R-15 (concert)

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R-15
Concert by Regine Velasquez
A poster of the concert R-15
Promotional poster for the show
LocationErmita, Manila, Philippines
VenueManila Hotel
Start dateApril 21, 2001 (2001-04-21)
No. of shows1
Regine Velasquez concert chronology

R-15 was a concert by Filipino singer Regine Velasquez held on April 21, 2001, at the Grand Ballroom of the Manila Hotel in Ermita. The show's concept and name is a reference to the fifteenth anniversary of Velasquez's professional debut in 1986. It was produced by EE Concert Productions, with Freddie Santos as the stage director. Gerard Salonga served as the music director and conductor, backed by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. The set list featured songs from Velasquez's discography, including tracks from her cover albums.

Background and development[edit]

Regine Velasquez's career began with a record deal with OctoArts International and the release of her single "Love Me Again" in 1986.[1][2] After appearing in the variety show The Penthouse Live!, she caught the attention of Ronnie Henares, a producer and talent manager who signed her to a management deal.[2][3] The following year, she released her debut album Regine (1987) through Viva Records.[4][5] In 1993, she signed an international record deal with PolyGram Records,[6] and achieved commercial success in Asia with her albums Listen Without Prejudice (1994), My Love Emotion (1995) and Retro (1996).[7] In April 1996, Velasquez staged a show, titled Isang Pasasalamat, at the University of the Philippines's Sunken Garden to celebrate her ten-year career milestone.[2][8]

In April 2001, the Philippine Daily Inquirer published that Velasquez would headline a concert on the eve of her birthday on April 21, at the Manila Hotel's Fiesta Pavilion Grand Ballroom in Ermita.[9] The show, titled R-15, was a "double celebration" which also marked the fifteenth anniversary of Velasquez's professional debut.[10] Discussing her milestone, Velasquez stated: "This career made it possible for me to give my family a comfortable life. It taught me courage, self-confidence, and perseverance. I matured a lot because of this business."[11] R-15 was produced by EE Concert Productions, with Freddie Santos as the stage director.[10] She re-teamed with Gerard Salonga, who served as the show's music director and conductor, after their first collaboration in her concert Songbird Sings the Classics in 2000.[10][12] Velasquez and Salonga were accompanied by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra.[10]

Synopsis[edit]

The concert opened with Velasquez's performance of "Love Me Again" accompanied by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. She continued with two songs from her debut studio album: "Urong Sulong" and "Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang". Shortly after, she sang "Narito Ako" from Nineteen 90 (1990), before performing her cover of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" from her album R2K (2000), which was mashed with Orleans's "Dance with Me", a song from the cover album Retro (1996). During "Follow the Sun", a single from her Asian release Listen Without Prejudice (1994), Velasquez approached and mingled with the audience. Next, she began with "You've Made Stronger" from My Love Emotion (1995) and performed a medley of her duets joined by her background vocalists.[13]

The setlist continued with an acoustic performance of a track from her 1993 album Reason Enough titled "Sana Maulit Muli", which was followed by renditions of Velasquez's soundtrack themes, "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw", "Pangako", and "You Are My Song". She followed this with her cover of Jeffrey Osborne's "On the Wings of Love". The next number saw her perform a Spanish version of her single "Ikaw" from Drawn (1998), entitled "Tu". Southern Sons's "You Were There" was performed, before Velasquez closed the show with "You'll Never Walk Alone". After the song, she bowed and thanked the audience before exiting the stage. For the encore, Velasquez returned onstage for "Tuwing Umuulan" and "Never Ever Say Goodbye".[13]

Set list[edit]

This set list is adapted from the television special R-15.[13][a]

  1. "Love Me Again"
  2. "Urong-Sulong"
  3. "Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang"
  4. "Narito Ako"
  5. "Dancing Queen" / "Dance with Me"
  6. "Follow the Sun"
  7. "You've Made Me Stronger"
  8. "Please Be Careful with My Heart" / "In Love with You" / "Forever" / "Muli" / "Magkasuyo Buong Gabi"
  9. "Sana Maulit Muli"
  10. "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw"
  11. "Pangako"
  12. "You Are My Song"
  13. "On the Wings of Love"
  14. "Tu"
  15. "You Were There"
  16. "You'll Never Walk Alone"
  17. "Tuwing Umuulan"
Encore
  1. "Never Ever Say Goodbye"

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ R-15 was aired as a television special in 2001 on GMA Network.[13]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Valisno, Jeffrey (November 16, 2012). "Fairy tale". Business World. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Jeffries 2003, p. 213.
  3. ^ Gonzales, Rommel (March 6, 2010). "'80s celebrity Ronnie Henares returns to TV via reality-sitcom Pepito Manaloto". Philippine Entertainment Portal (in Tagalog). Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  4. ^ Calderon, Ricky (June 29, 2017). "Regine Velasquez returns to Viva". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Valle, Jocelyn (September 25, 2019). "Regine Velasquez Biography: How she became Asia's Songbird". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Gorospe, Marc (July 10, 1993). "PolyGram in The Philippines venture, first release is a Velasquez-Anka duet". Billboard. p. 33. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. ^ Luciano Elvin and Lapuz R. Sedricke (October 20, 2017). "30 moments that defined Regine Velasquez's career". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  8. ^ Valle, Jocelyn (February 26, 2000). "Regine thanks her fans with a free concert". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Manila Hotel restores grand days with Regine". Philippine Daily Inquirer. April 17, 2001. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b c d "Regine at Manila Hotel". Philippine Daily Inquirer. April 21, 2001. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Bautista, Mary Ann; Gallardo, Ricky (April 21, 2001). "Regine Velasquez counts her blessings". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Salterio, Leah (September 22, 2000). "The other Salonga makes a name for himself". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ a b c d GMA Network (2001). R-15 (Television special). Regine Velasquez.

Book sources[edit]

External links[edit]