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Review: Odette Quesada marks 40 years in music at concert

Article (news)

Leah C. Salterio

<div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-1-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-2-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-3-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-4-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-5-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-6-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-7-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-8-(1).jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/04/oq-9-(1).jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada at her &#x27;All Hits: 40th Anniversary Celebration&#x27; concert at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Ryan Cayabyab. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Raymond Lauchengco. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Bituin Escalante. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Armand Ferrer. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Kuh Ledesma. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Regine Velasquez. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada with Martin Nievera. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Odette Quesada at curtain call. <cite>Newport World Resorts</cite></p></div></div></div><p>MANILA -- Rare do audiences find it that in one concert, three artists will render one song individually, singing their respective versions – the original singer, the songwriter and the one who reimagined the song.</p><p>That was what happened when the popular ballad, “Till I Met You,” was respectively performed by pop diva Kuh Ledesma, Odette Quesada and Regine Velasquez in Quesada’s 40th anniversary concert last September 1 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.</p><p>As most everyone knows, Ledesma bagged the grand prize for Quesada in the professional division of the sixth Metro Manila Popular Music Festival in 1983 for “Till I Met You.”</p><p>Quesada later recorded her own version of the song for her “Hopeless Romantic” album (1984). Years later, in 2006, Velasquez reimagined “Till I Met You” for the film of the same title opposite Robin Padilla and megged by Mark Reyes.</p><p>Quesada took her audience to a nostalgic trip in “All Hits: 40th Anniversary Celebration,” as she rendered her songs to the full-house crowd. Yes, the theater was packed and tickets were sold-out two weeks before the concert.</p><p>She was supposed to do a repeat of her solo concert at Maybank Theater in 2000. However, after her performance, the pandemic started worldwide and that prevented Quesada from returning to the Philippines to perform anew.</p><p>Perhaps, there was no better time than last weekend. There was a downpour in the afternoon, but that didn’t prevent Quesada’s hordes of fans from packing the theater. They came and celebrated with her.</p><p>Artists whom Quesada worked with, previously wrote a song for or her friends appeared on-screen before the concert started, to greet her as she marked her illustrious four decades in the music industry.</p><p>There were Gary Valenciano, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Lani Misalucha (who recorded Quesada’s composition, “More Than I Should”), Darren Espanto, Ryan Agoncillo, Randy Santiago (whom Quesada honored in her song, “Dito Lang”), Ogie Alcasid, Joey Albert and Ice Seguerra.</p><p>Quesada sauntered into the stage and immediately gave the audience “Don’t Know What To Say (Don’t Know What To Do),” her first hit popularized by Ric Segreto and which Quesada wrote when she was merely 17.</p><p>From that first song in her repertoire, Quesada was immediately joined by her audience who was singing with her.</p><p>The first guest who joined Quesada onstage that night was her UP College of Music professor, National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab. He played the piano in “Kahit Ika’y Panaginip Lang,” a Basil Valdez original that Cayabyab penned and Quesada rendered.</p><p>Then, Raymond Lauchengco, who was truly grateful to Quesada for giving him his first hit, “I Need You Back,” sang the ballad that night.</p><p>It was followed by “Farewell,” which Quesada originally gave to her high school graduating class at Philippine Women’s University, but was later recorded by Lauchengco for the soundtrack of Maryo J. de los Reyes’ classic coming-of-age film “Bagets” in 1984.</p><p>Quesada paid tribute to her husband, the late singer-songwriter, Bodjie Dasig, with whom she wrote a number of Tagalog hits heard by the audience in her concert – “Wala Nang Nasa Isip,” “Dito Lang” and “Ale.”</p><p>Then, Bituin Escalante rendered a duet with Quesada in “Sana Dalawa ang Puso Ko,” a Bodjie Dasig original hit.</p><p>Another guest, tenor Arman Ferrer, beautifully crooned Segreto’s “Sana ay Malaman Mo,” and later did a duet with Quesada in the hauntingly sentimental “You’re My Home.”</p><p>The big names in the music scene graciously shared the stage with Quesada to mark her 40th year. Pop diva Ledesma gave the audience two more of Quesada’s memorable tunes – “Sweet Melody” and “A Long, Long Time Ago” – aside from “Till I Met You.”</p><p>Velasquez sang “Ayoko Na Sana,” originally recorded by Ariel Rivera. Quesada shared an interesting trivia while Velasquez was onstage. </p><p>In the latter’s upbeat hit, “Urong Sulong,” recorded in 1987, Quesada, who was tapped by Velasquez’s former manager, Ronnie Henares, did back up in the recording.</p><p>“I will work for food,” Quesada smilingly disclosed. “I was paid tapsilog for doing back up in ‘Urong Sulong.’”</p><p>Meanwhile, concert king Martin Nievera joined the show. He reimagined “Give Me A Chance,” a Segreto original that became the “ticket’ to Quesada’s professional songwriting career.</p><p>Naturally, Quesada sang the other hits she wrote for other artists, like Sharon Cuneta’s “To Love Again” and “Friend of Mine,” the latter became the concert’s closing number.</p><p>Vernie Varga’s “Love Me Again” was reimagined for Quesada’s “Hopeless Romantic” debut album.</p><p>“My Favorite Story” was recorded by David Pomeranz. “Imagine, another singer-songwriter singing you song,” Quesada humbly bragged. </p><p>And there were lesser-known songs that made it to her repertoire that night -- “Sorry About the Erasures” from her “Free and Easy” album, and “It’s a Crazy Feeling… Love Is” is a track from her “Hopeless Romantic” release. </p><p>“Breaking in Two” was a piece she wrote for her mom, a travelling musician, when Quesada was still a teenager. In “I Miss You So,” she displayed strumming the guitar in a rare while.</p><p>“Habang Panahon” is a sentimental ballad Dasig gifted to her on Valentine’s Day on 1994, their first Valentine’s together as a married couple, although she was in Germany at that time.</p><p>“When I got home, I gifted him with a pair of boots for my Valentine’s gift,” shared Quesada. “But he gave me a CD with the recording of ‘Habang Panahon.’ He always managed to outdo me every time.” </p><p>Quesada is proud even of the other songs she didn’t write, but others thought she did, like “Tell Me,” a Joey Albert original penned by Louie Ocampo; “Loving You” by Ric Segreto, written by Gerry Paraiso; and “Special Memory” recorded by Iwi Laurel and written by Cecile Azarcon.</p><p>The concert director, Rowell Santiago, mounted the show with Quesada’s manager, Noel Ferrer. </p><p>Celebrities in the audience that night included Agot Isidro and sister Olive, Mark Bautista, Louie Reyes.</p><p>The audience was unstoppable as they stood up and danced when Quesada rendered the upbeat ditty, “Growing Up,” with Nievera and Lauchengco.</p><p>Quesada’s hits remain obviously well remembered by her legions of fans even if she is not often seen performing live in the country. The crowd undoubtedly missed her and her songs resonated with them once again.</p>

Odette Quesada took her audience to a nostalgic trip in 'All Hits: 40th Anniversary Celebration,' as she rendered her songs to the full-house crowd. 