Sarah G takes charge, stands her ground in milestone concert

When the countdown timer reached zero, the screens flanking the stage flashed a montage of pertinent pop-culture moments and career breakthroughs—“Ang TV,” “Penpen de Sarapen,” “Sarah: Ang Munting Prinsesa,” “Star for a Night.”

Amid ambient music and sounds of dripping water, a guitarist took centerstage. He strummed his double-neck guitar, prompting the circular light fixture overhead to dither and flash the words “Sarah Geronimo.”

The sold-out crowd inside Araneta Coliseum erupted into deafening screams.

The wailing guitar intro melted into the opening strains and tinkles of the 2022 hit “Dati-Dati.” But just when the fans thought Sarah was about to emerge onstage, her voice drifted across the venue: “Parang kailan lang tayo’y magkasama.”

There she was in the empty corridor, singing softly, taking small deliberate steps—as if recreating the concept of the song’s music video. But at the drop of beat and bass, Sarah put her swagger on. Through the expansive LED wall, the giddy fans followed their idol’s every move as she danced and sauntered toward the entrance.

“Ang swerte naman nun!” a fan near us screamed upon seeing his fellow Popsters near the center aisle get up close with Sarah. And when, at last, she reached the stage, she promptly brought the house down with a sultry dance break punctuated by an air guitar and knee slide.

It was, arguably, the best opening number Sarah has ever done in a concert. And she sustained the momentum with a series of equally commanding performances. After unleashing the final high note and run of “Sandata,” Sarah, seemingly lost in the music, looked up with arms outstretched and soaked in the moment, before segueing into “Misteryo.”

There was a lot to admire when Sarah reveled in fun, more lighthearted fare that highlighted her innate feel for the music.

Stand out

One thing that stood out from the get-go was Sarah’s hunger and eagerness to perform. The 34-year-old pop star hasn’t been as active as she used to before the pandemic and her marriage to Matteo Guidicelli. And watching her impassioned delivery of the R&B hit “Ikot-Ikot,” it was hard not to imagine just how much she has missed being on the big stage. “Kay rami nang sakit na nilimot, napabayaan,” sang Sarah, pumping her chest, her face a mix of sadness and anguish.

“Sa Iyo,” one of her early singles, brought some levity after the hard-hitting opening sequence. She loves the choreography, she said—“malaki ang naitulong sa pamilya ko.” This time, she gave the song a new spin. It had a touch of R&B and a bit of new jack swing. The moves were fun and slinky with echoes of Michael Jackson, one of Sarah’s biggest musical influences growing up.

While it was exciting watching her bust out adrenaline-pumping routines, there was also a lot to admire when Sarah reveled in fun, more lighthearted fare that highlighted her innate feel for the music and how it seemingly just flowed out of her limbs.

This desire to explore and put out something new was a recurring sentiment throughout the night. By this point in the concert, many fans had already noticed that, while there were more dancers onstage than usual, Sarah’s longtime back-up, G-Force, was nowhere to be found.

Sarah’s concept, according to Matteo in a television interview, was to create a “synergy of greatness” by bringing together dancers and choreographers she has yet to work with. The idea, however, reportedly didn’t jibe with G-Force creative director Georcelle Dapay-Sy. Citing “artistic differences,” Dapay-Sy pulled out her group from the concert just two months away from the set date.

That left Sarah with the dance crews UPeepz and A-Team and choreographers Jim Amen, Marc Devon, El John-Zian, MJ Arda and Angelica Arda to come up with new steps for songs originally choreographed by G-Force.

Geronimo (left) with husband Matteo Guidicelli

Revamped version

The changes were most apparent in the viral hit, “Tala.” The revamped version, which featured a more uptempo arrangement, retained elements or movement that evoked indigenous music, but with a palpable dance hall flair. And it was all packed in a dramatic production that opened with a theatrical, almost ceremonial intro, and ended with a festive outro dance break.

