Jed Madela was here

Yes, he was. He had a concert at the NegOr Convention Center last Monday, December 15. And now everybody (who saw the concert) is raving about him, a young man with talent to the superlative level.

How super? Check out Wikipedia's entry on him:

In 2005, he bested over 3,000 contestants from 52 countries to win the grand prize in the World Championships of Performing Arts.

There were six categories whereby Jed won the golds. For the pop category, he sang “I’m Your Angel.” For the original song category, meaning a composition from the singer’s home country, he did Martin Nievera’s old hit, “Be My Lady.” For Broadway (“Home”), pop duet (with Risa Navales, they sang “Last Night of the World”), gospel (“Take Me Out of the Dark”), and for the final song that made him grand champion, it’s Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing.”

He also brought home two Champion of the World plaques, one star trophy for the award Grand Champion of the World in the singing division and a huge diamond trophy for the most coveted Grand Champion Performer of the World.

Still not convinced? Check out the youtube videos of his concerts. This guy has been all over the world and in a recent trip to Europe he was given a standing ovation by thousands of Filipinos and Europeans alike.

In Edu Manzano's words:

"And then meron pa kaming ginawa, kinuha po namin yong rights, binayaran po namin yong rights, kasi hindi pwedeng ipirata yong kantang yan, kinanta uli po ni Jed Madela doon sa gathering namin with the Filipino community, 25,000 Filipinos po, andun yong mga Mayor ng Rome, mga Conciliary, mga Deputy Mayors, kung sino sino pong mga Italyano, mga security namin puro Italyano. Anyway, dahil nung nabayaran na, pinahirit ko ulit kay Jed Madela. Mga kaibigan 25,000 Filipinos ang nag standing ovation, kasama din po yong mga Italyano para lang sa isang Pilipino."

Jed Madela was here. Yes, he was. And where was I? Not at the concert! For the simple reason that I did not know what an incredible artist this Jed Madela is. I thought he was another of those matinee idols who look good but can't carry a tune, and we've had a lot of these coming here at this time of year in the past. And also because the venue was at the Convention Center instead of at the Luce Auditorium, where I believe all real talents should perform instead of anywhere else here, mainly because of the acoustics and the seats that are really comfortable for the audience.

I did not like my last concert experience at the Convention Center (Bossa Nova featuring Sitti in February 2008) because the people were walking, buying food from the stalls on the side, eating and talking while the concert was going on. So many distractions. And the floor is flat so if you're seated at the back, it's quite difficult for you to see the stage. Unlike at the Luce, which is an auditorium where the seats are gradually elevated towards the back, no matter where you sit you still get an unobstructed view of the stage, although the people are smaller the farther away you are.

As for Jed Madela, the next time he comes to town, I'll be sure to watch his show (hopefully it will be at the Luce). As for you, in case he has a concert near your place in the future, I strongly suggest you get a ticket and see that Filipinos are not only good in boxing (and copying) but in singing, too. But you already knew that, of course.