krvilla.

2009
Charice personally announced her homecoming on June 6, 2009 in a short,
snappy, 31-character message on her Twitter account, a kind of broadcast to
anyone and everyone who cared to follow or read. She wrote:
Philippines! Here i come!!!! :)
The frst quarter of the year started with word on the street about the possibility
of Charice in a major concert, with Araneta Coliseum as likely venue yet with an
undetermined date. Was it going to be a solo, if ever, or a back-to-back concert
with an established singer?
Charice had been in America two months prior to her homecoming. In between
brief appearances on Philippine television and short numbers in Metro Manila
malls, she was hither and tither, booked in singing engagements in the US mostly
on music producer David Fosters concerts and privately-hosted celebrity charity
shows, in a live spot at the Today Show on the NBC network, all the while,
she would say when asked, recording her frst US album.
Charice also appeared twice on the highly-rated Italian television show Ti Lascio
Una Canzone, frst, in April 2009, where she surprised and won the admiration of
the Italian public after her maiden performance, and the following month, May,
when she was chosen by its viewers, among all other foreign celebrities who had
graced the show, as special guest for its end-of-season episode.
The highlight of all of these appearances was the high-profle debut of Charices
North American single Note To God on the Oprah Show on May 17, 2009.
Following the Journey:
The GifT of ChARiCe
krvilla.2009
When word offcially got out about her
coming home, a number of Charices
avid followers couldnt wait to know
When, where? Also, How much?
referring to her much anticipated and
recently-staged Philippine solo concert.
It started as speculation much discussed on-line and
in print months ago. In the late days of June 2009,
it became reality.
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Many acknowledge this special Oprah Show perform-
ance a frst for a Filipino performer, as did simultane-
ously charting on Billboard, Amazon.com and the Apple
Inc. owned-and-controlled iTunes Store which Char-
ices debut single Note To God accomplished.
Back Home
While most of her followers were focused on the pos-
sibility of a Charice concert, her homecoming Twitter post was actually about
being part of the 111
th
Philippine Independence Day celebrations on June
12 at the Luneta in which she was among a line-up of guests that included
Filipina singers Pilita Corrales, Grace Nono and Sheryn Regis.
Charice was originally supposed to go back to the US after the Luneta event,
and then come home to the Philippines just days before her concert date.
The probability and date of a concert was more or less defnite by this time
but it still was without an announced venue and ticket availability.
However, as Charice was to be in Manila for only a total of three weeks
before her reported concert date, a change in travel plans proved to be more
sensible.
Coming home to a mixed atmosphere of the AH1N1 scare, a brewing political
climate, a school opening frenzy and very unpredictable wet weather, condi-
tions that preoccupied a majority of Filipinos and contributed to the uncer-
tainty of organizing such an event, Charices homecoming, instead, became
more of a series of public commitments promoting her weeks-old Philippine
single on television rather belatedly, of sit-down and on-location interviews
and such, and fnalizing repertoire and other concert details.
She managed to squeeze in a hastily-arranged 2-song gig in SM Sta. Rosa,
a mall in Laguna Province south of Metro Manila between those engagements,
plus attend the 40th Guillermo Mendoza Foundation ceremony on June 22,
2009 to personally receive the Outstanding Global Achievement by a Filipino
Award she shared with fellow singer Arnel Pineda of Journey.
The concert journey begins
A June concert by Charice was at the stage of being much discussed as
late as May 2009, but it wasnt until after her June 12 Independence Day
appearance that defnite details were announced through a press conference,
yet, again, without information on ticket availability and prices. As such, this
gave fans and followers very limited time to make concrete plans about
going, and Charice herself barely two weeks to actually promote the
concert.
Concert Details
Charice only began mentioning more details about her concert days after
the press conference while promoting her second Philippine album and
its carrier single Always You, mostly, if not altogether limited to, ABS-CBN
network shows.
Titled Charice: The Journey Begins, this frst Philippine solo concert was
confrmed for June 27 at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia
Complex in Pasay City at 8 pm.
Ticket availability and prices were not announced until more than 10 days
before the event. Her special guest, Regine Velasquez, who by then was also
fnally announced, reassured the publics skepticism of her participation in
a taped television interview just three days before the concert date.
On the other hand, word also got around that the strain of Charices
very tight Philippine schedule and the effects of an erratic June weather
were taking its toll on her health a full week before concert date. Velasquez
herself did note, in the taped interview taken during their rehearsals, that
Charice was slightly unwell.
A Logistics Challenge
For many production and marketing veterans, heading straight into a major
event such as Charice concert was a big risk with barely three weeks for
preparation and with limited promotions.
This looked like it was going to be one tough event to pull off, consider-
ing that the ticket price range, when it was fnally made public, was quite
steep, and the concert venue almost unfamiliar and somewhat inaccessible to
many prospective attendees who expected it to be held at the usual concert
venues.
The P5,000 front row tickets were mostly reserved seats and not for sale to
the public. Those from P3,500 and below were said to have been sold-out
days after the tickets were opened for purchase.