That Sarah and her team managed to put together new and concert-worthy routines under the circumstances they were in was a triumph in itself.

The middle portion of the concert—coproduced by Viva Live and G-Productions—was more or less what you would expect from Sarah. On “Duyan,” she harmonized with some of her favorite songwriters, Yumi Lacsamana, Thyro Alfaro and Nica del Rosario then debuted a new song, the brooding 2000s R&B-inspired “My Mind,” with Billy Crawford.

She brought out rapper John Roa for the cheeky, electro-laden track “Alam” and shared the stage with Sam Concepcion, Jason Dy, Kyle Echarri and Jeremy Glinoga for a smooth Bruno Mars medley.

Sarah waxed nostalgic as she revisited the theme songs of some of her blockbuster movies: “Paano Ba Ang Magmahal” (from “The Breakup Playlist”); “Maybe This Time”; “Fallin’” (“Catch Me, I’m In Love”); and “A Very Special Love.” “All the kilig, heartbreaks, heartaches … they all seemed so real!” she said of her experience doing those films. In a moving series of hugot ballads—“Sweetest Mistake,” “Dahil Minahal Mo Ako,” “Sino Nga Ba Siya” and “How Could You Say You Love Me”—Sarah alternated between gentle crooning and controlled power.

‘Nerve-wracking’

Headlining a solo concert at the Big Dome five years after her last was nerve-wracking, Sarah admitted. But if she were, it didn’t show—especially not in the way she talked and joked about her husband. “Akalain mo ‘yun, nakapangasawa ako ng Italyano? Sana ‘di mauntog,” she said of Matteo whom she invited onstage for a duet on “The Gift.” “Ewan ko ba kung anong nainom ko!”

She gamely bantered with her mentor and “nag-iisang tala,” Regine Velasquez, who anointed her as the “queen of everyone, of our hearts and this industry.”

“Nakakatuwa pong maglandian ng kasal na … may blessing na ni Lord! Walang shame-shame!” Sarah jested when Regine teased her and Matteo for their nonstop “landian.”

And she had no qualms about wearing her heart on her sleeve for her fans—like when she tearfully sang “Habang May Buhay” as a tribute to her father Delfin. “He saw my potential. He was the first person who believed in my God-given talent. He taught me to dream big. He taught me to be strong … in facing the challenges of life,” she said.

The singer then reiterated her love for her father and mother, Divine, who unfortunately, weren’t in attendance.

Full control

Toward the end of the three-and-a-half hour concert, Sarah—still as energetic as she was in the opening number—picked up the pace with a smattering of contemporary R&B covers of songs by Rihanna and SZA, which showed off her sassy side.

And in what turned out to be one of the night’s highlights, Sarah, together with her indefatigable army of dancers, had the fans rising to their feet, singing along and waving their lightsticks aloft to a thumping suite of dance hits that included “Kilometro,” “Record Breaker” and “Perfectly Imperfect.”

There was an unexpected burst of emotions in “Tayo.” Despite the song’s infectious rhythm, Sarah, amid all the jumping, kicking and finger-wagging, found herself holding back tears—as if the importance of the occasion was finally dawning on her. In “Dulo,” a sense of triumph filled the air as Sarah held the final note and took a bow under a rain of confetti. While undoubtedly a career milestone, the show wasn’t without hiccups. There were minor technical glitches here and there, the transitions between acts could have been more seamless, and the setlist could have benefited from tighter editing. What-ifs are inevitable. And there are those who still might prefer her songs’ old choreography.

Just the same, Sarah can hold her head high, knowing that—in her first stint as a concert director—she stood her ground and stayed true to her vision to give the fans the kind of show she wants.

“This is the first time I was given full control of my material in a concert… It wasn’t easy for me because I had to pinpoint what I really wanted,” Sarah said. “But with the guidance of my understanding and supportive team, I was given the opportunity to bring my vision to life.”

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