Shugo Tokumaru
Mosaic Music Festival, Esplanade Recital Studio, March 19
This was hands-down the most joyous gig of the year.
The Japanese musician creates shimmering tapestries of sound that used dozens of instruments for his records and yet he found a way to make that work in a live setting.
His dextrous fingerwork on the guitar was exhilarating to behold on tracks such as the devilishly fast-paced Parachute. From the exuberance of Exit (2007) to the contemplative quiet of Night Piece (2004), the emotional directness of his compositions came through even though he was singing in Japanese.
The shy, soft-spoken and bare-footed Tokumaru conjured up a performance that was simply, charmingly magical.
Amit Live First World Tour
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Jan 29
It was a Mandorock concert that threatened to blow the roof off the stadium. The Amit tour fully embraced the brash drama of rock songs such as Black Eat Black, Straightforward and the brazen Minnan number Come On If You Dare as guitar players flailed away on stage. It culminated in the spectacle of A-mei in a billowing leopard print cape belting out the Turandot aria Nessun Dorma in a stained-glass cathedral setting. Over the top? Sure. Thrilling? Absolutely.
The A-mei everyone knew and loved was not totally absent, though, and she dipped into her bag of hits to deliver power ballads such as Can I Hold You? and While It’s Still Early.
She proved that she could rock your world even when the volume was lowered.
Crowd Lu 2010 Singapore Live
Dragonfly, St James Power Station, Jan 16
The geeky-cool singer-songwriter’s gig felt more like a cosy gathering of several hundred friends as he shared his optimistic tales of school life, friendship and overcoming adversity from his two albums, Seven Days (2009) and 100 Ways Of Living (2008).
Everyone knew the words even without the aid of video projections and sang along with heartfelt gusto.
It was clear that what you see is what you get with Lu. That unvarnished honesty is a beautiful and precious thing, and we had the opportunity to appreciate it up close and personal.
(ST)