Please be forewarned that this is going to be a longgggg posts with lotsa poor quality photos. Long because because I am fresh off my Leehom Lent fast so all my pent-up thoughts and emotions from the past 45 days shall be generously expressed here. And lo-res photos because I was seated at a distance too far for my not-so-trusty iPhone 4 lens to cope. Also, the word awesome is repeatedly like 1,000 times here, because it just was. And my brain's refusing to think of other words--I've only had six hours of sleep in the past two nights but that's another story.
So where do I begin? This was my first pop concert ever (I've only went to three other concerts in my life -- and they were all rock and all Switchfoot's)(random shout-out to Jon woot!) and this was my first Leehom concert ever as a die-hard fan (I was just a nominal fan last year March when he kicked off his MM2 tour in KL)(How things have changed!)(How time flies!) And thanks to Youtube, I wasn't completely clueless as to what it was going to be like hehe!
The venue for this year's concert was Genting Highlands' Arena of Stars, a popular choice for many performers with modest followings hence I thought that it's too small a venue for a star of his caliber. He would not have needed to tire himself and his team out and save everyone else the travel distance to GH had he just gone and book a stadium venue again. He can fill one up easily *snap snap* But one good point about the AoS auditorium is that we could still get a good view of him from the back, and the chilly hot-coffee-mug-in-palms weather was a welcome respite from the KL heat!
The concert lasted about 2.5 hours -- it started at about 8:45 (no opening act :) and ended at 11:15pm, one might say like clockwork. And it was, as you would have guessed: AWESOME! I had wanted to give him and the team a standing ovation at the end, but I guess that was not theater. Hehe.. Okay let's get this cerita started with.. me! :D
Left pic was taken at home before the concert. The other, after. Look at that stick in my hand. There's a really awesome story about that so stay tuned to find out! :)
Btw I've not worn this tee for a while now, but when I saw it while rummaging through my clothes the other day, i knew instantly that this wld be my concert tee!! And the reason is...... hahahaha! Here, watch this. I'm not going give this away so easily if you don't know it. La la la..
View of the stage from our RM290 seats which directly faced the stage. Not bad at all! Leehom looked at least a good 5-inch tall, and I could make out his expressions and all (under good lighting haha!). The seats in row right in front of ours were RM100 more expensive O_O -- thumbs up to the fan club for getting us good early bird seats! :)
A pair of what is a concert equivalent of the vuvuzela. They were noisy when you hit them together and definitely added to the atmosphere! They came free at every seat courtesy of xpax, but somebody took mine so Ww and I just shared a pair - we had no use for them the rest of the night! The fans were true cheerleaders, the place kept erupting into thunderous "applauses" way before the concert started. When it ended, everyone started popping these at once, and it sounded like a firework was taking place in the hall itself! :)
A plastic folder courtesy of Seiko. Yes, I can so imagine myself plonking into the seat in front of my CEO and dropping this folder in front him. not. Hahahaha.. To the shelf you go! To be honest, I have always preferred him scruffy and laid-back in tee and sweat pants than him in designer clad. It's more real and relatable, if you know what I mean. But yes, being an eye candy in well-cut suits once is a while doesn't hurt at all! :)
Enjoying the cool genting air before the show with WW, with a couple of toffee latte from coffee bean. WW was pretending to enjoy her coffee with eyes closed. But she didn't have to. We were pleasantly surprise that the drink was delish (I'm not a fan of toffee)(or caramel).
Okay, onto the show!
This was the opening act. The show had just started with a bang! Literally. :) There was no tank (as he had had in his previous stadium gigs) but there explosives and mini fireworks. I think it's a testament to his vocal prowess that with all those dancing and prancing, he didn't show any sign if he was out of breath! He's the only artist whose live shows I would actually watch on youtube. He's just that good!
Yup, his impeccable showmanship is what we pay top dollars to see. And he didn't disappoint. Every note was hit right in the head (to this untrained ear) and that strong clear voice sustaining with nary a crack throughout 150 minutes of high energy show. I could see the joy in his face just doing what he loves. And that joy was infectious.
Anyway, the following are the other photos i took that night from my seat. These were the best my iPhone could muster, but fret not! I found this site. Please head over for a glorious HD photo ogle fest. You're welcome. ;) Let me just post two photos here from there so you can have an idea of what are there.
