The young Filipino-Americans of Chicago showed that 30 degree weather, cold gusts of wind and rain would not prevent them from enjoying a night of music and supporting a charitable cause.

Chicagoan Manny Garcia performs.

On Jan. 23, ManilaStar Events hosted its highly anticipated first annual Pin@ypalooza benefit concert to raise funds for the 3Doves Foundation and Philippine Relief Fund. The event was held at Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave. Doors did not open until about 6pm but many began showing up at 2pm. By the time concert-goers were allowed into the theater, the line was nearly as long as an entire city block.

The event featured a wide variety of acts from singing to dancing to spoken word. Local performers such as Ashlee Barrera, Marilu Paguio, Nonstop Dance, Carl Yu, and TK Proposal (SHINE 2009 winners) really impressed the audience of over 500 and made them even more excited for the show headliners.

AJ Rafael and Melissa Polinar perform a special duet.

Youtube sensations AJ Rafael, Melissa Polinar, Chris Cole & Steven Cole, and Chicago’s very own Manny Garcia had the crowd screaming and cheering for almost the entirety of their respective sets.

Garcia performed his famous mash-up from the hit show Glee of “True Colors” and “Defying Gravity” to everyone’s delight. For the first song of her set, Polinar called out Rafael (both performing in Chicago for the first time) for a special duet of her original song “Honestly” which brought simultaneous deafening screams from all the girls in the theater.

The expectations for Pin@ypalooza of the ManilaStar staff were very much exceeded. “Even a couple days after, I’m still speechless when I look back to the show,” says ManilaStar founder Jeff DeGuia. “I don’t think words can truly express how happy and proud I am of everyone. It was really awesome to see the community come out and support the performers and to come out and support a great cause.”

Pin@ypalooza was the first show of its kind in Chicago. The fact that it was produced entirely by high school and college students impressed many of the older audience members.

The ManilaStar Events staff with Pin@ypalooza headliners AJ Rafael, Melissa Polinar, Chris Cole, Steven Cole, and Manny Garcia

“It’s a great feeling knowing that we made this happen,” said Gephine Fernandez, ManilaStar Associate Director and Secretary. “We gave these people a chance to see these talents and have their pictures and videos and ‘OMG AJ!’ and ‘OMG Manny!’ moments.”

The future is definitely bright for ManilaStar Events. Their first ever major event was an amazing success and had everyone saying as they left, “I can’t wait for next year!”•

(Photos by Jonathan Caliso)