Opposite page, top:
Videograb from the
Oprah Show, May 2009
Bottom spread:
Videograbs of Charice
in SMSta. Rosa Mall,
May 2009
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Charices local management reported in the papers that 85% of the tickets
had been sold two days before the concert.
After a series of attempts earlier in the week to inquire about ticket avail-
ability, I fnally got through TicketNet myself (the offcial ticket outlet) at
11:25 a.m. of Saturday, June 27 and was told by its staff on the phone that
the only available seats were: 3 on Gold Section (P1,500, Row 4, seats 16-18),
9 on Silver (Row 7, seats 21-29), both outer-edge section seats, and a few
hundred Bronze Section tickets (P500, rear rows, free seating).
This information somehow gave me a clearer picture of how audience
turnout would be like and appeared to confrm the news about ticket sales.
Content to watch on-line and some attendees in a quandary
It was quite reassuring to know from TicketNet that the concert looked like
it would have a good turnout after all, what with all the late announcements,
pricey tickets, and intermittent thunderstorms just two days before the date.
I cannot stress enough how important this event was to many of Charices
long-time followers.
The consequence of a very late confrmation of concert details was the in-
ability of many of Charices fans based overseas (mostly Filipinos in the US)
and of outside Metro Manila who couldnt make plans, fle proper leave
notices from work or obtain plane bookings.
I learned of their grievances when the concert date was fnally announced
and how it put many in a quandary or jeopardized their plans of attending,
especially since many of them had been looking forward to be in an event
they considered signifcant. This became a common gripe especially among
the overseas fans.
I had looked forward to watching Charice live myself after seeing her per-
form on Ellen and Oprah, and made the call to TicketNet that Saturday, the
morning of the concert date, because of my erratic work schedule. I was dis-
heartened to learn about the limited choice in seats that were left available.
Over at Charices fan sites, a number of her overseas and out-of-town sup-
porters who defnitely couldnt fy home or make a trip to Metro Manila de-
cided to pitched in and sponsor P500 Bronze tickets for fellow hometown
fans who could not afford to watch but could to attend.
The sponsor-fans did this to make up for their absence in exchange for video
uploads and pictures they could view on-line.
A total of 55 recipients, fan site members collectively called Chasters, were
among the lucky ones assured of entrance including a former classmate
of Charice from Laguna where both hail from. Some came from as far
as Pampanga in the north, Bacolod and Iloilo in the Visayas, and Davao and
Gen. Santos City in Mindanao, all arriving in Manila on the afternoon of
June 27. There were also a few from countries around Southeast Asia and the
Middle East who few in just to watch.
A disquieting venue
The SMX Convention Center is said to allow a maximum of 8,000 people
on its ground foor Convention Area with the entire foor space of the 4 Halls
that compose it opened up. A few concerts had been held there in the past,
notably of American singer Alicia Keys in August 2008.
The SMX
Coming from a theater, production and events background, I would describe
the venue as anything but a decent concert venue. It has a high headroom
but little else. It has no proper dressing rooms, no fxed stage and no elevated
audience area.
The SMX Convention Hall has no acoustic walls or backing, no provision
and facilities for stage lights, no built-in trusses, no cyclorama (the white
fabric usually at the rear-center of the stage), no wings (left and right hidden
portions of the stage) and no box offce from where tickets can be bought
or claimed.
The audience queue
as seen from the
MOA parking area
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In other words, while it is an impressive edifce, with equally impressive
but narrow lobby, it is all of a humongous, bare rectangular hall with con-
crete structural posts in the middle that could potentially block audiences
view of performances. To have good acoustics, good lighting and a good
view of the performances would require a producer to provide all neces-
sary sound and production equipment and construct or assemble everything
on site.
Her stage
Charices stage was constructed in the middle of the hall opposite the
central entrance. The monobloc plastic seats provided for the audience were
arranged following the length of the entire hall, quite interestingly much like
a convention, with steel barriers between sections.
There are 4 structural posts in the middle but a space was set around each
that would have accommodated 12 seats all around. But because the depth
was narrower (and longer) between rows and sections, a P1,000 ticket gave
a near enough view of the stage.
Nevertheless, the seating arrangement afforded members of the audience
some kind of intimacy between them and the performers. However, being
in the back-row seats (and because the audience area was uni-level) meant
stretching out ones neck to get a full view.
I could tell that the narrow stage itself, constructed against one side of
an all-concrete hall, would pose an audio problem because there was noth-
ing in the rear end of the stage that could provide a good acoustic bounce
towards the audience and the loudspeakers within the hall were limited.
There were only black drapes below a large LCD screen that was hung above-
center of the stage. The band was positioned below the screen just before
the drapes.
Duel
I should note that my interest in watching this concert was to hear Charice
live and experience what it is like to see her in person.
I have never been much of a fan (or follower) of singers or concerts that con-
sist of cover songs in its line-up, or of singers who are sure to hit notes higher
than their original arrangement simply because they can do it.
