Angela's Live @ Singapore 2008
Singapore Expo Hall 5/Sunday


Only connect. This was British writer E. M. Forster's exhortation in the novel Howards End, and this is what the best singers do on stage.
They forge a rapport with the audience and deliver an intimate experience, even with a crowd of thousands. Sadly, there was no such connection at Taiwanese singer-actress Angela Chang's two-hour show.
Yes, the pint-sized, big-voiced lass could sing, but for the most part, the performance by the 26-year-old to a house 85 per cent full seemed rather perfunctory.
A pity really, since this was her first concert after being reportedly diagnosed with a heart condition called mitral valve prolapse.
Chang was forced to postpone the Singapore leg of her regional tour from March 29 to June 1 and spent over two months away from the entertainment scene.
She choked up as she revealed: 'The past few months have been the worst time of my life.' She thanked her family, friends and fans for their care and concern, but did not divulge more about her illness.
Perhaps for this reason though, the show was shorter than usual since most Chinese pop concerts tend to hit the three-hour mark.
And for much of the night, most of the audience members remained seated and fairly sedate, even as her die-hard fans cheered every song.
The singer had a little help from label-mates Fan Wei-chi and Claire Kuo Jing, who turned up as guest stars.
Otherwise, there was little sign of her affliction and Chang even pulled off a dance routine for Protective Colour.
'I remember my first concert when I couldn't finish the dance number. But I managed to complete it today and I'm very happy,' she said.
Still, she seemed more at ease with power ballads such as Don't Want To Understand. But she had the annoying habit of simply letting the crowd of more than 4,000 take over for large chunks of the song.
Ultimately, on stage, Chang had neither the polished showmanship of an assured performer such as Jacky Cheung nor the earnest charms of a singer-songwriter such as Cheer Chen.
It was telling that she got the audience up on their feet only during the final song Aurora.
By then, it was a case of too little, too late.
(ST)