Dubai: The cold wind and the occasional drizzle could do little to silence and bring down the energy of thousands of adoring fans and music lovers in Friday night's "The Songbird and The Songwriter" pre-Valentine's concert at Zabeel Park.
Headlined by Regine Velasquez, dubbed Asia's Songbird, and popular Philippine singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid, the concert opened with Velasquez and Alcasid singing a duet of ‘I gotta feeling (Tonight's gonna be a good night)', setting the tone for a truly unforgettable night that also featured special guests Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, two of the hottest "love teams" in Philippine primetime television and cinema, and veteran balladeer Rico J. Puno.
In pictures: Regine-Ogie concert in Dubai
Their singing abilities notwithstanding, Alcasid and Velasquez have been a hot item in Philippine showbiz because of a brewing romance that started after Alcasid annulled his marriage with former Miss Australia Michele van Eimeren, with whom he has two daughters.
Although the two initially kept their relationship in secret, it was evident on Friday night that they are now at ease talking about it in public. At one point during the show, Alcasid even hinted that it was time to come clean after denying about the relationship the last time he performed with Velasquez in Dubai.
Providing another romantic dimension to the event were Dantes and Rivera, who will be teaming up in a new TV series dubbed "Endless Love" in the Philippines.
Asked if the two are an item, Rivera said there was no need for them to confirm anything: "What you see is what you get." Indeed, in a few occasions during the show, Rivera could not seem to resist giving Dantes a tantalizing stare.
Puno provided much of the comic relief, mixing his musical savvy with hilarious, albeit titillating, banter. He even went down from the stage to exchange jokes with Philippine Ambassador Grace Princesa, who gamely went along and even sang a few lines of a popular Filipino ballad herself.
The same group had also performed the previous night in Qatar, which according to Alcasid drew a crowd of around 12,000. Alcasid said it was a perfect time to perform in Dubai because of the Dubai Shopping Festival, adding that they would surely try to sneak out for some shopping despite their hectic schedule.
Alcasid and Velasquez have performed more than three times in Dubai. With Friday night's excellent reception, they said they would surely try to come back to do more shows in the emirate.