Therefore, in the rare instances that I have had to be in events like those
meant a lot of mental preparation and psyching up to have to endure a night
of competitive belting and not head home near-deaf and disappointed.
In other words, it was good marketing to have Regine Velasquez guest
on Charices frst concert as Charice herself had been very public about
being strongly infuenced by her, and had been wishing for a duet, if not be
on the same stage with her.
Regine Velasquez, bestowed the title Asias Songbird after winning grand-
prize in the Asia-Pacifc Singing Contest in Hong Kong in 1989, a belter and
multi-octave singer senior to Charice, is also often referred as the Philippines
counterpart to Mariah Carey.
For that reason, I was honestly not too thrilled about having both duel it up
that evening. Instead, I had hoped that they be given songs that could show
off their harmony.
I did, however, go with an open mind, and was pretty much successful at
throwing out all expectations as I rushed to the venue by myself.
C-Day
On the day of the concert, many of Charices ardent fans were at the Mall Of
Asia (MOA) complex as early as 4 p.m. assembling in nearby fast food chains
or congregating in groups.
The concert, as announced, was set for 8 p.m. By sunset, the parking area
of MOA in front of the SMX Convention Center was visibly getting full.
Concert audience minutes
before the countdown
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A crowd had started to
thicken around the en-
trance of the venue,
with many more rushing
towards it. By around 7
p.m., the line had stretched
to half the length of the
building that snaked around
the corner.
Half an hour later, two lines
had formed while more
people continuously queued up. By 8 pm, not everyone had made it inside
the venue yet.
The audience
The concert crowd was a mix of people from all ages: there were the grand-
motherly, families with children as young as 8 or 9, the girl-groups and boy-
groups.
There were teenagers, young and middle-aged working class groups who
have come from work in their casual business attire and some who might
look like their bosses. There were also a few foreigners mixed in the crowd
along with press photographers and production crew members with cameras.
And there were the curious, the oglers.
It was rather chaotic towards the entrance because many thought the show
would start without them catching the opening sequences. Obviously, let-
ting people inside the venue was taking some time and the disorganized
management of two lines of people that had formed on opposite sides of
the entrance showed the apparent lack of coordination among ushers.
Rep. Roilo Golez and family were seen coming in through the side entrance
of the venue followed by some well-dressed concert-goers. At 8:35 p.m.,
television host Boy Abunda and company arrived in a chauffeur-driven white
van. When he got inside, a black luxurious Benz followed shortly from where
emerged celebrity aesthetic surgeon Vicky Belo and her daughters. It was
almost 9 p.m. and there were quite a handful of people still waiting in line.
The lobby
In the lobby, people were hopping from one merchandising booth to the
next. Promo girls were giving out cardboard fans with Charices image on it.
Some booths sold her albums and other memorabilia; others, a glossy mag
with Charice on the cover priced at P100 each.
Shirts were on display, too. It is safe to assume that the merchandisers were
to have a good night based on the number of people seen holding shirts and
caps, trying them out for size and actually wearing these during the show.
The glossy magazine also provided some relief during the hour-long wait
inside the concert hall. All merchandise and souvenirs were reportedly sold
out before the show ended.
Outside, meanwhile, were a few people grabbing quick bites from food stalls
bought from the lobby, or catching up on last-minute cigarette puffs while
waiting for the concert to start.
Restless
It was already past 9 p.m. and the audience already seated in the concert hall
grew restless, clapping and hooting at the stage sporadically.
The venue was nearly full with just enough space provided in case of emer-
gency even after additional chairs were brought in. Other spaces were taken
up by equipment, scaffolds, trusses and the like.
Most of the audience have been seated for almost an hour by now, suc-
cessfully claiming some seats after a couple of arguments with ushers
or with fellow audience members who may have taken seats by mistake.
This was particularly true in the reserved-seats section.
It was about 20 minutes, maybe more, past 9 p.m. when the lights dimmed
and an animated countdown fashed on screen. This revved the audience
who gamely joined in the countdown.
Not a one-song gig in the Key of C
The concert proper started with a collage of videos that chronicled Charices
life as seen on television (i.e. as a contender in singing contests) and on
YouTube.
The YouTube clips, which have now become familiar to on-line video junkies
who have followed her phenomenal success, were beamed on a screen that
doubled as cyclorama, presented offcially, as it were, for the frst time
to the public. I noted that the projected images were not in proportion to
Above
Near-full concert hall
at 8 p.m.
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the screen which, at this point,
hinted at the concert produc-
ers equipment and the venues
lack of proper facilities.
Immediately after the last
video, Charice emerged
center-stage, awash in white
and lit from behind, sing-
ing one of her signature
songs, And I Am Telling You
(Im Not Going). This was
the frst of 20 or so songs
that would include three
medleys and dance numbers.
When the stage lights came on
full for the frst time, Charice
was seen holding back tears as she thanked the audience for coming.
