Despite the rain, fans' anticipation for the HItman: David Foster and Friends Asia Tour 2024 concert at the Araneta Coliseum in Araneta City on June 18 was unwavering.

The much-awaited show began with the Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire, setting the stage for an unforgettable evening. David then introduced two promising Original Pilipino Music (OPM) singers, JV Decena and Joaquin Garcia, to the delight of the audience.

When David Foster, 74, opened the show, he was profoundly touched by the Philippines' unique and deep-rooted passion for music. "There's no country I have been to; I have been to many countries. No country loves music more than the Philippines. This is true."

Stell opens 'Hitman' show

Prior, the audience's excitement was palpable when Stell of SB19 unexpectedly opened David's show. He kicked off the much-awaited concert with the soulful All I Ask, a song made famous by British chanteuse Adele. The energy in the arena was electric as he followed it up with his solo debut single, Room, and Defying Gravity.

Stell, 29, captivated the audience during the middle of the concert with his performance of All By Myself, leaving everyone in awe.

David shared a backstory when he first offered All By Myself to Celine Dion, originally done by Eric Carmen in 1975. He said Celine initially complained about the high notes in some parts of the song.

"When I was doing this song with Celine, she complained about this high note. It's an impossible note to sing, and she hated me in the studio that day.

"If you ever read her book, pages 37 and 38, she devotes two pages to how much she hated me that day in the studio.

"But we got the job done. She hit the high notes and it took her a few tries. Tonight, my friend Stell, you only get one try," David said. Then, the crowd cheered again.

David showed the clip of Celine talking about the high notes in All By Myself.

Celine said: "David Foster called me, and I was in Montreal, and he was in California. He said, 'You're going to freak. It's so amazing. And I said, 'Oh, okay." It's a new track.

"And then he changed the key that we agreed on to a key and a half. I said, 'David, how could you do that?"

"Then David said, 'If you can't do that, other singers can. And that's all I need to know to hit the notes," said Celine.

David told the crowd in Araneta: "That's a true story. I said to her, 'Hey, if you can't do it, other singers next door can do it. Whitney Houston was in the other studio, but I didn't say her name. Anyway, it was all for fun, and Celine hit the notes."

When it was released in 1996, Celine's cover of All By Myself peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the US and became a worldwide hit.

After Stell performed "All By Myself," the crowd let out a deafening roar of cheers as they celebrated the moment.

A few hours later, Stell trended on social media with clips of his performances from the "Hitman" concert. On X, Stell wrote: "Thank you, Lord. The best ka po talaga."

All-4-One

All-4-One wowed the crowd with their hit songs I Can Love You Like That, So In Love, Beautiful As You, and I Swear.

The group last visited the Philippines in 2015. "We love the Philippines! You guys can sing!" said a member of the group.

David and Katharine

Enter Katharine McPhee with her rendition of The Power of Love.

Katharine told the audience she was excited to be part of the tour. Then, David and Katharine shared their unusual love story that led to their marriage on June 28, 2019.

"We met almost 19 years ago on a little show called American Idol. We toured together as friends," said David

Katharine said: "I was excited for Andrea Bocelli, not David Foster. But you were at my very first wedding. And I was invited to one of David's weddings. But I wasn't able to make it."

"So we were at each other's weddings," David added.

Katharine said: "Life is a very crazy thing. You'll never know what's ahead of you. We didn't expect to be touring the world together."

Before she left the stage, she performed her hit song Terrified. Then she wrapped up her set with Last Dance, a Donna Summer classic.

Audience participation

The "Hitman" show is not complete without the audience's participation. Two female fans volunteered to perform with David as they shared the Grammy-winning song That's What Friends Are For.

David also encouraged fans to sing along to the songs Hard To Say I'm Sorry and You're The Inspiration, which he wrote for the band Chicago.

"I want to try the chorus again. I want to hear the people who are not on the floor. I don't want to hear from the rich people. I want to hear from real people (lower and upper boxes and general patronage)," said David as the crowd laughed.

He added: "Shall we? And then, when I get to the chorus, we'll let the rich people sing along with us."

At the Oscars

David told the audience he lost at the Oscars three times.

"I've been nominated for three Oscars but lost all three to: The Bodyguard. I also co-wrote for The Prayer with Carol Bayer Sager, and I lost the Oscars. Who would not vote for a religious song? Peter Cetera and I wrote The Glory of Love for the movie The Karate Kid 2. Now we lost the Oscar. I know it's a crime.

"The movie that beat us was Top Gun. I hate that movie. Let's analyze that movie: jets, aircraft carriers, sex, drugs, rock and roll, motorcycles, Kelly McGillis, Maverick, and, of course, Tom Cruise.

"Our movie Karate Kid 2 starred the guy from Happy Days. The song that beat us was Take My Breath Away. I hate it. She still needs to finish the lyrics, and she won the Oscars. If our song The Glory of Love had been in Top Gun, I could have won the Oscar," David said. 

Then, scenes from Top Gun were played on the big screen while The Glory of Love was playing.

Brian McKnight opened his set with the hit song Mornin, a song originally done by Al Jarreau in 1983.

Then he segued to other hit tunes such as After the Love Has Gone (1979), Look What You've Done to Me (1980), and Back At One (1999).

"I am thrilled to be singing his songs, reminiscing, and spending time with him. I appreciate the things that you have done," Brian told David.

David and his friends finished the show with the bouncy number Got To Be Real, a Cheryl Lynn classic from 1978.

For his encore, David played a piano-driven untitled instrumental track, which he wrote at the height of the pandemic. "Goodnight, guys! Keep safe as you drive home." It was a night of fun, laughter, and good music that will be remembered over time. Thank you, David, for these unforgettable soundtracks of our lives.