Sharon somewhere down the road

‘I am what I am now because of all my fans. Kasi po hindi niyo ako iniwan kahit minsan. Only God knows how much you all mean to me. Kayo po talaga ang forever.’

Three esteemed musical directors, two top-notch concert directors, 10 big-named guest artists and several unforgettable highlights. All those important factors were not just simply taken into consideration, but became “musts” when Megastar Sharon Cuneta marked her illustrious 40 years in the entertainment business with the recent major concert, My 40 Years, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Admittedly, Sharon was initially wary if fans could still fill up the cavernous venue, where she held every historic performance since her 20th year. Yet, on the eve of her 40th anniversary concert, Sharon was told the show was “sold out,” so she could not be thankful enough.

...with Richard Gomez…

Glittering in her red gown when she was seen onstage, Sharon dished out a familiar tune, Bituing Walang Ningning, one of her memorable and biggest hits. Then, she segued into a medley of her Tagalog songs – High School Life, Hagkan, Tawag ng Pag-ibig and Mr DJ – with Louie Ocampo as her first musical director.

Then, Sharon rendered To Love Again, an Odette Quesada composition used as the theme of Sharon’s movie with the late Miguel Rodriguez. The entire audience at Araneta Coliseum sang with her.

Admirably, Sharon didn’t need a script to connect to her audience. Perhaps, she merely relied on a sequence guide. Her spiels alone, one was even 10 minutes long, were more than enough to stitch the portions together and sustain the interest of the audience

“I am what I am now because of all my fans,” the Megastar proudly attested. “Kasi po hindi niyo ako iniwan kahit minsan. Only God knows how much you all mean to me. Kayo po talaga ang forever.”

...Regine Velasquez...

In the first decade of her professional life, 1978 to 1988, the most important thing that happened to Sharon was not a song, not a movie, not an acting award or a singing award. “It was my daughter,” she stressed. “I never thought this day would come that she’ll be singing this song with me.” Mother and daughter tearfully rendered Barbra Streisand’s If I Could.

Kuh Ledesma and Zsa Zsa Padilla dished out a medley of upbeat ditties that Sharon used to sing in her 11-year musical-variety program, The Sharon Cuneta Show (TSCS) – a medley of Aretha Franklin’s (You Made Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Respect and Say A Little Prayer, Whitney Houston’s How Will I Know and I’m Every Woman, which became instant crowd pleasers.

This time, the original musical director of TSCS, Mel Villena, joined Sharon onstage. The Isidro sisters – Olive, Agot and Tina – who did back-up for TSCS, plus the original members of Arenalin Dancers, some of whom even flew in from the US, were likewise present in the production number.

…Christopher de Leon…

Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano sang their respective hits with Sharon, I’ll Be There and Take Me Out of the Dark. With her perennial love team partner, Christopher de Leon, she did a duet of Sana’y Maghintay ang Walang Hanggan.

Basil Valdez did a duet of Ngayon at Kailanman, one of Basil’s biggest hits and Sharon’s blockbuster romance-drama opposite Richard Gomez. Maestro Ryan Cayabyab or Mr. C was at the helm of the number.

When Richard Gomez came out onstage, he was met with a thunderous applause. Apparently, their tandem is still strongly patronized by fans. After 15 years of not appearing together on the big screen, they are now shooting their reunion movie, Three Words To Forever.

…and Kuh Ledesma (left) and Zsa Zsa Padilla.

In the concert, Sharon and Richard did a duet of Somewhere Down the Road, used as the theme of their 2000 movie, Minsan Minahal Kita. The song was rendered with Maybe Someday, a song that Sharon originally wrote for Richard.

The appearance of Regine Velasquez was a total surprise to Sharon. Together, they did a duet of Friends, a ballad also written by Odette.

To end the concert on a high note, Sharon sang and danced to VST and Company’s Swing, with her hubby Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan dancing with her onstage. Rowell Santiago and Paolo Valenciano directed the concert.