A full nights showcase
In one of her earlier spiels, Charice said that she had always been called in
to sing just one song; two at most.
She also said that the 2-hour concert would be a showcase of songs that
meant a lot to hersongs from her very young attempts at singing
in private, to ones she sang in her foreign engagements, all of these now
popular and fully documented on YouTube.
And a full night it was to be, a night without an intermission to boot,
although I must say that the entire production suffered major faws, primarily
where audio and video were concerned.
Carrying on
Charice carried on from one number to the next, interrupted only by the
required set of wardrobe changesseven in allwhich lasted 10 minutes
at most, the length of time guest singer Christian Bautista sang his Original
Pilipino Music (OPM) medley towards the middle of the show.
Before Bautista was the frst of three medleys Charice sang with her
Little Big Star batch mates who came into the segue of her ffth solo
number, If I Were You.
This medley of two pop classics and two Filipino songs was arranged
and sang beautifully by Charice and her young male counterparts Makisig
Morales, Kyle Balili, Rhap Salazar and Gian Barbarona, with each given a solo
in some parts.
I Will Always Love You, another signature song, followed the frst medley.
A photo of Whitney Houston with a written dedication to Charice was shown
on screen throughout this song.
It must be noted that I Will Always Love You was sung by Charice in place
of Whitney Houston at the David Foster and Friends concert tour in the US
and Canada last year, and in its offcial DVD movie.
This is the song that always gave Charice a rousing ovation by the audience,
particularly in the songs last chorus accentuated by a single drum beat that
precedes it. Its a spectacular climax as arranged by David Foster for Whit-
ney Houston in the Bodyguard soundtrack single, and for Charice in the
David Foster and Friends concerts. (The song was written and originally
recorded by Dolly Parton).
Anyway, because I Will Always Love You has become famous for its familiar
climax, the audience was put off during Charices number when the drum
highlight came a beat late into the anticipated fnal chorus.
Charice expertly carried on and fnished it on a high note despite this glaring
miscue. However, it was a most memorable faux pas by the drummer consid-
ering the number of times she has sung this song with a band, live, always
so perfectly.
Confdence
At this point, Charice had changed from white to a yellow gown. The
signifcance of the outft was pretty obvious to the majority of the audience.
Many recalled, in whispers and with mixed emotions, a similar dress she wore
Opposite page
The opening number
Above (left and center)
Earlier songs
(right) Medley with
Little Big Star colleagues
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during the fnals of the talent show Little Big Star in which she lost.
She then called her mother, Raquel, from the audience to join her on stage.
What came next was a poignant duet with her.
Raquel was in a near-identical yellow gown as they sang You And Me
Against The World. Charice held her mother by the hand through-
out most of the song as Raquel, a former band vocalist, visibly showed signs
of uneasiness.
At the same time, the expressions on their faces were magnifed on screen
and it was clear how Charice has gained so much self-confdence singing
this classic Helen Reddy song, in tandem with her childhood vocal coach
and mentor. She sang it with such command and with genuine emotion
one would think shed been singing it far longer than her mother did.
Surprises
The frst of a number of surprises was when Charice mentioned writing
Amazing her eighth song for the evening.
Amazing is a contemporary and catchy song, something that befts her
age. While it is easily a pop song that did not require much vocal acrobat-
ics, as many would describe melisma, Charice sang it with style without
making it sound cheesy. Amazing was a welcome break from the string
of retro standards sang earlier.
Listen, a powerful and vocally demanding piece originally done by
Beyonc Knowles, came next. It showcased Charices vocal range and fexibi-
lity. This was a perfect number which she sang, againand as she always
haswith ease and confdence.
Devoted followers in the audience know Charices interpretation of this song
by heart and she did not let them down.
Listen was complemented by cheers
and whistles from the crowd at each cre-
scendo and key shifts and was one of
the well-applauded early numbers.
The Philippine Josh Groban
Theater actor and pop balladeer Chris-
tian Bautista, Charice implied, could
very well be the Philippines answer to Josh
Groban but I guess she meant in appeal
and charm. Bautista did a good job at sing-
ing the male parts of The Prayer but there
were moments when he sang much to
the letter and allowed Charice to get away with the female parts in her own
style. Having said that, theirs was a harmonious blend of voices nonetheless.
After the duet, Charice exited for another wardrobe change and left
Bautista on stage for his OPM medley. Bautista, himself a versatile singer,
sang the Filipino songs in a safe and standard manner, however, that it made
him sound like a background lounge singer during his solo.
While there were some girls in the crowd he interacted with between spiels
and conversations with the audience, it is unfortunate that Bautista failed
to grab the chance to truly serenade the audience with his songs, espe-
cially since he was the only mature male guest and his number consisted
of well-loved OPM ballads and classics. The audience was responsive and
all the same gave him a warm applause.
A live wire
Charice is a live wire on stage, especially when singing fast, upbeat songs.
