Eason's Life In Singapore
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday
If life is a song for Hong Kong’s Eason Chan, it is one he sings beautifully.
His richly emotive voice is intoxicating and it is the best reason to watch and hear him perform live.
He also has a natural exuberance on stage which always makes for a fun show.
There is no need for too many bells and whistles and indeed, the stage set-up last Saturday was kept simple with a central stepped platform flanked by with two colourful shipping containers.
And so was his entrance. He bellowed in English: “Hello, welcome to my life”, and went straight into the sweetly optimistic Cantonese ballad One Thing A Day from H3M (2009).
He switched between Cantonese and Mandarin offerings from the contemplative Tourbillon to the upbeat That’s Just Life. And who cared that it was only March when he crooned the achingly tender Lonely Xmas?
Some of his songs had two versions and it was amusing watching the near-capacity crowd of 8,000 react to Under Mount Fuji. The cheers that erupted with the distinctive opening trailed off with a measure of disappointment when he sang the Mandarin version, Love Shifts, instead. When he switched to the beloved Cantonese version for the final chorus, there was a roar of approval.
His banter, too, flitted from English to Cantonese to Mandarin. A visibly happy and sweaty Chan thanked the audience for “playing with me” and joked: “Is the air-con not working or is it because your reception is too warm?”
While the stage set-up was simple, the staging of the songs often had a point of interest to them.
The most fascinating was a cloud that appeared and then you saw a man defying gravity by walking on the underside of it. Meanwhile, Chan was dressed like a beekeeper going to a funeral.
His concert sartorial choices were perhaps a bit more subdued this time round. But they still reflected a playfulness that was totally in keeping with his character.
His first outfit was white and black with what looked like strips of white cloth randomly stuck to it.
That playfulness translated into some of the material. For example, on Sha Sha Nong (which means Thank You in Shanghainese), he dueted with himself by switching between his normal range and his falsetto.
Tourbillon was yet another effectively staged number as he appeared to be standing within a cone of laser light while swathes of light swept across the darkened hall.
It was also clear that some thought had gone into the choreography as among the dancers were a mascot animal, brightly coloured muppet-like creatures and what looked like a giant puppet. They added whimsy and brought a party atmosphere to the gig.
The 2 1/2-hour-long concert ended with the retro Canto-synthpop of Zhong Kou Wei (Trap) as Chan urged his fans to get on their feet. It was an energetic end to yet another lovely treat from Asian pop’s god of song.
(ST)