Not in every concert do audiences get to hear Megastar Sharon Cuneta and Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez render The Eraserheads’ hits. In the second iteration of Iconic, their 2019 successful concert, the two Original Pilipino Music (OPM) superstars delivered a medley of The Eraserheads’ popular tunes, something that they rarely do.
From Ang Huling El Bimbo to Magasin, Overdrive and Pare Ko, Sharon and Regine gamely crooned The Eraserheads’ hits to cap their full-house, two-hour concert at the Marriott Grand Ballroom of Resorts World Manila.
The audience sang with Sharon and Regine, some standing up while others were waving their mobile phones and singing to the medley to wind up their performance.
The two-night engagement last weekend preceded the artists’ nine-city US concert tour that will start July 17 in Pasadena, California.
Singing their first non-hit together, Sharon and Regine included Kamikaze’s popular Narda, a song tribute to the fictional Filipino superhero, Darna. They reminded the audience they both played Darna on the big screen, but on separate occasions and with different leading men.
Sharon donned her sexy outfit in Leroy Salvador’s Captain Barbell (1986), with Edu Manzano in the title role and Herbert Bautista playing the lead.
Meanwhile, Regine slipped into her famous red ensemble as a Darna costume, albeit briefly, in a dream sequence, where she played a cameo in Captain Barbell (2003), with Bong Revilla Jr. and Ogie Alcasid.
Regine is also best remembered for voicing Narda’s signature yell to change into Darna in Angel Locsin’s first TV series, followed by Marian Rivera. It was Regine’s high-pitched vocal timbre that was used to shout “Darna!”
The only guest of Iconic that night was Asia’s Queen of Songs, Pilita Corrales and both artists were pleased the 84-year-old entertainer gave her nod to grace their concert. They carried out Sa Ugoy ng Duyan with her, while Pilita subsequently went solo onstage with her signature A Million Thanks To You.
Sharon and Regine also paid tribute to Moira de la Torre by singing three of the latter hits — Malaya, Tagpuan and Paubaya. Last 2019, they also did Moira’s Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw for Iconic.
Then, Sharon went solo with Ben&Ben’s poignant Leaves, arranged by Raul Mitra, one of the musical directors of the concert, with Louie Ocampo. Concert director was Paolo Valenciano.
Some of the songs were already part of their first Iconic repertoire and it was probably easy to rehash their lineup. However, Sharon lamented she had not taken the microphone for “two years and eight months” since their last concert together.
Regine, for her part, regularly performed weekly on ASAP Natin ‘To on the Kapamilya Channel. “You don’t need to apologize,” she told the Megastar. “You’re Sharon Cuneta.”
The divas carried out duets mostly of their popular songs together, starting from Pangarap na Bituin, with Regine as the first one to saunter onstage, followed by the Megastar.
In only their second duet, You Are My Song, the audience immediately sang with them. More of the Megastar’s hits followed — Mr. DJ, High School Life, P.S. I Love You and Dear Heart.
Their treasure trove of songs were rendered throughout the concert, yet, two hours were definitely not enough to squeeze in the respective, signature hits of Sharon and Regine into their repertoire.
The artists’ stunning gowns for the night were by Chito Rivera, Cocoy Lizaso, Nat Manilag and Jot Losa.
“Pahinga muna si Aurora ngayon,” Sharon said, referring to her character in the widely followed and consistently top-rating primetime series, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. “Top-rating pa rin kahit wala kaming prangkisa,” the Megastar added.
They both rendered Di Ka Nag-iisa, the latest theme of Ang Probinsyano, recorded by Regine on the series’ sixth year. The song was penned by rapper Bassilyo Ignacio, himself also in the cast of the series.
Sharon got her surprise of the night when action star Robin Padilla — “the No. 1 senator” — and her leading man in a number of box-office hits, showed up in the audience, with lawyer Salvador Panelo.
The Megastar acknowledged Secretary Panelo and even joked, “We should do this together,” before she rendered Sana’y Wala ng Wakas, that segued to Bituing Walang Ningning, two of her biggest hits.
Last election season, it will be remembered that Sharon made a social media post after Secretary Panelo used her song, Sana’y Wala ng Wakas, in a campaign sortie in Quezon City. But she readily removed her post and apparently, all’s well that ends well for both of them.