When she did the Gloria Gaynor disco classic I Will Survive with an all-male
dance group, she emerged in an ensemble of black jacket on a shimmering
black shirt, black pants and a Michael Jackson-like glove on her right hand.
In past concerts that were recorded and are viewable on-line, Charice would
be normally jump off the stage and mingle with the crowd whenever she sang
this song.
Opposite page
Charice and mother, Raquel, sing a duet
smee|chasters.us
Above
Christian Bautista, the Philippines Josh Groban
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Many speculated after
the show that perhaps
because of the length of
time it took her to change wardrobes into this number (there was a few
minutes of lull between Bautistas and this one), or the prohibiting audi-
ence seating arrangement, or that the concert itself started lateperhaps
a combination of all threethat members of the audience just sat glued to
their seats throughout this fast segment.
I guess it may also
be because Charice was
pretty much held in
place, seemingly weighed
down by her gowns that
looked twice heavier than she in the earlier segments (she did admit
to having diffculties moving about in her heels), or that there wasnt
enough punch coming from the live band as a consequence of the venues
lack of acoustic support, that the audience, with a few clapping to the
beat, mostly just sat contentedly listening or watching her sing and move
in step with her back-up
dancers on stage.
Her second set of upbeat
songs began with Halo,
another Beyonc original.
Charice posted on her Twitter account just weeks before, in reply to a follow-
ers question, that Halo is a diffcult song (to sing). That evening, however,
Charice more than pleased the audience just by singing it so well it was one
number in which she outdid herself. It drew a well-deserved applause.
This upbeat medley fowed
into Billie Jean, complete
with her now equally-
famous moonwalk version,
the intro to her Michael
Jackson tribute.
A moving performance of You Are Not Alone concluded this song-
and- dance tribute. Charice was captured on screen almost in tears once more
as she recounted that she would have been rehearsing Billie Jean as she had
just performed it on stage
that evening, with no less
than Michael Jackson had
she left for the US immediately after her show,
in what would have been Jacksons July 8 come-
back concert in London.
Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009;
Charice, meanwhile, opted to extend her stay
in the Philippines and was still in Manila as of July
3, 2009.
Enduring
Billie Jean was song no. 15, though technically,
it was Charices 20
th
for the night and the last in the second set of medleys in
her repertoire.
Between numbers, and throughout much of the concert, Charice could
be seen coughing silently. Because of the nearness of the majority of the
audience to the stage and her image captured on the large LCD screen,
her attempts at concealing her cough or clearing her throatshe would turn
her back or make a quick spinwas evident.
The upbeat Billie Jean number was followed by the last medley which
consisted of old and new American standards currently identifed with Charice
by the younger set and by many of her fans.
That she managed to get to this point in the concert, keep the audience all
ears and at attention despite the varying degree of audience reaction after 20
songs was already a feat in itself.
The original Diva
This last medley fnished with the much anticipated When You Believe
number because a snippet of it was shown days earlier on television being
rehearsed by Charice and Regine Velasquez in a recording studio for this
evening.
However, it was sang solo by Charice throughout. It was while she sang this
that Charice told the audience of Velasquez absence due to illness and was,
at that moment, confned in the hospital.
There was a brief letdown felt among the audience as I made out a few silhou-
ettes, maybe 8 at most, who stood up, walked past me and left.
Although it was a silent reaction, the instant drop in energy among the crowd
was noticeable.
Opposite page,
top to bottom
Upbeat medley
numbers
Above
Charice announces
Regine Velasquez
abscence
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This brief moment of silenceit felt like it
lasted for minutesenveloped the venue very
quickly, interrupted just in time by a male au-
dience who let out a yell in the vernacular to
say that Charice was good enough to have
for the rest of the evening. This cheer drew
laughter from the gallery.
Charice did not let this pass and in fact jokingly
acknowledged the cheerer in the crowd. Charice
took control of the situation at this point and
sprang her third surprise by presenting Kuh Ledesma on stage.
Kuh Ledesma, referred to as the Philippines original diva, elegant as always,
suave and gracious that concert evening, was a most ftting guest that to call
her a replacement for Velasquez is inappropriate.
Ledesma confrmed the unfortunate news about Velasquezs condition and
confessed that she was, in fact, dressed in Velasquez gown.
She thereafter gave an affrmation of Charices professionalism and talent by
crediting Charice for learning their number just hours ahead of the concert.
Apparently, it wasnt to be just a regular song.
Their jazzy duet of the lyrical OPM classic Anak (Child) turned out to be
one of the most memorable surprise numbers thus far. Despite the changes
in tempo, it was an excellent duet rendered soulfully and with fair by both
Kuh Ledesma and Charice.
The band, on the other hand, that had struggled to be heard or be in sync with
Charices vocal prowess and was upstaged several times by her energy and
singular stage presence since the beginning of the concert, redeemed itself
by doing a good job in Anak.
The Choir
The same can be said about the Rosa Mystica Choir that accompanied Charice
earlier in Youll Never Walk Alone and You Raise Me Up.
