Stefanie Sun 2014 Kepler World Tour
Taipei Arena

Five years, one marriage and a childbirth later, Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun returned to Taipei last Friday and Saturday with her new concert, Kepler.
And it was a triumphant comeback as she held court for three hours at Taipei Arena and basked in the adulation of her fans.
She appeared with a head of bright orange hair atop a raised platform and sang her breakthrough hit, Cloudy Sky. The tempo was slowed down a little, all the better to showcase her powerful and distinctive pipes. She was in the middle of a massive eye-shaped frame and it seemed as though the cosmos was shimmering on the screen behind her.
It was a dramatic start to an entertaining show.
She was in fine vocal form throughout the night, be it raising the energy level with First Day or tugging at hearts with Start To Understand.
A high-octane segment with fast-paced numbers such as Green Light followed. Her stamina seemed to have improved and late in the show, she even pulled off a half-somersault with the help of her dancers.
She seemed relaxed and happy on stage and she might well have her son to thank for that.
With some slinky moves to Magic and a fiery performance, she sure was one hot mama. It was all the more impressive considering that she has never come across as a natural dancer. Yet here she was moving and singing with the confidence and swagger of a pop queen. And when she sang the wrong lyrics at one point, she simply announced it, to indulgent laughter from her fans.
The costumes were eye-catching and glittery and included a short teal dress and a figure-hugging shimmery jumpsuit. Often, her legs would be sheathed in leggings with a metallic sheen to them.
The concert was titled Kepler, after the lead single from her forthcoming album, from which she performed two other new tracks – Infinite Possibilities and the ballad Angel’s Fingerprints.
While fans applauded the new works, it was also clear that they wanted the familiar hits. The final stretch of the concert was a giant karaoke session as hit followed hit.
Sun quipped: “My concert ends now. This is now your concert and I want to hear you sing.” My Love, Love Certificate, Start To Understand and I’m Not Sad were turned into duets as Sun and her fans sang to each other.
The singer also had a surprise guest on the second night. She sang the first stanza of Moonlight In The City and then in walked her Singaporean compatriot Mavis Hee, the ballad’s original singer.
The crowd roared with approval as Hee had not performed in Taipei in more than a decade, according to the Taiwan media.
In addition to dueting with Sun, she also performed Regret and her mellifluous voice was as soothing as ever.
What a night to have two of Singapore’s singers enthralling Taipei Arena.
Showing up to support Sun were her family and friends, including pop star Jolin Tsai – who caused a stir when she was spotted in the stands before the show started. And the camera kept zooming in on Sun’s beaming husband during her encore of Cloudy Sky.
Of course, there were her loyal fans as well. Their fervour moved Sun to say: “l’ve been a singer for so long, I never imagined I would be so lucky.”
Her fans would say that they are the lucky ones.
(ST)