Regine Velasquez-Alcasid Has Done It Yet Again At ‘Regine Rocks: The Repeat’ — Review

Folks, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: it’s Regine’s world and we’re just living in it.

There are a few things you have to understand when it comes to how jaw-dropping Regine Rocks: The Repeat was. First, the show clocked in at a three-hour run time. Second, there were no intermissions. Third, there were only two special guest performances. This means that for three hours straight, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, at 53 years old, performed roughly 25 rock songs — all with moments of birit. It’s a tall order for any performer — classically trained or not — to fill.

But somehow, armed with glittery gogo boots and the voice of a hundred songbirds, she made it look like a walk in the park. That’s Regine Velasquez-Alcasid for you.

This is an artist that can bring the likes of former Vice President Leni Robredo, Sarah Geronimo, Erik Santos, Martin Nievera, Melai Cantiveros, and Jolina Magdangal to their feet, as they waved Regine Rocks lightsticks and cheered for her. I mean, how could you not? She had a killer setlist and arrangements to the songs, courtesy of musical director Raul Mitra. There were the classic rock hits like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You” but also surprising covers like Radiohead’s “Creep” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

She had slower, emotional cuts like her rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You.” However, the most heartwrenching part of the show was truly her cover of Paramore’s “The Only Exception,” which she dedicated to her husband and songwriter Ogie Alcasid as well as their son Nate, who were in the crowd during the show. She was overwhelmed with tears, stumbling a bit through the second verse as her emotions caught up to her, but it didn’t matter. The two people that she loved dearly were in the crowd, and that was all that mattered to her.

This is where you really have to give props to the stage and visual direction, which was helmed by co-directors Cacai Mitra and Paolo Valenciano. The unconventional route of having screens floating above the stage — not just as additional LED screens for the cameras, but used as an additional visual element, provided the right accents to whatever songs she was singing. At times, they would project a live feed of her from different angles, but at other times, they were used to help with the storytelling of the song — projecting birds, or focusing a camera on Ogie and Nate while she sang “The Only Exception.” As an audience member, you weren’t just there to watch a performance; but watch a story unfold before your very eyes.

Then came one of the best highlights of the night — her special guest performances with Darren Espanto and Juan Karlos. Regine had revealed during the concert that one of her guest performers was supposed to be Julie Anne San Jose, but she had pulled out of the show that same morning due to a health scare. In an Instagram post after the show, Valenciano revealed that Espanto learned the entire production number that same afternoon. Despite all odds, they put on a riveting mashup of Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” and Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries.”

One of the last few songs of the show started out with Regine belting a cover of Juan Karlos’ “Buwan” (Moon). Then, to the surprise of everyone, he emerged from the audience to sing a duet of “Ere” (Air) with Asia’s Songbird. The two are best known for their incredible vocal prowess, and they seemed to hit high note after high note towards the end of the song. This was definitely a rendition to remember for ages.

All in all, Regine proved yet again that she is a class act. Yes, she’ll poke fun about her age, or that she’s tired, but the cracks never showed throughout the three hours. It’s as if to say — kids, this is how you put on a performance. It truly is no wonder that she’s inspired generations upon generations of Filipina performers; and despite the fact that she’s spent decades in the music industry, she always has something up her sleeve.

“I just wanted to prove to myself that I’m still okay, that I could still do it after all these years. Not to anyone else, but just to myself,” she shared in an interview with Billboard Philippines, as she explained the reason for putting on a rock-themed concert.

Yes, she did it.

Hell, she’ll do it again.

Check out more exclusive pictures from Regine Rocks: The Repeat held last April 19 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena below.