MANILA, Philippines—Billed as “Music History” in the making, the two-hour spectacle dubbed “Divas4Divas” reportedly took its organizers in the United States four years of negotiations before it could be staged.

And judging from the packed crowd’s buoyant mood at the Dallas Convention Center’s Black Arts and Letters Theater, the recent Texas leg of the concert’s North American tour seemed worth all that wait.

Prior to the one-night musical showdown, Kuh Ledesma, Regine Velasquez, Pops Fernandez and Zsazsa Padilla have been quietly touring the US for weeks, packing in crowds in Tulsa, Washington D.C. and San Diego, among others.

Some observations, halfway through the Dallas show: Regine seems forever “condemned” to hit the high notes; Kuh’s voice remains as pristine as ever; Zsazsa is a closet comic; and — surprise, surprise — Pops, given the right material, is able to hold her own against some of the country’s most formidable belters.

Regine obviously had the most number of star turns. Apart from a solo spot and joining several group numbers, she did a series of duets with every fellow diva. She was on stage roughly 80 percent of the time.

Kuh seemed to have purposely yielded the spotlight to Regine, whose ability to enthrall birit-hungry Pinoys in “Sino Ang Baliw” “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw” and “Butterfly,” remained unmatched.

Contrasting styles

“Sino Ang Baliw,” Regine’s duet with Kuh, was exceptional as it showcased the two singers’ contrasting styles. The juxtaposition reached fever pitch in the song’s last few notes as Regine screeched her lungs out, while Kuh, with her much lower but more solid voice, channeled Grace Nono.

Regine, if she wills herself, could still hold an audience spellbound without sounding like a siren. Her duet with Pops on “If I Were a Boy” was a refreshing detour: She could have easily steamrolled Pops, but instead chose to play it nice and easy.

No pushover

Pops, to her credit, was no pushover as she assumed R&B mode and coasted along smoothly without missing a beat.

Zsazsa had her moment when she sang her trademark tune “Hiram.” Her strong voice proved to be a versatile counterpoint when she squared off with an intense Regine (“Point of No Return”) and later with a cool Kuh (“The Prayer”).

Comic timing

Without trying to, Zsazsa had clearly imbibed longtime partner Dolphy’s comic timing with her witty, off-the-cuff one-liners. Sample: She said she couldn’t hide the fact that she’s 45 because she didn’t want people to call Dolphy, now 80, a “cradle snatcher.”

In contrast, Regine’s belabored and winding attempts at comedy were almost too painful to bear. But while she nearly made a fool of herself with contrived attempts at self-deprecation and double entendres, Kuh was disturbingly preachy espousing her Christian beliefs.

She credited the Lord at every opportunity — from her ability to live life independently (read: no relationships) to her refusal to go under the knife for beauty’s sake.

Despite such quibbles, “Divas4Divas” once more affirmed to the world the exceptional talents of Pinoy singers.

It was clearly one hell of a delightful experience for every music lover regardless of nationality, allegiance, color, civil status, and, yes, faith.