The time I got disappointed as a Charice fan

Yes, I'm a fan of Charice and I was once disappointed.

It was in 2010 during the David Foster and Friends (DFF) Concert at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila. It was my very first time to watch Charice perform live. I was a new fan then. I had seen a lot of her videos on YouTube, though. I actually learned about the Manila leg of DFF from a posted comment for one of her videos. I immediately told about it to a colleague who was also a fan of Charice. We decided to meet up the following day to buy our concert tickets.

Like many newly-born Chasters, I had spent sleepless nights watching one video after another; reading an article that would lead to other write-ups about Charice. I was overwhelmed by the numerous links that Google was so generous to provide me with. And boy, they were not in chronological order! So, the "circuits-in-charge" in my brain had to re-arrange whatever information and performances that were already occupying a no minute part of my 3-pound gray matter. Little by little, I came to know Charice. And unconsciously, I was already craving for more of her amazing performances. [Chaddiction activated!] I didn’t mind watching and listening to the same song repeated in another DFF concert. It was not performed in exactly the same way, I rationalized. Okay, fine. I'll go ahead and share with you one symptom of my Chaddiction. I watched one of my favorite Charice videos over and over again, like ten times (conservative number, maybe) in one night. Sounds familiar, Chasters?

Now, where am I leading you to? Oh! My disappointment!

There were videos where Charice would dance and move to the beat of I Love You Remix and a few other songs. And oh, that Pyramid video that went viral! I noticed how her arm and head movements seemed to shout that she wanted to dance. The "circuits-in-charge" reminded me that her first love was dancing. She had wanted to be a dancer before she wanted to be a singer. Then, my brain brought me to her impromptu Billy Jean performance during a rehearsal with David Foster for a benefit show. Yep! Charice could dance!

YouTube video from gerlyngay channel

Aside from the anticipation of hearing Charice sing live at the Araneta Coliseum, there was my expectation that she would sing a fast song and show her moves to the live audience, and that audience would include me, of course. Gonna be awesome, right? When I thought that perhaps, David Foster would choose I Will Survive as one of the songs for Charice, I was thrilled. You see, one night, while watching a video of her performance of that song at the Mandalay Bay in 2009, like a reflex, I stood from my chair in disbelief of what I had witnessed. Charice ran from one end of the stage to the other while singing flawlessly. How did she do that?

Clip from a YouTube video by Peter de Giua

At the Araneta Coliseum, I was enjoying the performances of the friends of David Foster. I joined the crowd in singing along with the artists while they were performing their hits. That night, Charice performed right before all the friends' group number, an encore, actually. It was an honor to be the finale performer, right? I was happy for her. The anticipation of her performance, although exciting, was killing me. Yes, I was having fun but at the same time, I was experiencing the agony of waiting.

Then, I knew Charice was going on the stage very soon. My "circuits-in-charge" actually took note of the artists who were done performing. Finally, David Foster started giving clues in his introduction of the next friend. I think I was smiling all the time and my neck had reached its stretch limit. I heard his now very familiar manner of calling to the stage the artist that I had been waiting for. Charice was called in. Yehey!

I excitedly searched the stage for her, not knowing which side of it she would be appearing from. Soon, the crowd went really wild. From the right side of the stage, Charice came out wearing a fuchsia mini dress, tailored-fit cut that defined her young blossoming figure. Her dress was matched with a pair of 4- or 5-inch beige high heels. The moment I saw her outfit, I got disappointed. I didn't mind her long brown curls, but I was disappointed with what she was wearing. Don't get me wrong. She was gorgeous in that outfit. She was fabulous and confident in carrying herself and walking to the center of the stage where David Foster and his grand piano were waiting. But. BUT! How could she dance in that dress? How could she make the fast foot moves with those heels?

Yeah, right. Like you, I've seen dancers move with their high heels on, but I've also seen how natural and comfortable Charice was in her low-heeled boots and in her sneakers like at the Mandalay Bay in 2009 and during the impromptu Billy Jean performance.

I've also seen a video of her at the End of Summer Block Party in 2010 where she expressed to her audience the discomfort her high-heeled footwear was giving her. She said, "...these heels are killing me!" She must have felt real pain during her final song Pyramid Remix. In the middle of the song, she hunkered down for some good seconds, like a little girl who got tired of standing and waiting for the school bus to arrive.

Clips from YouTube videos by ChariceTVCrew

I've also seen a video of her walking barefoot on what looked like a parking lot. It must have been after a performance [She wouldn't make her feet dirty before a performance, right?] and she must be giving her feet the relief from wearing heels. Her brother Carl was walking with her and was carrying her pair of heels. Charice treated the fans present there to a little dancing while barefoot.

YouTube video from koolerbeans channel

Back to the DFF Concert at the Araneta. Before Charice could sing her first note, I told myself to stop expecting that I would see her make any dance moves, the unrestrained dance moves, that night. David Foster did let her sing a fast song. She sang her original song Pyramid. Two young female dancers complemented the music of her hit single with their moves.

Clip from a YouTube video by chariceconcerts

After all that I've shared here, I'd like to make something clear. I enjoyed and cherished every minute of her performances at the Araneta Coliseum that night in 2010. I finally had my most-awaited chance to listen to her incredible singing voice live. I felt the emotions she put into the songs. I wasn't just reading the awesome experiences in the comment sections of YouTube because I was not in front of the computer. I was present right there at the venue itself. It was an amazing experience. No regrets at all.

Oh, well...there was one. I regretted that I had expected her to do some dance moves at the DFF Manila. I shouldn't have. As they say, expectations can lead to frustrations and disappointments. So, I made it a dream, instead of an expectation, that Charice would show her moves in her future concerts.

In her Power of Two Concert with Aiza Seguerra in September last year, Charice showed some moves. Currently, Charice is on World Tour which kicked off in Los Angeles, California on March 15 this year. The LA concert videos showed the singing and dancing Charice. She sang with her powerful voice to express herself, to communicate the messages of the songs, and to entertain the audience. Her unrestrained dance moves added the exclamation point to the whole concert. As they say, dreams do come true.