SOME 70,000 fans trooped to The Fort to witness the country’s biggest concert of the year. After all, it’s not a common occurrence to have Rihanna and Chris Brown, two of the hottest pop stars of this generation, performing back-to-back here in Manila.

Organized by MTV Philippines and Globe, together with Super, the highly anticipated concert was a major crowd drawer—parking spaces were nearly unavailable at the otherwise open grounds and the traffic jam was felt as far away as Pasig.

Medel Pabillano, 28, waited nearly two hours just to get inside the venue. “I’m a huge fan of Chris Brown so I’m sure the wait would be worth it,” he said. “And to have Rihanna performing in the second set… it can’t get better than that.”

It was the same story for many fans who waited more than a month since the concert was announced and consequently tried to score tickets to the show. Even down to the last minute, long lines marked the entrances to the venue as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the superstar duo. Outside, others were contended to watch via the huge projection screens set up by the organizers.

At the very least, the concert started right on the dot—a countdown marked the start of Chris Brown’s set as the 19-year-old singer-songwriter was suspended head first in midair, before getting lowered to the stage. He then performed “Wall to Wall,” his first single from his second studio album, “Exclusive.”

The set was no-nonsense. An elevated DJ’s booth kept the energy consistent throughout Chris Brown’s performance. Three video screen panels and a spat of fireworks on stage provided visuals.

But perhaps, the biggest visual of them all is Chris Brown himself. To say that he is THE man is an understatement—in a span of three minutes, the ladies around me were already professing undying love for the guy. It certainly helped that aside from being a crooner, Chris is also a break-dancer, a talent that he got to show in his other hits “Forever,” “Kiss, Kiss,” “Gimme That,” “Picture Perfect” and “Say Good Bye.”

The crowd went even wilder when he performed and “moonwalked” his way to a Michael Jackson medley that included “Rock with You” and “Thriller.”

But in this country where mush is king, he’s perhaps best remembered for the ballad, “With You,” which he did include in his set.

Adoring screams returned when he decided to take his shirt off before finally leaving the stage. Many felt cheated by his nipples’ limited exposure.

Spread Eagle

The biggest fireworks commenced during the 20-minute intermission as Chris ended his set and the stage was prepared for Rihanna’s.

As soon as the opening beats for “Disturbia” began, the crowd roared as Rihanna ascended on stage wearing a dominatrix ensemble in black, punctuated by an Alma Moreno-tanga (pop culture reference for kids: Alma is sort of your parents’ generation’s Dita Von Teese, but Rubenesque).

There were lifts, there were splits and there was the “Spread Eagle” (film reference: “Chicago”). It was amazing how she managed to keep her vajayjay under wraps despite her ultra high-cut bikini.

Rihanna’s voice was flawless—and it didn’t appear like she lip-synched through any of the songs—but she seemed less energetic in going through her dance routines compared to Chris Brown. Prior to the Manila concert, at the Australian leg of her tour with Chris, Rihanna stumbled off the stage during the last song before eventually passing out. News reports say that it was only due to exhaustion although rumor mills hint on pregnancy.

Tired, pregnant or not, she didn’t fail to express her love for the Philippines, stressing that she has a lot of friends from the country and that she will “definitely be back.” At one point, she shouted, “Filipino! Filipino!” that hinted “Bebot,” the song that Apl.de.Ap penned for the Black Eyed Peas.

Her set darted back and forth fast-paced dance hits to ballads. During the faster paced segments, of which included “SOS,” “Pon de Replay” and “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” she’d motivate the crowd to get louder and crazier—but perhaps, the long, pre-concert lines to the venue and the entire day’s humid weather usurped fans of their much-needed energy. However, they more than made up for it during the ballads; Rihanna established a stronger connection with the audience as it sang along with her during “Unfaithful,” “Rehab” and “Take a Bow.”

Rihanna became a household name for her song that spawned many-a-Tagalog-version, “Umbrella.” Even before the concert neared its end, members of the audience already kept screaming their request for the song.

Eventually, it became clearer why so: they had props. As Rihanna sang a seemingly Bob Marley remix of the song, the crowd whipped out their payongs and proudly waved them at Rihanna.

Umbrella song = payong props. The brilliance was enough to give me an ulcer attack.

All this cheese became even more redundant as Chris joined Rihanna for his own, guy version of the “Umbrella” song called “Cinderella,” as the crowd swayed and sang along, smiled at each other—some hugged each other—and assured everyone that they can stay under each other’s umbrella.

It had World Peace written all over it.