Lucy Oblena (2nd from left) with friends Maria, Barbara and Claire
DALLAS, Jun 1, 2009 / — “Habang buhay, may pag-asa.” Literally translated, it means ‘as long as you are alive, there is hope. I was thinking of that old saying last Friday night when I attended the Divas 4 Divas concert here in Dallas.
Headlined by Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Regine Velasquez and Pops Fernandez, it was THE big Memorial Day week event here in Dallas for the Fil-Am community. At 85, I did not think I would see them perform live on stage on a Friday evening; nights that I usually spend playing solitaire or watching TV.
Yet, on May 29, with the insistence of my daughter Mari and our friend Claire Frando-Mania, we went to the Dallas Convention Center to attend the Divas 4 Divas, my FIRST CONCERT ever.
Zsa Zsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez, Regine Velasquez and Kuh Ledesma
In short, I did not know what to expect. My daughter had to guide me every step of the way, i.e. from what to wear all the way to have an usher show us our seats. “It’s just like watching a Broadway play,” I told myself. (My daughter brought me to a Broadway show in New York way back in 2001). But, it was different.
First, there were the opening singers – Primo, three young men who sang old Tagalog songs and some new ones that I have not heard before. My daughter had to explain to me the reason for having an “opening performer.”
She said, it was an elegant way of waiting for the late arrivals who might or might not be VIPS; it was also to make sure that everyone who bought tickets, though they might come late, will see the main attraction, which on this case are Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez and Regine Velasquez.
Zsa Zsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez, Regine Velasquez and Kuh Ledesma
At $65 for general admission and $200 for the VIP seats, during this recession, is actually a lot of money; something that were not lost to the four divas on stage who oftentimes during their performance thanked the audience for coming and appreciated that everyone came to see them perform even at these hard times.
The four Divas sang their greatest hits, either as a solo, or as a quartet, a duet or a trio. They also did a rendition of the greatest hits of Diana Ross and the Supremes. And perhaps, the most touching, all four of them also performed their latest singles.
There were also comedy ‘skits’. Whether it was scripted or the truth, I do not know. First, Regine Velasquez keeps on having a wardrobe malfunction with their red sequined gowns which they call “the bangus gown” in reference of the Philippine national fish – bangus. That made the audience laugh.
Pops Fernandez
Then, they made fun of themselves, on how they are getting “younger” each year, with Kuh Ledesma saying that a few years ago, she decided that she is going to age backwards on her birthday, so this year, she is already 37 years old.
Regine and Pops discussed their love life, with Pops not having any because she is now “single” again and Regine talking about her boyfriend who is so “cute” that translated into being “short.”
Zsa Zsa spoke about her type of men to be “80 and above” in reference to Dolphy, while Pops jokingly said that she likes men who are 25 and below. In short, it was a variety show, performed live on stage.
I enjoyed and savored every moment, and I thought I had seen it all when at the end, Pops Fernandez asked everyone to sing and dance with her. First, she asked everyone to clap with her, then stand up and then jump.
I did not feel like doing it, but my daughter insisted I should and guaranteed that I would enjoy more if I did. She was right. When I went along with the Pops and the audience singing and dancing with her, I truly understood what attending a concert was.
“Habang buhay, may pag-asa,” this might be just my first concert, and there will be more to come.
[LUCILA OBLENA]
