World-class performer Charice gave an early Christmas treat to her Filipino fans last December 2, at the Newport Theater in Resorts World Manila.
The show, dubbed Christmas with Charice, was produced by TV5.
Her repertoire featured mixed traditional and modern Christmas tunes, such as "Grown up Christmas List," "Happy Christmas," "Christmas in our Hearts," and "Jingle Bell Rock," plus "Mistletoe" to give the crowd a taste of the Justin Bieber fever.
Donning a metallic top with khaki cover-up over tight pants and boots, Charice blended with the winter wonderland setup of the stage.
SPECIAL GUESTS. South Border front man Jay Durias mesmerized the audience with hits, "Love of my Life" and "Rainbow."
He capped off his performance with a duet of "Officially Missing You" with the former Kapamilya star.
Also enthralled by Jay's voice, Charice remarked, "I don't get to perform actually here in the Philippines sometimes kasi, karamihan po ng trabaho ko po, outside the country. So I make it a point that when I do have a show, I invite only the best. And this guy, is one of them."
Another special guest was Arjohn Gilbert, an Aeta from Pampanga who shot to fame via YouTube videos of him singing Justin's Bieber's "Baby" and Bruno Mars's "Just the Way You Are," among others.
A few months back, Charice tweeted praises for Arjohn and an invitation for him to guest at her concert.
That night, her tweet became a reality. Arjohn sang "Pyramid" on stage with the singing idol. Plus, he had a shopping spree with Charice.
The boy who grew up in Mabalacat, Pampanga, exclaimed, "Nagpapasalamat nga po ako sa inyo kase hindi lang kayo magaling na singer, magaling na stylist pa!"
Charice mentioned that both of them are "You Tube" babies.
It will be recalled that she earned the "most talented girl in world" tag from Oprah after her video was posted by one of her fans, Falsevoice.
Moving on, Charice said, "Basta ituloy mo lang ang pagkanta mo, malay natin one day, ako naman ang guest sa concert mo."
Aside from the Christmas carols and her duets with Arjohn and Jay, Charice also performed covers of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love," Lady Gaga's "Telephone," and Jesse James's "Price Tag."
But what really brought the crowd to its feet was Charice's Michael Jackson medley of "Billy Jean" and "The Way You Make Me Feel." The singer also showcased her dancing skills and did a moonwalk.
FUTURE PLANS. Of course, the night won't be complete without Charice singing songs from her latest album, Infinity, which includes the tracks "Louder," "Lighthouse," and "Bounce Back."
Much to the delight of her fans, the Chasters, Charice revealed that she will be having an Asian tour starting March 2012.
And what are her plans for Christmas?
"I'll really try hard to organize my schedule para makabalik ako dito for Christmas.
"Pero kung hindi man mangyari yun dahil sa super super busy na hindi ko na talaga puwede ma-cancel...
"Kaya after ng mga concerts dito, baka mag-stay pa ako for a few days para mag-celebrate na lang with my family ng early Christmas."
Charice, who will soon star in the Hollywood movie, Here Comes the Boom, arrived in the Philippines on the morning of the concert and went straight to Resorts World Manila.
Jet lag doesn't seem to figure in her vocabulary because her performance, as excpected, was remarkable.
TV5 will air Christmas with Charice this Saturday, December 11, at 10 p.m.