Fish – The Love Library World Tour 2011
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday
It was the perfect endorsement of her title as Queen of Love Songs.
During Malaysian singer Fish Leong’s concert, a fan went down on his knees and proposed to his girlfriend while his buddies held up placards to help him pop the question.
Safe to say that this was truly a most memorable concert for that couple as Leong later offered her congratulations as well. And it was pretty good for the rest of the 6,500-strong crowd, too.
It can be quite a challenge for a singer who is primarily known for her ballads to put on a three-hour-long show. More so because she is neither an energetic performer with sizzling dance moves nor a belter made for huge venues.
Cleverly, the creative folk behind the show kept it interesting with a darker segment: Leong wore an unlikely black leather outfit to venture into rock territory with tracks such as Swallow-tailed Butterfly. As she acknowledged: “I usually sing more gentle love songs and I wouldn’t wear such costumes.”
Even more unusual was the get-up she first appeared in. It was a cream-coloured sculpted confection of feathers that Leong jokingly referred to as her Angry Birds look. Throughout an entertaining and engaging show, the 33-year-old’s trademark warm and nasal tones were in full evidence, though the sound system had her coming across a little too echoey.
And then there were the songs themselves. Leong herself said that she was “lucky and fortunate” to have had such well-written tracks to sing. Cries of recognition greeted the opening strains of each song and fans would sing along with well-loved hits such as Courage, Adoration and Love Song.
Her take on the singer-descends-to- the-stands moment was thoughtful. She went around the hall on a small mobile elevated platform so she remained visible at all times even as it gave fans their chance to take close-up snapshots.
Given her steady output of about an album a year since she started out in 1999, only a small portion of her body of work could be covered. Unfortunately, my favourites such as the sweeping ball- ad Silk Road (2005) and the more recent Will You? (2010) did not make the cut.
Still, it was a treat to hear Grown Up Overnight from her 1999 debut album, bringing one back to when one first encountered that beautifully rich timbre. This was immediately followed by What Love Songs Didn’t Tell You (2010), the hit title track of her latest studio album.
The musical journey reflects Leong’s remarkable tale, of a self-professed timid girl with an unforgettable set of pipes who made her way to become Mandopop royalty.
(ST)