It should no longer be a surprise that Regine Velasquez Alcasid pulls out all the stops for a concert.

Longtime fans and even newly-minted ones should, by now, be familiar with how extra the Asia’s Songbird has been in previous performances – she once soared several feet high to perform “On the Wings of Love” and has unabashedly sung over an allegedly ill-mannered pop star, among others. 

But on Sunday, February 28, during her long-awaited digital concert Freedom, even the most loyal of Regine fans couldn’t quite believe it when the Filipino music icon sang “On the Wings of Love” as a duet – with herself.

It was only one of several surprises from Regine that night during a surprisingly intimate and edgy show. 

“Ang feeling ko (It’s like) I’m just singing to one person,” said Regine at the beginning of the concert, which was originally set for February 14.

Regine was clearly at ease the entire night, shifting easily from cracking jokes and making quips to sharing insights on life and the idea of freedom during quarantine.

Collaborations with others were also highlights of the night. Bamboo performed “Himala” with Regine, while indie singer and rapper Curtissmith (Mito Fabie) made a recorded cameo during her rendition of “Rolling in the Deep” and “In the End.” Most adorably, her 9-year-old son Nate lent his vocals for her cover of “Make You Feel My Love,” which featured old photos and videos of the mother and son. 

Towards the end of the night, after several costume changes and surprise performances (Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” and a very emotional cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” among others), Regine cheekily admitted that they never really planned to use “Freedom” as a title – she just wanted to cover the George Michael song.

But it was later on, said Regine, that she realized “we all want freedom from fear, financial difficulties, anxiety, depression, a lot of things.”

“But there’s another kind of freedom,” she said, wishing fans and viewers the freedom to find their “truth.” 

Freedom comes just a few weeks shy before the Philippines marks one year since coronavirus lockdowns started in 2020. It’s been nearly a year of no in-person performances, and a year of uncertainty for the live events industry – a struggle Regine also acknowledged while thanking ABS-CBN, IME, and PLDT for mounting the event. 

If it was awkward at all for the singer – whose career has been defined by sold-out shows – to be surrounded only by her team (a grand total of 8 people in the flesh, she joked), that certainly didn’t show.

For Regine, singing before tens of thousands of warm bodies inside the Araneta Coliseum or speaking to even more all across the world through streaming services were no different. What mattered was that she was finally performing for her fans – never mind if she couldn’t see or hear how people reacted when several Regines flashed on screen during her cover of “When the Party is Over,” or when she harmonized beautifully with herself during “On the Wings of Love.”

Freedom: The Regine Velasquez-Alcasid Digital Concert was streamed via KTX, iWantTFC, TFC, IPTV, and SKYcable PPV. It was directed by Paolo Valenciano (stage) and Frank Mamaril (TV), with musical direction by Raul Mitra. – Bea Cupin/Rappler.com