best line of the night (fr Lee Hom). but this is by no way describing the gig. it's the second best night of the year, and i'm officially a newly-converted Lee Hom fan. =)
the bad stuff first.
- the backup singers were terrible, even though one of them includes our very own Gong Shi Jia. they were dressed up as la-mei (yes, lame as well) with short minis and cheesy hair. they looked and sounded and harmonised more like getai singers than pro bkgrd singers. i kinda wished local guy fr DreamzFM Jim Lin were in the group. he did the backin vocals for Lee Hom's previous gig in Taipei.
- wat's up with the slew of sexy female dancers? instead of making him look like a rock-god, if that's the intention, those dancers made it look like a 50-cent video! hell even if leather is the new thing, but tt's pushing it a little too far. not good.
- the sound's a lil too loud on my side, and he forgot some portions of the lyrics.IMHO, he wasnt in top vocal form. he sounded a bit piercing on some songs, and there wasnt much improv unlike his previous gig. however, it's hard to remember all the lyrics when u have abt 15 albums under ya belt. tt's 150 songs, and some of which has rap lyrics tt will make anyone go bonkers. so yea, props still.
now for the good part:
- THIS GIG IS THE BIGGEST GIG I'VE SEEN SO FAR! It sure looks more than 90% filled! i mean, i haven been to a concert this huge, that when it ends, u see an even longer queue at the merchandise store than before the concert even started. i was there early at 4.30, intending to study. but fanatic Phuimun told me tt the merchandise store starts sales at 430, so i dropped by(i got myself a tee and cap!). thankfully i avoided the crowd. anyway, even 30 mins after the concert u still see people all over the stadium, waiting for bus, gushing about him, laughing and talking about how great the gig was , bla bla bla. u'd almost thought it was just an intermission and there's probably a round 2 coming (which might take another 2 yrs).
- the audience was CRAZY. i thought Sandy fans were devoted. but now i truely believe there's more to fans than i've ever seen. Starhub gave us whistles, which are cause for ear-concern. Bausch & Lomb gave inflatable balloons which made clappin easier, so every other person had white inflatable stuff tt worked longer than arms so tt he can see, and sounded louder than claps. the rich ones(ie the CAT 1 ppl) stood up since the first song la! (yes Belle, that's you!)
- it was one climax after another. after approx 15 albums, i guess most of his stuff are radio hits. we sang along to most of the songs, mostly with the help of the subtitles on screen. he played the usual violin, and he works best at the piano, or any other instrument as a matter of fact, just prob not so much dancing. but i believe someone as talented as him can learn dancing and ace it anytime.
the violin
- i'm glad he ditched the hip-hop, chi-western fusion stuff for the rock influence. honestly, i didnt like the way he fusioned chinese opera with hip hop elements, or the so-called "chinked-out" style. audiolly, it sounded interesting and catchy. but when putting up a concert, it seems jarring and tryin too hard with all the chinese dancers on stage, him waving a flag to sneakers and ma-gua, etc etc. though the intention of trying to prove tt there's more to chi music than k-hits and run-of-the-mill stereotypes is noble, there's still something amiss about it that wasnt really believable for me. was he trying too hard? or was it too in-my-face? in any case. i;m glad he didnt do any breakdance or wave a flag this time. even the chinked-out songs were rock-arranged, which i'm not complainin since i'm ok with the original anw. just didnt like the visual presentation.
- i love the new arrangement to 安全感. one segment featured a few remixes of his songs, and they were very nicely done. vocally, he's improved alot since his early days. i use to think his voice was piercing, but the last few albums were great improvements. yesterday night saw greater control and restraint with his voice as compared to his earlier days. but it cld have been better. i felt like he was shouting at some points.
- the lights were dazzling! at one point he was singing 唯一, and all the white lights were focused on him and the piano. LOVELY. the backdrop screens were also visually stunning. great for ppl like me who's sitting far far away to catch a closeup.
- and of cos there were a few surprises, like appearing at the back of the stadium.
- but his coy retorts were the best. he started off with th usual cheesy "i love yous" and all, which later saw him speakin in English, claimin he cant care less since he's in Singapore and he can say anything he wants. later on he spoke of how there's an unglamorous side to him tt the media is tryin to pry, and tt facade of a sunshine hardworking singer was "(that's) crap!". how candid. =) the taipei dvd was full of cheesy stuff. hearing those words humanised him, and tt's the best and easiest way to a fan's heart.
WHAT. A. NIGHT. how exciting it was to be amongst fans of such high energy and spirits. Phuimun, meiling, belle, and yuneng were there. and those after concert excitement had an outlet. Quin kept gushing it a crime to be that good looking. hahaha. i agree. though it left some of us with hangovers till today, it's a hangover to be proud of. if there's anything i learned from it, it's that i'm gonna work hard and be talented. "我可以改变世界 / 改变自己 / 改变 Q-mo / 改变消极 / 要一直努力努力 永不放弃 / 才可以改变世界 / come on 改变自己."
Sandy's concert was a personal experience. Lee Hom's concert was an exhilarating ride. if i had been a bigger fan and cried to some of his songs, it could have topped Sandy's gig. i saw the marks of a true music-man, the quest for self-improvement, the thirst for re-invention, the hardwork and desire to stay relevant, and, on a side-note, the powerful and lucrative business of concert merchandising. no wonder Madonna and Kylie are with Live Nation.
but it was a totally different experience and i'm glad i had the chance to be converted. mucho gracias to Hazzie for the free tic!!!
Quin, in High Definition.
just rubbing it in hahahahhaah
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