Ogie Alcasid's birthday concert at the Music Museum
Singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid held his birthday concert last August 25 at the Music Museum.
Uploaded: January 30, 2009
Holding Regine's hand, Ogie performed a medley of "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala" and "Kung Mawawala Ka"—two songs many felt he wrote specifically for Regine.
Ogie is always known to mingle with the audience during performances to create more intimate vibes. During a song break, Ogie asked someone from the crowd if she came to the show just to see him in person.
"Si Regine," said the lady in reply to Ogie's question.
"Ah, si Regine pala pinunta mo dito," Ogie playfully responded with an animated look. "Sige mamaya nandyan s'ya, pu-pronta muna ko, ha," he added in jest, sending the crowd in stitches.
The birthday concert gave Ogie the chance to revisit the songs he wrote throughout the years.
"Sumulat lang ako nang sumulat ng kanta," he told the crowd on how he honed his chops as a songwriter. "Hindi lang malulungkot, meron din namang mabibilis."
He revealed that most of his compositions are about his personal experiences—as shown clearly by the lyrics he sang to his sweetheart Regine Velasquez.
A self-confessed romantic at heart, Ogie paid tribute to some of the popular ballads that influenced him deeply in writing his songs. Ogie did a medley of the songs, "America's All My Life" and "Bread's Diary," "If" and Everything I Own," stirring the audience into singing along with gusto.
The birthday boy's father, Mr. Herminio Alcasid, gamely participated in his son's concert by singing with him onstage for two consecutive nights. Father and son crooned a medley of standard tunes, to the delight of the older crowd.
"Walang bayad ‘yan," Ogie quipped to the audience as his father left the stage.
Ogie also acknowledged his mom sitting in the audience and thanked her for "having me as a son."
Ogie is also well known in the industry for writing movie theme songs that gained a life of their own, on top of the soundtrack.
He performed "Mahal Kita, Walang Iba," the soundtrack of a Kris Aquino-Christopher de Leon movie, and the very popular Dolzura Cortez theme song, "Dahil Mahal Kita."
Ever since they publicly declared their love, Ogie and Regine have been completely at ease and in warm rapport whenever they're onstage together.
Before Regine's appearance, Ogie performed his own version of "Dadalhin"—a ditty penned by Tats Faustino and originally recorded by Regine a few years ago.
Doing a solo spot number, Regine performed the classic OPM ballad, "‘Till I Met You." It was obvious from Regine's heartfelt performance that she was dedicating the song to Ogie.
Ogie revealed that he wrote "Paano Kita Iibigin" with Regine at his side. It was a collaborative effort with Regine pitching in ideas to improve the song's arrangement.
"I remember sitting on the couch while you were at the piano," Regine said with a tinge of nostalgia.
Sensing that Regine would cry once more, Ogie brought in German Moreno to temper his girlfriend's emotions. Kuya Germs seized the moment to hand a bouquet of flowers to Regine.
Ogie too was even more emotional during the concert, compared to the first night of the show.
"I guess it's the words," Ogie would later confide to Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) backstage when asked why he became so emotional that evening.
"At ang isa sa mga paborito kong kanta na naisulat ay 'yung mga tungkol sa bawal na pag-ibig. Na wala naman akong kaalam-alam dyan," kidded Ogie with a grin.
Ogie then sang "Ikaw Sana" and "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang"—two of his most popular, saddest songs of forbidden love.
To the audience's thunderous applause as his birthday concert drew to a close, Ogie humbly took a bow. He said afterwards that his birthday this year was probably the best compared to the previous years.
Ogie returned for an encore, singing one of his biggest hits, "Sa Kanya." Once more he thanked the crowd and everyone on the production staff who helped make his birthday concert a success.
We asked Ogie after the show, what makes your 40th birthday extra special? "Well, I'm turning 40, so that's one." But most of all, he declared, this was his first concert since he and Regine came out in the open.