September 28 , 2013 – The Big Dome was overtaken by two of the industry’s most talented female performers. For the first time, Aiza Seguerra and Charice Pempengco headlined a major concert, drawing in thousands of people and leaving the in awe. In the three-hour concert, the two gave such powerful performances that proved their brilliance as artists.

A stunning entrance struck the Big Dome as the evening’s stars, Aiza and Charice, sang and danced to a medley of Michael Jackson’s “Black and White”, “Beat It” and “The Way You Make Me Feel”.  Aiza was dressed in her usual all-black fashion while Charice wore a light blue suit. Seeing the two together onstage for the first time, one can immediately see the joint effort they put in together – Charice with her high notes and unerring charisma and Aiza with her natural sincerity and the voice to express it well.

Aiza’s solo set displayed her amazing and unfading prowess as a singer and guitarist. Accompanied by Mike Villegas on guitar along with a small orchestra, she played a diverse mix of songs which included a rendition of The Beatles’ “Come Together”, Zedd’s “Clarity”, Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris”, “Wind Beneath My Wings” and Noel Cabangon’s “Kanlungan”. She just came out of the hospital the night before, but that didn’t stop her from standing at that stage to give the most commendable performance. She admitted that she wasn’t feeling one hundred percent, but she still managed to captivate the audience of thousands.

“Tonight isn’t just about me and Charice. It’s not all about the songs. It’s not about the show. It’s something deeper than that. Tonight is about empowerment. Tonight is about being who you are and still being loved. Tama?” She continued, “Lahat tayo dito may pinagdadaan sa buhay. Pero ang importante do’n is to never lose sight of who you are because at the end of the day, it’s all that matters.” Aiza was brimming with small heartfelt insights about love and life, saying inspirational words at every chance she got. At some point, even she said that it was a good thing that her voice was a bit hoarse because if it weren’t for that, she would have just sang everything away.

Deciding that she had sang enough about love, Aiza skipped a rehearsed song and made an impromptu performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. The last two songs of her set was the Eheads classic “Alapaap” and “Sirena” wherein she shared the stage with the Gloc 9.

Charice, on the other hand, was bouncing with excitement. Starting off her solo set with her sit song “Pyramid” followed by Selena Gomez’s “Come and Get It”, Katy Perry’s “Roar” and Bruno Mars’ “Treasure”.  She was playful, unabashedly basking in the glory of having a huge crowd in front of her. She enjoyed being in that stage, joking around as she went along. Although she was ridden with controversies after coming out as gay a few months ago, she was unburdened that evening. She seemed at ease in the center of the Big Dome. On top of that, she gave a brilliant performance worthy of the acclaim she received worldwide. Her voice was powerful indeed.

She admitted that although the past months haven’t been easy for her, she feels fortunate that she’s still “here – out loud and out proud”. She thanked the audience as she said, ”it’s all because of you. Kayo po ang sigaw na patuloy na bumubuhay sa aking musika”.

“Since I got my big break abroad, marami na po ang nagbago sa buhay ko. Finally, I can reach more people with my music, inspire more singers to reach for their dreams. It opened a new road para mas makilala ko po ang aking sarili.” She paused for a moment before continuing in a more solemn tone. “Some people weren’t happy with the change. Some judged me at may mga lumayo. But in that darkness, a flicker of hope, a ray of love made me feel alive again.” She went off the stage to fetch her special guest for the evening, Alyssa Quijano. They performed “How Can An Angel Break My Heart” together.

Charice did a moving rendition of “Maghintay Ka Lamang”, breaking down at last line of the song at the the thought of her strained relationship with her family. She also performed Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”, Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and “Saving All My Love for You”. Abra also joined her onstage as they performed “Gayuma”. The last song on her solo set was “Louder”.

An intermission number by Gloc 9 and Abra followed as they performed “Kaleidoscope World” and “APL song”.  Aiza and Charice returned on stage together, invigorated even after their long set. Aiza performed “Anong Nangyari sa Ating Dalawa?”, “Pagdating ng Panahon” while Charice sang “Yakap” and Sugarfree’s “Makita Kang Muli”. For the encore, the two pulled out all their energy in performing  “We Are Young”, “Ito Ang Gusto Ko” and “Noypi”.

The Power of Two showcased how brilliant Aiza and Charice really are. The two obviously mustered all their energy and effort to come up with a really entertaining show.  As they had repeatedly mentioned during the concert, it was also about empowerment and freedom. After that evening, they had definitely proven that they are not only respectable artists, but that they are also part of the finest talents in our country.

Special thanks to WILBROS LIVE

by Sandra Mae Laureano