It was a different kind of Valentine’s Day for the thousands of fans at the Araneta Coliseum Thursday night. The internet had been buzzing for weeks with countdowns and preparations not only for the most romantic day of the year, but also for the day that American Idol favorites Jessica Sanchez and Colton Dixon would return to the Philippine stage.

Behind the curtain, religious rocker Colton was cool and collected before he took to the stage. With his six-song set, he effortlessly whipped up the crowd into nothing short of a frenzy. Every pause and quiet moment was automatically filled with cheers and yells of “I love you, Colton!” from adoring fans. Despite his relatively short time so far in the world spotlight, Dixon already showed the technical training and confident swagger of a seasoned artist.

A brief interval followed Colton’s set, escalating the anticipation so much that the Big Dome had been resounding with chants of her name before Jessica Sanchez finally appeared onstage.

Jessica was a vision of glamour onstage, completely decked out in shimmer and glitter from head to foot. Kicking off the show with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, Jessica wordlessly gave out the message that it was going to be a night to remember. Going through more challenging songs like “Love on Top” and “Someone Like You”, the 17-year-old proved in person that her petite frame hides an incredibly powerful voice. Jessica breezed through the highest of notes without a hitch, making it seem as easy as breathing.

Her co-star for the night Colton Dixon then returned to the stage and joined Jessica in performing the Rihanna/Eminem collab, “Love the Way You Lie”.

Halfway through the show, it was soon made clear that the best was yet to come. It was when Jessica emerged from a wardrobe change and performed a moving rendition of local hit song “Ikaw” that the thousands in attendance got on their feet to honor the young star with a much deserved standing ovation.

The rest of the show was filled with songs from Jessica’s Idol journey, including favorites like “I Will Always Love You” and “Dance with My Father”. The captivated crowd had no intention of letting her go as they cheered until she came back for an Encore performance of one of her latest releases, “Jump In”.

It was with reluctant hearts that the crowd bid Jessica and Colton farewell. After a night of a myriad of emotions, it would be safe to say that the Philippine crowd would welcome back the Idol stars with open arms as soon as they return.

This show was made possible by Ovation Productions.

Photos and review by Carla Barretto