Aiza Seguerra bares love for gf; Charice's family skip her concert

Charice and Aiza Seguerra bared their hearts during their September 28 concert filled with "truth, acceptance and empowerment."

Titled “Charice and Aiza: The Power of Two (The Unbreakable Tour),” the event was held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Celebrities spotted at the event were Vice Ganda, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Matteo Guidicelli, Giselle Sanchez, Lorna Tolentino, and Maricel Soriano.

Through their songs and their spiels, Charice and Aiza candidly shared their thoughts about love and homosexuality during their three-hour concert.

At different points of the concert, both singers became emotional as they opened up about their personal lives. Aiza even gave advice for Charice who faced controversy in the past when her mother Raquel openly expressed her disappointment with her lesbian daughter.

In line with the concert’s theme of acceptance, they set the mood by choosing Michael Jackson’s “Black or White.”

Wearing a shiny gray suit, Charice showcased her signature dance moves complete with hip swiveling and “hair brush up” moves. Aiza, on the other hand, wore a metal-studded black jacket.

As energetic as the opening number was, little did the crowd know that Aiza was actually hospitalized for acute asthma a few days before their concert.

During her opening spiel, Aiza emphasized that the theme of their concert is acceptance.

“Why is tonight a special night? Kasi nandito kami ni Charice. Joke lang,” quipped the acoustic singer as she interacted with the crowd.

Turning serious, she continued: “Why is this special? Because tonight is all about empowerment.” Her declaration was met with rousing cheer from the audience.

“Tonight is about being who you are and being loved. Lahat tayo may journey at ang iba pinagdadaanan pa lang. Ang importante, never lose sight of who you are,” said Aiza.

Abra and Gloc 9 were the only guests in the concert but they brought more than their fair share of talent and stage presence.

Abra rapped while Charice sang “Gayuma.” Gloc 9 on the other hand brought the house down when he performed “Sirena” with Aiza.

Gloc 9 and Abra also gave a unique take on “Balita” when Abra ended the song by shouting, “Ibalik ang P10 billion!”

Hospital stay

During the first part of the concert, Aiza performed her version of the hit song “Clarity.”  

She then made a revelation about her health, which caused her to struggle with some songs during the concert. “I just got out of the hospital last night [referring to Friday night],” admitted Aiza.

The singer even managed to make light of her situation as she gave her spiel before singing “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

“This song is very important to me. Kahit anong estado natin sa buhay, huwag nating kakalimutan sa buhay natin laging may nagmamahal sa ‘yo: kahit may boses ka o wala o sikat ka man o hindi.

“Mahirap sumabak sa kantahan na wala kang pangkanta. I want to sing this song for people na nagpapalakas ng loob ko: My mom, my bandmates, and to all of you.”  

Aiza’s true love

As Aiza continued with her set, she often talked to the audience about love. She even asked members of the crowd if they found their true love already.

According to her, she found true love, lost it but gained it right back.

She also admonished concertgoers to express their love and not hold back.

"’Pag nagmamahal ka ng todo alam mong ipaglalaban mo ‘yun. And we're not just talking about homosexuals.

"If you love someone, tell him or her about your love.

"Love is such a beautiful thing and it is such an amazing thing.

"’Pag masaya ka, you infect people. That's all we need right now, especially now.

"This is a very special song for me. This is for you," declared Aiza.

While Aiza was singing, theater and indie film actress Liza Diño was shown on the huge screen above the stage.

Liza previously starred in the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave entry “In Nomine Matris,” which earned for her a Best Actress Award. She was also part of the 2013 CineFilipino comedy film “Bingoleras.”

Aiza dedicated “Araw Gabi” to her girlfriend Liza, who was emotional as she watched the singer give a heartfelt rendition of the song.

At one point, their images were shown side-by-side on the huge screen even though they were far apart: Aiza performing on stage while Liza was seated near the stage.

