Singing sweethearts Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid were together again in the U.S. last June, for the North American concert tour of Love to Laugh. The show had Ai-Ai delas Alas and Martin Nievera sharing top billing at some of the tour stops.
For Regine and Ogie, it was the third time to be together on a U.S. concert tour. The first time was 2000, when Ogie was a guest in Regine’s tour of New York and san Francisco. The second was in April-May of 2004 for The Songbird and the Songwriter. The third was in May-June of 2006, when they brought the show Forever After not just to the U.S. but also to London.
“Nagkasama lang kami ni Regine sa L.A. at San Francisco,” says Ogie of the most recent tour. “Kasi, bale sumunod lang siya, di ba? ’Yong sa Canada, with Ai-Ai lang. Si Martin, nakasama ko sa Chicago, ’tapos, kasama din namin nina Regine sa L.A. at San Francisco.”
In all, the Love to Laugh show toured eight cities—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in the United States; and Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg in Canada.
Come October, Ogie—along with Ai-Ai—is bringing the Love to Laugh concert to Alaska and Arizona in the U.S. In December, they’re off to the Middle East. “May show din kami ni Regine sa Hong Kong naman,” says Ogie. “It’s also in December. Para sa Smart [Telecommunications] ’yon.”
Love to Laugh had the best public reception ever at the U.S. and Canada shows. “Wow, fantastic, fantastic!” says Ogie. The biggest venue was in San Francisco, but the bigger crowd, Ogie recalls, was the one in L.A.
“’Yong San Francisco, sobrang puno!” Ogie tells YES! “Sana nga, dalawang gabi ’yon, e. Pero siguro sa dami, mas madami ’yong nanood sa L.A., kasi dalawa ’yong shows doon, e. Dalawang shows sa isang gabi—parehong sold out ’yon. It’s so one of the best crowds we’ve ever had.”
Ogie acknowledges the fact that his revelation about his relationship with Regine had something to do with the concert’s double success.
“Dati, hindi naman kami love team sa concerts. Kumbaga, partner lang. I mean, you know, songwriter ako, songbird siya, so team lang, ganoon. Kung may tuksuhan man, konti lang. E, ngayon, siyempre all-out. Tunay na. Hindi na nagpe-pretend. So, nagpapasalamat ako sa very appreciative crowd—the best crowd that we’ve ever had. Nakaka-touch sila doon. Nakakatuwa sila. Siyempre, malaking bagay sa amin ’yon.”
Even working tours, however, have days off. And Ogie and Regine made sure they got enough time to roam around. Leo Dominguez, Ogie’s manager, says the concert group had the most number of days off in L.A. and San Francisco. “Like, noong namasyal sila sa Universal Studios, talagang buong araw ’yon,” says Leo. “Plus, ipinasyal na nila pati si Lani [Sarong], pinsan ni Regine, na first time nakapunta sa U.S.”
Here are some exclusive photos of the couple’s day off in L.A.