With about 20 members, their strength in number was diminished by the
sorry lack of proper mic pick-ups and poor stage positioning.
The Rosa Mystica Choir is, in fact, a very competent choral group. It is based
in Manila and makes the Binondo Catholic Church its home. It is a professional
choral group thats been invited to represent the country in many perform-
ances abroad.
Unfortunately that evening, the choir
simply blended into the dark background,
their voices drowned out by the rough
acoustics coming from the band, in part bec-
ause each hardly had any audio space between
them on stage.
The accompaniments rendered by the
Rosa Mystica Choir simply highlighted the
producers choice of venue (granted that
it may have been the only available choice
at the time), inadequate equipment and to-
tal unpreparedness for someone as intense a performer as Charice, as these
almost brought some song numbers to its knees, like when she ended
Youll Never Walk Alone a key higher as a consequence perhaps of poor
audio feedback..
The last quarter
After their duet, Charice left Kuh Ledesma on stage for Ledesmas stirring
solo performance of The Rose. Charice later came back in a blue gown for
another show-off vocal piece, One Moment In Time.
At Last
It was Charices follow-up song, the classic and very classy At Last by Etta
James that was, for me, the most welcome surprise among all those she had
sprung earlier, it made my attendance more than rewarding.
Apologizing to the audience for the frst and only time, Charice asked for the
indulgence of the audience to be seated on the steps as she sang what she
said was the US President and Mrs. Obamas all-time favorite song.
Opposite page, top
With Kuh Ledesma
smee|chasters.us
Above
Charice on the steps singing At Last
Bottom
Applause and cheers for an encore
krvilla.09
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| 21
This number was Charice at her low-key, laid back best. She proved that
she could sing with such smoothness and lan, without belting, one forgot
it was a girl on stage who just turned 17 the month before that was singing.
I just hope people of her age and genre fully understood how extremely
good she sang this number. At Last is a song very rarely heard on Philippine
air waves and probably popular only to the older cosmopolitan sector not
reared listening to local AM radio broadcasts or sat through afternoon song-
and-dance pop variety shows on TV generations ago.
Finally, Charice teasingly told the crowd that she was to
sing her last song, her Philippine hit Always You.
This would have been song no. 21 in the line-up,
but again, if each song in the 3 medleys were counted,
this would be song no. 31. It was almost 11 p.m. already
yet people not only responded to her in disbelief upon
hearing her say this, they clamored for more.
If Charice was at all tired or out of breath after nearly
30 songs in two hours, going through seven wardrobe
changes, dancing in three fast routines, and thrusting and
throwing her fragile body on each upbeat of some vocally
demanding pieces, it certainly wasnt apparent. She was,
however, caught heaving on screen, yet gamely went ahead to sing Always
You.
The crowd knew this song by heart, too, the carrier single to a recently-award-
ed platinum album My Inspiration, her second released in the Philippines.
After a big round of applause, the audience, many of whom sat throughout
the show silent and proper, was now much more re-energized.
The last big surprise was when she said it wouldnt have been right if she
did not sing her American single Note To God to the audience that evening.
This sent the crowd cheering wildly.
The Rosa Mystica Choir came on stage for the second and last time. If
the choirs earlier spots were wanting, it somehow was able to compensate
for earlier accompaniments in this one. It looked like they had more micro-
phones this time aroundyes, that helpedbut the band was once again
effectively overwhelmed by
Charice and the choir, particu-
larly by the basses and bari-
tones.
Denouement
The crowd fnally let go and
gave the last number a much-
deserved standing ovation,
but none budged from their
seats.
I heard a man beside me say, Lets go! and was surprised to hear little
girls voices in response: But shes still gonna sing! It was a minor argument
in which the man, presumably the father of the girls, lost.
I dont know what gave those girls so much faith in an encore after almost
two hours of songs, but sing Charice did.
Charice came out to a round of applause much louder than what they gave
at the beginning, to render another Filipino classic, Paano Kita Mapasa-
salamatan (How Can I Ever Thank You).
Understandably, Charice sings Tagalog songs with heart and soul, though that
doesnt mean she gives of herself less when she sings in English (or in other
languages for that matter, i.e. French and Italian as in past recorded perform-
ances).
For each time she thrusts her body forward or gesticulates when she
sings, refexes perhaps to help in follow-throughs, one experiences not just
the notes but the spirit of the songs jutting out of her teeny, fragile frame.
Above
Caught on screen teasing the audience
Opposite page, top
With the choir, family and friends on stage
Bottom
Prolonged end-of-show ovation
krvilla.09
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| 23
The show concluded with Maghintay Ka Lamang (Just You Wait), recently
revealed in a tell-all interview to be her and her mothers theme song that
provided them optimism and sense of propriety through their early days
of poverty and struggle.
Charice enjoined the crowd to sing along with her, calling in, towards
the end of this song, family, friends and fans on stage. To them, and to the
audience in the gallery, she sang the last few stanzas sincerely and affection-
ately. The feeling she put into the performance permeated through the walls
of the concert hall.
