Christian
Bautista turned his successful concert at the Cuneta Astrodome last October 6
into a big birthday
celebration with his avid supporters, in anticipation of his birthday on October 19. The concert did not center on the balladeer's turning 26, though, but on his many inspirations—his family, friends and fans. And so, the very apt concert title, Christian Inspired.
The birthday boy rendered several songs that he heartily dedicated to
his family based in Imus, Cavite; to friends in and out of showbiz, and to his fans, who have been with him since his competing days in
ABS-CBN's Star In A Million Season 1.
Written and directed by veteran concert director, Freddie Santos, Christian
Inspired kicked off by opening a humongous 9 x 42 feet watchout screen as main backdrop. The audience "Wowed!" as
splashy visual effects and interactive devices popped out to complement what was
happening on stage. Christian began his "party" with a U2
medley of songs, including "In The Name of Love,"
"Elevation" and "Beautiful Day."
In Christian's opening spiel he candidly shared with the
audience how upset he was when he made a blunder while singing the National Anthem
a few weeks before his major concert. "...I understand why some people out
there are upset. Believe me, ako din, nainis sa sarili ko. Me,
forgetting the National Anthem, ako pa naman tiga-Cavite kung saan unang
kinanta and Pambansang Awit! If Emilio Aguinaldo were alive...I would be
dead," said Christian in good humor.
The audience sympathized with the charismatic singer and collectively urged him
to go on with the show with loud cheers and applause.
The tone of the show started to be a bit serious as Christian sang songs for
his parents and younger brothers Joshua and Jordan. With Christian's signature
heartfelt singing, he effortlessly dished out the songs, "Stand By Me,"
"Lean On Me," "Of All the Things," "Colour Everywhere" and Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" and "You
Are Loved."
Featured guests Toni Gonzaga and Sam Milby, both real-life friends of
Christian, joined the birthday boy on stage and sang songs about friendship,
culminating with "That's What Friends Are For."
Speaking of real-life friends, Piolo Pascual, Direk Joyce Bernal, Erik Santos,
Jed Madela, Mark Bautista, Daisy Romualdez, and girlfriend Rachelle Ann Go were
in attendance at the Astrodome. Bro. Eddie Villanueva and wife Dori were also
spotted in the audience.
The evening's portion dedicated to Christian's countless fans highlighted a
medley of the singer's hit songs, which are popular not only here in the country but also
in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Chart topping singles,
"The Way You Look At Me," "Invincible," "More Than
You'll Ever Know," "Got to Believe in Magic," among others,
comprised this selection.
But what brought the house down was Christian's hilarious interpretation of
Billy Crawford's "Bright Lights," complete with dance moves and
back-up dancers on the watchout screen, who were actually
Christian's clones. Fellow Swatch watch endorser Billy Crawford held his major
concert at the Big Dome on that same night.
Other featured guests Kuh Ledesma, Joni Villanueva, Sam Concepcion, Tricia
Amper-Jimenez and Gary Valenciano ended the evening on a high note with praise
and worship songs all dedicated to Christian's ultimate inspiration, the Lord
Almighty.
Right on the heels of Christian's major concert at the Astrodome is the release
of the Christmas edition of his Platinum awarded Christian Bautista Live!
album, featuring five Christmas recordings.
He will also be the main featured artist in two concerts: 2 On 2 Anniversary Concert at the St. Francis Square on November 16 and Celebrating Life: World Vision Philippines' 50th Anniversary Concert at the PICC Plenary Hall on November 24.
In the 2 On
2 concert, he will be paired with Gary Valenciano, and in the World Vision
concert, he will share the stage with fellow STAGES artists Sam Concepcion,
Reymond Sajor, and Aria Clemente.
Christian Inspired was line-produced by STAGES, with musical direction by Mel Villena, for the Imus Unida Christian School in Cavite.