Eason's Moving On Stage 11
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday

King Of Karaoke Songs was one of Eason Chan's biggest hits, and he showed why he fully deserves that title with a highlight-packed concert.
For more than 2 1/2 hours, the Hong Kong singer entertained the near-capacity crowd of over 7,000 with his repertoire of Cantonese, Mandarin and English numbers, aided by memorable costumes and energetic dancing.
The showman emerged as a veiled, ruffled and twinkling mysterious presence with Red Rose and then revealed with a flourish his smart get-up of a black suit paired with sneakers.
The affable and playful Chan, sporting hair reminiscent of Krusty the Clown’s, had an easy rapport with the crowd, chatting with them in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
He was equally versatile with his material.
He sang the jazz standard What A Wonderful World and his first English language single, Aren't You Glad, from his latest album, Don't Want To Let Go.
On the slinky and funky Love Is Suspicion, the British-educated singer even pulled off a verse or two of rap.
It was in the ballads though, that he truly shone.
In lesser hands, tracks such as Brother And Sister and An Urge To Cry would merely be above average hits, but in his rapt renditions, one could hear the sound of heartbreak.
He impressed with the majestic Under Mount Fuji though the quietly devastating Let's Not Meet worked better with the hushed, defeated delivery on the record.
Chan also showed off his moves, including on King Of Karaoke Songs, given a fresh spin with a ballroom dance remix. He tackled the waltz, the tango and the cha-cha-cha, which had his fans laughing in merriment.
On the electro-rock track Flash, he writhed around gamely with both male and female dancers. And for the finale, he burst on stage like a hip-hop pimp in a maroon tracksuit and twiddling a walking cane.
The singer, who turned 34 yesterday, was in a great mood, bolstered by the entire stadium singing him Happy Birthday.
His exuberance was endearing and during the encore, he took requests from the floor. The audience included his wife Hilary Tsui and daughter Constance; and Hong Kong celebrities such as actress Josie Ho, actor-singer Jaycee Chan and singer Edmond Leung.
One particular image of Chan stands out.
He is wearing a black cloak and a panel above his forehead, which is printed with a pair of eyes. When he stretches his arms to the side, the underside is revealed as a ruffled explosion of colour.
Chan is that rara avis in Chinese entertainment, a rare and precious songbird who delivers genuinely moving music - in the guise of karaoke hits.
(ST)