In closing, the producers showed a series of congratulatory and good-luck
videos from Charices American management team led by David Foster.
Against all odds
If in life, Charices journey to fame and success was paved with struggles,
her frst solo concert seemed to summarize those years in three short,
emotionally charged weeks and 2 1/2 hours of songs.
If there is any affrmation to her maturing as the next big star from
Asia, to quote David Fostera big statement that comes with bigger expec-
tations and responsibilitiesit is that Charice surprisingly pulled off a suc-
cessful concert, getting paying patrons to troop in droves to the Mall of
Asia south of Metro Manila on short notice, fll the SMX venue and gave
an impressive evening of performances the equivalent of two full concerts.
Charice never made a big deal of her physical condition before and during
the concert publiclyif it was at all anything really seriousor of the intrigues
concerning its mounting, or even of her busy trans-atlantic schedule.
She, in fact, reiterated to her audience very early in the show how much she
wanted the concert to happen despite the odds, and she gave it her all.
To say that Charice will go far given her drive, her excellent memorythere
were no idiot boards, no song sheets visible in the venue or on sheet stands
on the stage that night, by the wayand her com-
bined musicality and vocal talent is an understatement.
That Charice went on with her concert without hold-
ing back energy and emotion is remarkable. The lit-
tle girl, with so much more potential, is frighteningly
fearless.
I guess she knows that the next time she writes Phil-
ippines, here I come! on her Twitter account it would
be to a much different scenario than today not just
for her but her local fans and the exacting, ever-evolv-
ing music industry as a whole.
Overall, this evening was a testament to the gift
wrapped in a small but explosive package that is
Charice.
Concert postscripts: Her own moment,
up-close and personal
After a round of obligatory post-concert interviews
and acknowledging congratulations at the venues
back entrance, Charice had enough energy left to grant fans and admirers
up-close moments of autograph signing and photo sessions.
Near pandemonium was starting to set in and she was nearly mobbed on
her way back inside right after her rear-venue interviews had not a burly
concert marshal carry her over his shoulder way above the crowd and set
her, amidst the swirl of crew and staff dismantling set pieces and equipment,
on stage.
There, the nights star transformed into the petite and cheerful teenager,
by then dressed in casual shirt, jeans and sneakers, playfully echoing the con-
cert marshals gesturing for everybody to fall in line on stage.
She good-spiritedly acknowledged each greeting, complied with signing
each CD, magazine, cap, sheet of paper and practically everything thrust
to her, or generously gave out a smile as she posed with fans as each patiently
took their turn for this chance of a lifetime.
This session was quite extraordinary because even the head of Charices
security, at one point, had to instruct his people to do their jobs marshal-
Opposite page
Concert audience
exit the hall; the
crowd at the gates
Above
The narrow SMX Lobby
bursts with concert
goers after the show
krvilla.09
Following the Journey:
7H CIF7 0F CHARIC
| 25
ling and not be stealing moments snapping away photos of her with
their cell phones and digital cameras.
Only when the concert marshals decided to cut the line short after almost
40 minutes of signing autographs or posing for fans did this very special
and endearing session end. It seemed an abrupt parting of ways for the
remaining fans amidst Charices own pleas of allowing her to continue
and indulgence those who were still in line. It was already a little past
midnight.
When she was whisked out of the venue for the last time, neither she
nor the fans complained nor whined. Those who were cut off were
obviously disappointed. Nevertheless, they left the venue not grudgingly
but, like Charice, obligingly.
In the near-empty concert hall, there were no unnecessary scene-stealing
antics, no gossip-like chatter, and no juvenile tantrums.
The last members of the audience seen walking silently out of the venue
were, as those who watched the entire performance, simply in awe and
showed a lot of thoughtfulness, sensitivity and appreciation for this fne
young performer.
Breaking barriers
Because of her big voice and her repertoire made up mostly of songs of
her mother and grandmothers generations, Charice has been seen as a
girl-woman, particularly in the past two years.
She is almost always overlooked as a spunky teenager off-stage and off-
camera. In real life, Charice is a denim-and-cap, gadget-crazy homebody
who, according to her and her fans, spends time chatting with friends, fans
and even strangers on-line.
Throughout the concert, however, Charices maturity as a performer, her
ability to own each song, her endless energy and undeniable stage pres-
enceshe is barely 5 feet tallshowed through.
Interestingly, intrigues that came her way were mostly borne out of her
vocal abilities, or her fascinating brushes with the rich and famous in the
West, or her natural and spontaneous forthrightness that
would be often misconstrued as showing off.
Ironically, the intrigues surrounding her have not been
so much about misbehavior or misconduct typically asso-
ciated with celebrity teenagers, something which I believe
is a good sign.
Charice looks like she has remained level headed, secure
and grounded, sometimes to the point of naivet, and is
less sophisticated than expected of an international singing
sensation, to quote the media.
Star quality
Charice confessed in a television interview by host Boy Abunda before
the concert that she was once told to not possess enough star quality.