“Siguro kaya ako napaos para mabuksan ko ang puso ko sa inyo. Kagaya n’yo rin ako pero mas maliit lang ng konti,” Aiza said with her self-deprecating humor after her earnest song number.

“Minsan natatakot, minsan nadadapa gaya n’yo na ‘pag nagmamahal, buo,” she said as she became teary-eyed.

After composing herself, Aiza decided to veer away from the pre-planned set list and even asked permission from the audience if she could perform a different song.

“I want to sing something else,” she told the crowd. “Nasabi ko na ‘yung about love and for me. ‘Pag natuto ka na magmahal ng iba, palaki ng palaki ang pag-ibig at gusto mo lang i-share ‘yun sa ibang tao. The best way is to accept that person for who she is.

“Let us empower those people, ang mga tao na naiipit sa pagbabakbakan. Understanding goes a long way.”

Aiza then serenaded the crowd with her version of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Transition period

For her grand entrance, huge letters on the screen spelled out Charice’s name as she performed her international hit “Pyramid.”  

“Since I got my break abroad, I was able to reach more people with my music,” said the singer who became known for her guestings in “The Ellen Degeneres Show” and “Oprah.”

Charice admitted that when she came out of the closet, there were a lot of changes that happened in her life. “Ito ang naging new route ko para makilala ko ang sarili ko. Some people judged me at lumayo.”

But she was glad that one person stayed loyal to her: her girlfriend, Alyssa Quijano.

“Siyempre, papaka gentleman ako, ‘di ba?” quipped Charice before she went down the stage to fetch Alyssa from her seat.

Together, they sang “How Could An Angel Break My Heart.” They held hands in the middle of the song and when the song ended, Charice leaned in to give Alyssa a kiss on her forehead.

“Alyssa, I'm proud of you and I love you,” said Charice about her girlfriend of one year.

The international singing sensation took the time to talk about her estranged family.

She explained: “The word family ends with I-L-Y, which means I love you. I wish my family was here tonight but we are in a transition to become more accepting of each other.”

To this, the audience gave her a round of applause.

"Pinapaalala ko sa sarili ko, ‘Charice, maghintay ka lang.’”

She then poured her heart out for her version of “Maghintay Ka Lamang,” a song that is considered an anthem by her and her mommy Raquel.

Charice cried openly while her girlfriend Alyssa was shown on screen being emotional as well.  

“Sabi ko ayoko umiyak,” said Charice as she tried to compose herself. “Kung makikita ito nina mommy, I love you.”

She also dedicated the song “In The Arms of an Angel” to her father, who died in November 2011.

“Feeling ko ang pogi-pogi ko,” said Charice as she expressed amazement over the number of people who watched the concert. The crowd cheered her on, prompting her to quip: “Sa dami ng nanonood feeling ko ako si Sam Milby…Hindi pala, Daniel Padilla.” She puffed her chest out  and strutted onstage, before saying about Daniel, “Idol ko ‘yun!”

Acceptance from family

One of the segments of the concert featured messages from friends and family members.

Vic Sotto recorded a message for Aiza wherein he said, “You will always be my little bossing.”  

Aiza’s mother, Mommy Caring, said about her daughter: “Kahit ganyan ang itsura n’ya, nandyan ang suporta namin. Kung sino man siya tanggap namin siya. Ikaw ay isang mabuting bata.”  

Instead of family members, a family friend of Charice named Monette gave her message.

She pointed out: “Si Charice nailabas n’ya kung ano ang kanyang tinatago. Alam ko kahit masaya siya, kulang pa rin dahil sa mommy n’ya.”

For her part, Aiza told her partner: “I know Charice is going through stuff. I know that acceptance, nagsisimula ‘yan sa family. Bago namin narating ‘yun, it’s a journey. Hang in there.”

Aiza then addressed the crowd as she made an appeal: “If there are parents here who have children na homosexual, open your heart. We are good people.”

For their encore, Charice and Aiza gave their version of "Titanium." — Pep.ph