R2K: The Concert was the first arena concert by Filipino entertainer Regine Velasquez, held on April 7 and 8, 2000, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. It was a part of Velasquez's promotion of her tenth studio album, R2K (1999). It was exclusively promoted by Viva Concerts, with beauty brands Pond's and Sunsilk as sponsors. Velasquez served as the stage and creative director for the show, which featured Ogie Alcasid, Gabby Eigenmann, Janno Gibbs, Jaya, and KC Montero as guest acts.
The concert's production and staging featured a 360-degree configuration with a semi-circular plexiglass stage, four large video screens, and an automated flying rig used during Velasquez's aerial performance of "On the Wings of Love" and "Butterfly". She collaborated on outfits with designer Rajo Laurel, who drew inspiration from Dolce & Gabbana's "print-on-print" collection. The set list included songs predominantly taken from R2K and various covers of pop hits from 1999 and 2000; these included "Larger than Life" by the Backstreet Boys and a medley of "If You Had My Love", "Waiting for Tonight", and "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez, which she performed as part of the opening set.
R2K: The Concert received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Velasquez's showmanship and vocal abilities, as well as the stage production. Critics also lauded the costumes and her look during the concert. For her work, Velasquez was awarded Best Female Major Concert Act at the 13th Aliw Awards. The show was broadcast in its entirety on June 21, 2000, on Viva TV.
Background and development
Regine Velasquez released her tenth studio album, R2K, on November 27, 1999. A cover album, it contains remakes of pop music from the 1970s and 1980s, issued with a bonus Video CD (VCD) of six music videos for its tracks, including Bread's "Lost Without Your Love" and George Benson's "In Your Eyes". Velasquez became the first Filipino artist to release an album with an accompanying VCD. The album was a commercial success, selling over 40,000 copies in the second week of release and earning a platinum certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. As part of the album's promotion, Velasquez performed in small venues, which included a three-day event at the Music Museum called Regine 2000. In January 2000, Velasquez's publicist Hanzel Villafuerte revealed that she was planning a headlining concert in April. The following month, it was announced that Velasquez would perform two dates on April 7–8, at the Araneta Coliseum. The show's producers, Viva Concerts, officially named it R2K: The Concert, and partnered with beauty brands Pond's and Sunsilk as sponsors. Velasquez and her team selected Ogie Alcasid, Gabby Eigenmann, Janno Gibbs, Jaya, and KC Montero as special guests.
Unlike Velasquez's previous concerts—which were staged at the Folk Arts Theater, a 9,000-seat music venue—the concert was her first performance in a large-scale indoor arena. Velasquez stated that she was excited, yet nervous about the show: "It's my first time to perform at such a big venue. For the longest time, my manager wanted me to do it, but I felt I wasn't ready yet." Velasquez was heavily involved in planning and production, and revealed that rehearsals and preparations for it made her anxious. The Philippine Daily Inquirer previewed that it would be her "biggest and most expensive concert to date", adding that her main objective was to deliver performances that "range from pop, ballads, rock and even rap". She asserted, "I do this mainly to entertain... I'm not out to prove anything. I just hope the public enjoys my performance". Velasquez served as stage and creative director, while Marc Lopez and Louie Ignacio were chosen as musical and television directors, respectively.
The show featured a 360-degree configuration with an end-stage setup and four large video screens. The two-tiered stage design included a semi-circular plexiglass main platform, which connected to the upper stage by twin staircases. The central area of the stage was spaced for the musicians and background vocalists. The concert included elements of pyrotechnics and aerial suspension. Velasquez had been toying with the idea of doing an aerial performance after seeing Paula Abdul's Under My Spell Tour (1992) in Manila, and took inspiration from Abdul being transported by wires during a performance of "Spellbound". Velasquez presented the concept to her team and had an automated flying rig to be used for "On the Wings of Love".