National Artist Ryan Cayabyab during the second night of his "Gen C" concert on May 12, 2024 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. Ganiel Krishnan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) -- National Artist Ryan Cayabyab once again wowed audiences on the second night of his "Gen C" concert at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, where he brought together several artists to showcase their talents.

Among the highlights of the evening was the performance of singer-actress Janella Salvador, who sang "Can This Be Love" -- one of the classics of the group "Smokey Mountain" that was formed by Cayabyab in the early 1990s. 

"Actually, when I was 11 years old, I was a scholar of Mr. C," Salvador later revealed. "So it's like a full circle moment for me, to be able to perform with him again."

Another standout performance came from 9-piece band Ben&Ben, who sang a mash-up of their song "Leaves" and the classic tune "Tuwing Umuulan." Ben&Ben previously performed the same song at Cayabyab's 65th birthday celebration five years ago.

Miguel Benjamin, one of the vocalists of the band, also expressed their gratitude towards Cayabyab who has been a huge inspiration in their musical journey.

"He has been a huge part of our journey as musicians, and of course, isa lang kami sa napakarami niyang na-inspire," said Benjamin. "Hindi lang na-inspire -- natulungan talaga."

BINI performed "Da Coconut Nut," which Cayabyab composed for Smokey Mountain in the 1990s before it became the pre-debut single of the "Nation's Girl Group" in 2020. Juan Karlos, meanwhile, performed "Paraiso," another song originally performed by Smokey Mountain.

"'Yung pre-debut song po namin na 'Da Coconut Nut,' siya po ang gumawa. We want to honor our National Artist, so finally nagkita na po kami kanina after ilang years na kinanta namin 'yung pre-debut song," BINI leader Jhoanna Robles said.

"Marami na din po kami na-perform na songs niya … So hopefully po, makapag-collaborate kami with him," she added.

Kapamilya singer-actress Janella Salvador performs with Ryan Cayabyab during the second night of his "Gen C" concert on May 12, 2024 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. Ganiel Krishnan, ABS-CBN News

The concert also featured "It's Showtime" host Vice Ganda, who brought the audience to laughter with his jokes while also performing the song "Wala Kang Katulad."

Other artists who graced the event included Bituin Escalante, Jed Madela, Basil Valdez, and Martin Nievera among others.

The concert was a celebration of Cayabyab's 70th birthday.

In an earlier interview, Cayabyab credited his love for music as the secret to staying youthful.

"Meron akong innate na ayaw ko ng problema; alam ni misis 'yan," he said. "So hindi niya ako ina-approach ng may problema, kasi meron akong allergy sa problema."

The title of the concert, "Gen C," is a play on Cayabyab's surname. Actress and producer Celeste Legaspi previously explained that they are aiming to move away from Cayabyab's "The Maestro" persona and instead shift the focus to his music and even his childlike nature.

"The concerts na pinut-up ng ABS-CBN, ang emphasis ay 'Maestro,' and always with orchestra," said Legaspi. "We wanted to feature how childlike Ryan is. That's one of the main characteristics of Ryan. We wanted to stay away from the 'Maestro,' so we wanted to emphasize his pop music, accessibility, because we want people to enjoy Mr. C."

READ: Ryan Cayabyab to celebrate 70th birthday with 2-night concert

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