As we enter the highlight of the Lenten Season on Palm Sunday, this writer is reminded of Euripedes’ famous lines that said: “the greatest pleasure in life is Love.”
Though defined in various ways, “Love” was impressively shown by actor/producer, heartthrob 37 year-old Piolo Jose Pascual “PJ” in short, in his Easter concert by paying tribute to his son, 20 year-old Iñigo Lazaro Pascual, his mother, the former Amelia Nonato and his adoring fans during the concert, produced by the energetic Vic Perez of V Entertainment held at the White Memorial Adventist Church in Los Angeles.
As spectators, my friend Danny Bajet, Lou Sabas, Alice Gonzales and I were just pleasantly surprised and mesmerized by Piolo’s wholesome personality like a “breath of fresh air” obliging song requests and selfies while singing through the crowd in spite of the venue security’s relentless effort to stop the crowd of fans practically mobbing and screaming toward him.
Piolo Pascual (MNS photo)
Garbed in a simple white-collared shirt and black jacket, Piolo’s charisma blended well with his warmth and courteous personality – attributes which particularly impressed me. He didn’t appear like the super star that he already is and together with the Band he’s been working with for several years now, he serenaded us with some of his popular hit songs such as: “Babe I Love You,” “It’s a Little Bit Funny,” “This One’s For You,” If I give My Heart To You,” and “ “This One’s For You,.” Further, he also sang Martin Nievera’s OPM song such as “Be My Lady,” Elton John’s popular song such as “The Way You Look Tonight” and Louis Armstrong’s “Colors of the Rainbow.”
After a brief intermission, Piolo came back with a more casual brown leather jacket attire and dedicated Tagalog songs to his mom such as “Gaano Kita Kamahal,” and “Kung Kailangan Mo Ako;” he turned to his fans and dedicated the hit song in his recent movie “Starting Over Again.” It is no surprise that his fan base reaches far and wide and some of them even flew from Canada and Seattle to see and listen to him.
Good wholesome shows like these are hard to come by nowadays. In the spirit of rejoicing on Easter, we would like to commend producer Vic Perez for encouraging young artists to showcase their talent interspersed within the show, where a well known artist such as Piolo has in his own way, welcomed these uprising artists. Congratulations, Vic Perez for a lovely night of entertainment. To PJ, we wish you all the blessings this Easter for your warmth and dedication to your fans. Mabuhay!