I honestly dont know that meant; what I can understand is peoples common
reaction to her: almost always instantaneous like or dislike because Ive seen
and felt this even with and among my family and friends.
Perhaps because throughout her early singing career, Charices early
exposure was on provincial or make-shift town festa stages and amateur
contests that apply irregular standards, or that she had been paired and
compared, show after show on TV with belters of all shapes and sizes, that her
own style, full capacity and the consistent development of her artistic
growth almost always took a back seat save for the dedicated mentoring
of her mother, Raquel.
Charice, for instance, did not have the early opportunities to be trained
for refnement like Lea Salonga did, nor does she have Salongas poise
and articulation, acquired from constant exposure to the disciplines of thea-
tre. Regardless, I believe Charice certainly matches Salonga in consistent
performance level, musicality, artistic intelligence and panache.
Incidentally, Lea Salonga got her big break at 17, too, when
she was selected, out of hundreds of aspirants worldwide,
for the role of Kim in Miss Saigon for which she won four
prestigious theatre awards including a Tony and an Olivier.
Opposite page,
top to bottom
Charice calls the
remaining fans back
inside to queue up;
marshals request
crowd to enter the
hall from the rear
entrance;
close-in security asks
for some order during
the signing
Bottom row, spread
Gamely signing and
posing for fans within
a wall of marshals.
Left, top
Charice and fans
behind the
Charicemania.com
banner;
Bottom, right
Charice is whisked
out of the venue
krvilla.09
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Following the Journey:
7H CIF7 0F CHARIC
| 27
Charice, on the other hand, was full-speed with high-profle
overseas performances, establishing milestones and had just turned
17 a month ahead of this frst major concert.
All these notwithstanding, and as can be gleaned from the
Charice: The Journey Begins audience attendance, from real-
life and on-line discussions about her, and most especially by
her taking on the opportunities that come her way sensibly
as she breaks into American mainstream music, Charice has bro-
ken stereotypes and crossed over genres, pretty much as the
Filipino actress Nora Aunor once did.
This comparison is evident because like Nora Aunor before
her, Charice is not the typical tall, fair-skinned and alluring young
singer with potential sex symbol packaging.
In fact, by their own abilities, and with the help of acknowledged
industry stewardsthe great local flm directors and producers
in the case of Nora, and Hollywood music producers and top-
level US management with Charicethey both serve as inspira-
tion to talents who are looked upon as plain-looking and not
falling within the typical standards of beauty as prescribed
by the entertainment industry.
Nor is Charice like much of todays current crop of young celebrity
and entertainment headliners: bratty, angry, counter-culture pop
icons who misbehave and land the papers for the wrong reasons.
Instead, Charice has been given due recognition by the Ameri-
cans for her singing and for what comes through not so much
as being merely a singer but a giver, the instrument through
whom the songs message and meaning are delivered.
That she has been called a diva (Kuh Ledesma referred to her
as our youngest diva) looks a little out of place, too, because,
as was the case in The Journey Begins, she apparently is not full
of herself despite her international fame, nor has she publicly
shown hints of arrogance typically associated with divas.
In fact, she makes every effort to connect and reach out to her
audience not just by the obligatory waving and smiling or mem-
orizing speeches and ready answers to interviews, but really,
physically and emotionally as I had witnessed.
At 17, barely legal age and one who could hardly be considered
an entertainment industry veteran, Charice earned her audiences
respect so much that very, very few young men and women her
age have come close to her achievements or even get away with
what she just did particularly on the evening of June 27, 2009.
To those who had adjudged Charice in the past, therefore: if what
Charice is is not possessing command and star quality at this
very tender age, I do not know what is.

-
kv/june2009
About the author
krvilla is a Filipina visual artist and designer based in the Philippines. She has
rendered work as design consultant to private and government institutions, and
has previously been active in film, television and theater productions. In her spare
time, she blogs, participates in on-line forums and discussions, listens to music and
enjoys promoting visual literacy, appreciation and discovery of Filipino culture. She
finds stimulation interacting with fellow designers.
Credits
All photos and images are by the author except where otherwise credited.
Special thanks to Narita of Charicemania.com.
Grateful to Appin and Smee (chasters.us) for the additional photos; to Chay O and
my colleague CLT for reading through the very rough drafts of this story;
to Miyi and Jayrox of charice.tv for all the encouragement, AncianoUno for the
time, and the Chasters across all sites, clubs and geolocations for their stories,
insight and good company: Garfield/Arki, Mitch, Tintol, LoveNuttie, KyotoVisitor,
Ecirol, Pin, Scrub, Bing, Lemour, FemZ, Zorro, JoyZ, 450D, Irmsmith, Ejadroba
and MonkeyDoggie / 06.2009
Belated thanks to Mitch77, and to JM, Bosio, Eddie of CM and Motherdear of
charicediva.com (09.2009)
| Published July2009 [with updates Sept 2009] MLA.PHI
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