seeing as I was only eight, but who was I to complain? I was going to the concert of the “Concert King”, no better assurance of a great concert there, and it really was great – even for an eight year old. The second was a tad bit more interesting. A 17-year-old girl, who was having her first concert here in Manila – not a very assuring tag line and it would most probably have people ignoring this event. However, add the name Charice Pempengco, and people from all over the country will line up for tickets to this concert.

Sure enough, people did. The producers of "Charice: The Journey Begins" had to add more tickets on the evening itself to accommodate the fans that trooped to the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. As the number of tickets being sold rose, the hype of it becoming a great concert heightened, and the pressure became inevitable.

SMX Convention Center was a remarkable sight on the evening of the concert, with crowds of people lining up not just inside the convention center but outside as well – all waiting for the chance to see their idol sing live. The people were ushered to their seats by the staff of the concert, all wearing Charice Pempengco shirts, while television advertisements of the concert’s sponsors played on the big screen. Just sitting there, I could already feel the excitement and anticipation of the audience. In front of me was Mr. Boy Abunda himself and to my near left was Dra. Vicky Belo and her daughter. Even the local celebrities were excited to see Charice Pempengco sing live. Right beside me were two grandmothers who kept asking me what time it was, and complaining that the concert should have started twenty minutes ago. Not long after that, it became clear that they were not the only ones thinking that, for the crowd behind us started clapping - as if to say, “Start the concert! We’re waiting!”.

The digital countdown to the start of the concert helped turn up the hype even more, with the last five counts of the countdown also went the last five counts of the crowds’ patience. Then, the journey began. A video montage of Charice Pempengco’s rise to fame played on the big screen while the live band played an instrumental snippet of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” – a song from the movie “Dreamgirls” that Charice sung in one of the YouTube videos that became her key to stardom. The crowd went wild when Charice went on stage. She was wearing a white balloon dress designed by Avel Bacudio, which just appropriately, with this being her first solo concert in the Philippines, made her look like a debutante.

Despite having a cough, Charice Pempengco was still able to perform a powerful rendition of her first song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”. After which, she thanked the audience for coming all the while holding back her tears. Her next two songs, “My Heart Will Go On” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, which were both cut short, are two childhood favorites she later explained. Charice performed the two songs differently as the former stayed true to its original version as a belt-out tune and the latter, a more emotional and soulful rendition.

Before going backstage for a costume change, her Little Big Stars batch mates joined her on stage to perform their respective contest pieces during the show. However, they were found to be incomparable to Charice Pempengco as the contrast of their voices became even more evident when Charice sang her own contest piece.

Charice appeared again wearing a yellow ball gown that channeled Belle in the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. In this gown, she performed with whom she recognized as “the most important woman in my life” – her mother. As they sang a heartfelt rendition of the song “You and Me against the World”, sniffs were heard throughout the concert hall, especially from the moms present. Also in this gown, she performed the song “The Prayer” with Christian Bautista, which sent shivers down my spine. All were in awe as they performed the song flawlessly.

One of the highlights of the concert was when she paid tribute to Michael Jackson, who passed away just days before her concert. So wearing an all-black ensemble that resembled a pop star costume from the 80’s, Charice went on to dance the Moonwalk as people cheered. “She's not only a talented singer – but a wonderful dancer as well”, the grandmother beside me said with clear admiration.

More celebrities were brought out on stage, but the biggest celebrity present was the original diva herself, Ms. Kuh Ledesma, who was filling in for Ms. Regine Velasquez who could not make it as she was brought to the hospital. Silence fell in the audience as she and Charice Pempengco performed the song “Anak”. As Charice went on to the backstage for yet another, costume change, Ms. Kuh Ledesma serenaded the audience with the song “What is Love?” and left them awestruck when she exited the stage to make way for Charice.

After two more costume changes, the concert was nearing it's end. Charice Pempengco performed her much-awaited debut single, “Note to God” which she performed first live in Oprah, with a background choir. This song was without a doubt the peak of the concert, with the audience giving her a standing ovation and demanding an encore – which she granted.

Wearing her last costume, a pink puffy balloon gown with a blazer, she sang the song “Paano Kita Pasasalamatan?” with friends and family on stage, as her way of saying thank you to her audience. It was indeed a glorious moment for her as her first-ever major concert in her hometown ended. Confetti fell from the ceilings as Charice sang her last note. However, even with the powerful performances, major stars and emotional pieces, the concert was still far from flawless.

Grace and stage presence was what this young diva lacked, which became evident when the original diva, Ms. Kuh Ledesma, joined her on stage. Charice just drowned out in the background. Some may have found her Filipino-child-like actuation on stage with her po and opo’s, and corny kiddy jokes cute, but other people found it to be too casual for a major concert. I doubt, though, if Ms. Regine Velasquez and Ms. Kuh Ledesma didn’t start out that way. Charice Pempengco is still at the beginning of her career, and she has a lot of time to improve those glitches. Not the
hardest job for her, though. Even now, with all those imperfections, she managed to fill up the entire SMX Convention Center, what more in the future when she’s ironed all the glitches? Philippines should prepare for the rise of yet another, concert diva – and build a bigger venue to accommodate the massive crowd this young diva will surely bring in the future.

By: Jeshia Abjelina Student No. 094156 AB-SOS