Chinese Gigs
Best & Worst
Faye Wong 2011 concert
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Oct 29
It has been a long wait for fans of the Chinese pop diva who left the music scene six years ago to get married and have children.
True, she started off a little shaky and her voice was not quite as pristine as before, but she could still sing beautifully. The production was also top-notch, with seasonally themed tableaux unfolding on stage. At one point, she even soared over the audience in a contraption that seemed to be made of light and air.
The enigmatic ending divided fans but love it or hate it, the famously reticent Wong definitely made quite a statement there.
Rock 30 Singapore concert
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Jan 22
Iconic music label Rock Records marked its 30th anniversary with one big bash after another. The celebratory gig in Singapore was shorter than the five-hour-long festivities in Taipei in November last year, but it was still an exhilarating treat. The stellar line-up included past and present stars such as the sexily confident Tarcy Su, the raspy-voiced Wa Wa and the crowd-pleasing Wakin Chau.
Also, a finale twice thwarted in Taipei as they ran out of time was happily completed in Singapore as the performers returned for a mass singalong of Happy Paradise.
Kit Chan The Music Room Concert 2011
Grand Theater at Marina Bay Sands, Oct 13 to 15
Singapore’s own Kit Chan made a welcome return to the music scene. It was an all-out comeback with a covers album and not one, but two concerts.
While she had to share the stage with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra at her show at the Esplanade in February, the spotlight was all hers at her second gig.
Here was a performer who was totally comfortable in her own skin and her vocal and emotional maturity was evident from her take on songs such as Stephen Sondheim’s Send In The Clowns.
What I Want To Banish
The inconsistent sound quality at the Singapore Indoor Stadium marred one’s enjoyment of the Faye Wong concert and did not help the largely underwhelming experience that was local singer-songwriter Tanya Chua’s gig.
(ST)