Regine fan concert review . .

" Two for the Knight "
by RVML mbr 2net

It has long been a practice in the Philippine entertainment industry 
to hold joint concerts of male and female acts during the Valentine 
season. The concept is always to let the singers sing solo songs 
then romantic duets. What changes is the combination of singers. 

Through the years, they have invited foreign acts to add excitement 
and variety. However, those acts are usually not that popular or young 
anymore when they get to have a Valentine show here. This is where 
"Two for the Knight" differs from the rest and/or the past shows. 
Brian McKnight and Regine Velasquez, two of the most popular 
singers in their parts of the world at present, topbill "Two for the 
Knight." Because of this new and interesting combination, the 
venue was filled to the rafters.

The show started with a video of Brian entering a motorcycle 
racing competition where he got injured. He was taken to the 
hospital and he went into a long process of recovery. Then Brian 
emerged onstage wearing blue long sleeves and jeans. In his 
opening salvo, he sang a medley of his fast songs that included 
"You Could be the One." He was playing the guitar so obviously, 
he used a head microphone. I think it would have been better if 
he used the hand microphone because he did not sound that good 
using the head set. The crowd got amused when his guitarist lied 
on the floor and crisscrossed his legs in the air while playing near 
the end of the medley. After singing, he greeted the audience and 
talked about what we were celebrating - Valentine's Day. He 
proceeded to do his ballads to set the romantic mood: 
"The Only One for Me" (?) and "Biggest Part of Me."

The keyboard was soon placed at the center of the stage 
and a chair beside it. Brian went to his place at the back 
of the keyboard then Regine entered at the side wearing a 
one-sided, brown, short dress. Seeing her, people got so 
excited, many shrieked. Brian said that before going here, 
he knew that Regine is a talented singer. But, he believed it 
even more when they got to rehearse for the show. So he felt 
that he was such a lucky man to sing with Regine. Regine was 
just smiling hearing that. They first did "Love Is" (by Brian and 
Vanessa Williams). Everytime they belted, people shouted. 
When they finished, Brian blurted "Wow" in awe of Regine. 
He asked "how can you sing like that?" The ever humble 
Regine threw the question back to him, "How about you - 
you play the piano, the guitar, you sing..." Then Brian told her 
that she was on top of the list of the most talented people that 
he has worked with. He added, "I'm going out on a limb here 
in saying that if ever you need someone to write a song for you, 
I'll write for you..." 

Regine thanked him and had this big smile. The audience was 
the one thrilled for her. Immediately, they sang "Whenever You 
Call" (by Brian and Mariah Carey). I think their blending here 
was better than in their first duet. Brian went backstage 
after the song.

Regine started her set with the first single of the "Reigne" album 
that she's currently promoting - "To Reach You." Without pausing 
for a spiel, she sang "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" ( from 
"Dirty Dancing" ). This song was a hint of what was to come 
from Regine. She sang movie themes: "Never Too Far," the 
medley ("Ikaw," "Pangako" and "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw") from her 
"Regine at the Movies" concert, "Hanggang Ngayon" and "Go the 
Distance." In "Never Too Far," she definitely showed her vocal 
prowess. She was given a thunderous applause for that. Before 
doing "Hanggang Ngayon," she called Richard Gomez who was 
sitting at the front row with his wife (Lucy). Richard stood and 
wave to the crowd. Then Regine did "Hanggang Ngayon" alone. 
The solo version turned out to be softer or gentler than the duet. 
Honestly, I like the solo version than the duet. To make the show 
lively, she sang the disco medley she first did in the "Retro" 
concert. I was disappointed that the crowd was KJ (kill joy). A 
crowd that big would have had so much fun in that kind of medley. 
Instead, the people just sat down, they were like stones. 
Nevertheless, they liked the medley so they gave her a big round of 
applause. Before ending her part with a show-stopping rendition of 
"Go the Distance," she introduced the members of the band 
and told them how proud she was of them because they could play 
as well as a foreignband. It was quite apparent that her last song 
was "Go the Distance" because she was already thanking the crowd 
for being there. When Regine's part ended, there was a momentary 
lull since Brian and his band went onstage.It was like they were starting 
the concert by showing a video of Brian riding a motorcycle. Brian 
appeared with 2 dancers wearing black pants, coat and a hat and a 
white shirt. He did a fast song and danced alongside the dancers. 
He took of his coat and hat then called a girl (Erica) onstage. He 
sang for her "Stay" and "Superhero." He escorted the girl to the side 
and then disappeared. The band already started "Anytime" when 
Brian entered from the back of the crowd. He shook hands with the 
crowd on his way to the stage while singing. He wanted us to sing 
with him the line "I miss you." It did not work because the tune he 
gave us was not that simple. Soon after, he got his guitar and he 
started playing "6, 8, 12" with 2 other guitarists at his side. To lighten 
the mood, he did "My Kind of Girl" where Justin Timberlake (of 'Nsync) 
sang with him on video. That got the crowd clapping a little. The 
keyboard was placed again at the center and Brian talked about 
himself a little. He revealed that he started playing the piano at 15 
in jazz bars. He gave us a sample with "What's It Gonna Be." There 
was a dancer wearing a white suit and hat with a trumpet on her hand 
who showed her skill while Brian played. She was like tap dancing 
and also doing Michael Jackson steps. Then Brian launched to "Still" 
- the new single of his "Super-hero" album. What followed was the 
first song of his that became a hit here in the country - "One Last Cry." 
Obviously, the people went nuts. After the song, Brian shouted 
"Thank you, Manila!" But of course, he could not leave without 
singing "Back at One." I thought that it would be a capella
because they used a recorded voice of Brian for the intro.. 
They changed the arrangement a bit so the people did not know 
if they would sing along or not. Brian was given a standing 
ovation, he waved to the crowd then left the stage.

Performance-wise, Brian was really great. Up to the end, 
his voice sounded excellent. He is fond of extending the high 
notes. He can be the male version of Regine. Regine also gave 
a good performance considering the fact that she is overworked. 
However, with the songs... Brian's repertoire was more suited for a 
small or intimatevenue. Only a few of his songs connected to the 
crowd. I saw a couple of people dozing off when he was doing his 
songs. Regine's a seasoned performer here, she knew what songs 
would work in a big venue so most of her songs were well-received.

When I was going home, I realized that I should have told the others 
the text message I received from a friend of mine who got to see 
the show the previous night: "Enjoy the show but don't expect 
too much from it."

2net : )

Brian's band: He did not introduce them.

Regine's band:
Musical director and 1st keyboard: Raul Mitra
lead guitar: Cesar Aguas
bass guitar: Soc Mina
2nd keyboard, saxophone and flute: Dix Lucero
drums: Niño Regalado
back-up vocals: Cecille, Sushi, Manolo and Zebedee 

Sat, 16 Feb 2002

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