GARY Valenciano just had to give his all to his last major concert, Pure Energy: One Last Time Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena. It was ten minutes to midnight when he took his final bow.

That meant, if Gary started the show at 8:30 p.m., after his front act, Bullet Dumas, carried out four songs, Gary tirelessly performed for more than three hours without leaving the stage. If that was not amazing, we don’t know what is.

He dished out his countless, signature hits all familiar to the audience. He readily started with Shout for Joy, That’s Why and Eto Na Naman.

The stage was littered with dancers, more than 30 of them.

At one point, the stage had nearly a hundred artists performing. Aside from the dancers then and now, there were his band and back-up singers.

Gary introduced his first guest, Karylle, hoisted up onstage by a mechanical contraption, as strains of the ballad, Could We, were being played by the band.

“Sometime ago when this song was written, it was originally a duet and I recorded this song with her mom (Zsa Zsa Padilla),” Gary told his audience. “But she’s (Karylle) here tonight and I’m glad she is. Let’s just enjoy the varying shades of Pure Energy.”

How can Gary’s perennial stage and music “rival,” concert king Martin Nievera, not be on the picture when the former marks his impressive four decades in the business?

“This guy is not my friend, but my best friend,” Gary said about Martin. “My journey will not be the same without him around.” They did a duet of Valenciano’s first hit ballad, Hang On.

“I wanted to do another number with him (Nievera),” Gary said. “This is the number I wanted to do and he said no. He carried on with Al Jarreau’s Spain, always rendered with much difficult scathing.

With the popular all-male quintet, BGYO, the Philippines’ newest and fast-rising hip-hop group, Gary sang Everybody Get Down.

“Ang hirap talagang sumabay sa kabataan,” Gary lamented. Yet, he could still very much dance and move onstage with the BGYO.

With rapper Gloc 9, Gary did a duet of Walang Pumapalakpak, their collaboration last year.

Gary’s energy was unbelievable, singing, dancing and reaching out to his audience literally. He impeccably dished out his biggest hits – Natutulog Pa ang Diyos, Babalik Ka Rin, Warrior Is a Child, Growing Up, Reaching Out, Narito, Sana Maulit Muli and Wag Ka Nang Umiyak, the theme song of Ang Probinsyano.

Middle of the concert, Gary went down onstage and circled the lower box area of the Arena to send thrills to the fans, shaking hands and posing for countless selfies with them.

The powerhouse line-up of guests included the chart-topping Ben&Ben, who did a duet of I Will Be Here with Gary.

Singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel sang Saranggola, a song he wrote for Gary’s Awit at Laro album in 2018.

Prince of Pop Erik Santos and the multi-talented Julie Ann San Jose rendered Each Passing Night with Gary, while Erik sang Reaching Out.

Julie Ann is not a new artist working with Gary. She earlier recorded Pitik Bulag for Gary’s Awit at Laro album.

Supahdance group lead artist Rayver Cruz and his girlfriend Julie Ann San Jose joined Gary in yet another dance hit, Look In Her Eyes.

The concert brought together Gary’s children in one venue. Gabriel and Kiana Valenciano flew in from the US and performed in the show, while Paolo brilliantly did stage direction away from the cameras. Gary’s better-half, Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, was in the front row. She apparently made sure everything was taken cared of.

Gio and Lianna Martinez, the talented children of Gary’s sister, Gina and Leo Martinez, also flew in to perform in the concert.

At one point, Gary invited the celebrities in the audience to join him onstage and sang the Arnel de Pano composition, Lead Me Lord, with him. “He is the father of Andrew de Pano of Ben&Ben,” Gary informed.

“I want to sing this next song not as a message from me, but as a message from all of us to all of you,” Gary said.

Randy Santiago, Dingdong Avanzado, Ogie Alcasid, Toni Gonzaga, Fe de los Reyes, Gian Magdangal, Jeremy Glinoga and many others were onstage.

“This is incredible,” Gary asserted. “I didn’t expect to see all of them here tonight, but they are here.”

“It has been one amazing night,” Gary told his audience at the tail end of the concert. “You did not only make this night possible. All the 40 years, you were all there with me. Those are unforgettable moments for me.”

Gary’s original back-up dancers, Canada-based brothers Jason and Joshua Zamora of The Manoevres, were joined by the new generation, Manoevres Ignite. The group’s original choreographer, Uriel Policarpio, also went on board for this concert.

The A-Team also performed, plus a host of professionals who simply knew how to dance, joined the group.

Gary then acknowledged his back-up band. On drums were Jun Regalado III, on saxophone was Michael Mark Guevarra, on trombone was Darius Mendoza, on trumpets were James Nisto and Lester Zorilla, on bass was Ritchie Ramos.

Back-up vocalists were Eljay Saison Ortiz, Alyssa Quijano, May Ann Casal Soriano and Junjee Cailao.

Guitarist was Migs Cañeses, first keyboards was Jeff Florendo, musical director was Mon Faustino, who has worked with Gary for 35 years.

“(Mon) is somebody who captures my heart every time we work together,” Gary said. “He knows what I’m speaking about. He knows how I wanted to sound and knows what message I want to give to the people.”

Gary clarified that while he will opt to stay out of the concert domes and arenas, his passion for music and performing remains as strong as ever.

After four decades of performing live onstage countless times, the OPM icon admitted he is not retiring, but will prefer performing in more intimate venues. He will concentrate more on sharing his talent and giving back.

He fittingly closed the concert with the inspirational ballad, Take Me Out of the Dark. The audience stood up holding their phones and singing with him.

Three weeks before the concert, tickets were sold out. So, a third night was added to Pure Energy: One Last Time on May 10.