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So Leehom had two guest performers that night. The first was a random Youtuber (Najwa Latiff) who covered his song 你不知道的事and ta-dah -- overnight fame! :) What's interesting is that she's Malay (she posted a photo of her and LH below) which again goes to show how far reaching his work is, cutting across various nationalities (I won't be surprise if he has an Eskimo fan!) and how his songs despite or rather, due to their seeming simplicity, could touch and affect people's life.
Case in point, later on in the show, he showed a clip from World Vision of which he's an ambassador. In the video, he was visiting Sierra Leone (this was a few years back) and there he met a young girl who was sponsored by someone in Taiwan, and that girl shared with him a letter from her sponsor, part of it which went something like "I would like to share a song with you and hope that it would encourage you" and the sponsor proceeded to write out the lyrics of one of Leehom's songs (I couldn't catch which one it was). I was so touched! To think of the odds something like this could happen! It's this kind of awesomeness I associate him with. :) I know I tend to have gripes with the simplicity of his lyrics (for someone who can't even string a long sentence in Chinese I sure had the gall to make that comment!)... but it's always the simple that cuts through the callous and the complex, right? Back to Najwa, she must have impressed him quite a bit so he'd asked her to perform with him. 1,000 brownie points for fan service! :D
Once they were done with the song, he remarked, "Isn't it interesting to hear a Malay girl sing a Chinese song? What about if a Chinese singer does a Malay a number?" I quickly said to Ww that I hope he would not be doing the done-to-death cop-out of a song Rasa Sayang that all non-Malaysian artists seem too favor, and before I knew it, he was singing the first line of Getaran Jiwa. And that was it.
I melted right there and then.
I practically turned into a puddle at my seat. I'd love the song before this, but this brought the love another notch up. I was soooo excited I couldn't get any words out, and I just wish that I could somehow physically absorb every note of that song. His pronunciation was spot-on for most part (haha) but that tremolo in his voice was... gasp, like a tuning fork that's just been struck and I was the glass which molecules were vibrating violently at the its frequency (that was the image in my head). Argh... I still couldn't find the words to describe how I felt. It was just... pure bliss!
Check out the Youtube vid below (thankfully someone had the clear mind to record it!) I took the liberty to translate the song (it's below this photo and the embedded vid)(yet another proof of how amazing the internet is -- anything can happen!)(pick me next, Leehom! :)
Getaran Jiwa by P. Ramlee
getaran jiwa melanda hatiku
there's a thrill in my soul surging in my heart
tersusun nada, irama dan lagu
an arrangement of tone, melody and music
walau hanya sederhana, tetapi tak mengapa
although it's not much, but it's okay
moga dapat membangkitkan, sedarlah kamu wahai insan
i hope it awakens you, oh fellow men
tak mungkin hilang irama dan lagu
the melody and song would not fade away
bagaikan kembang sentiasa bermadu
like a nectar-rich flower
andai di pisah lagu dan irama
if the song is separated from its melody
lemah tiada berjiwa... hampa.
i'd be weak, without a soul, let down.
Leehom's second guest artists were none other than some Homaniacs fan club members. Okay, how do you say this word without dripping with envy: JEALOUS! hehehe but i was happy for them :) I love it when dreams come true, even if it's not mine! :D He got the girls to sing a song with him, and with that, he's endeared himself to them for 3 generations to come. Yea, their grandkids' kids would hear of the time great-grandma shared the stage with the inimitable Mr Wang. Le sigh~ 10,000 brownie points for fan service!
Okay quick confession session: this song 愛，因爲在心中 is my LEAST favorite of all his tracks. I can appreciate the sentimentality (the song was penned by a group of fans, and he included it in his album), but erm sorry, it's too corny for me! /end confession/ okay, quick daydreaming session: if i could do a duet with him, I would have a tough time choosing which song to go with cos he has soooo many.. but I'd probably go with... my all-time favorite 花田错 :) ... or 竞争对手 (I'd just do the chorus cos the verse is a bit too fast for my tongue)(pick me, pick me! =) /end daydream/
That's Brendan the drummer on the right. As any drummer on this stage should be, he was awesome. Leehom sure knows how to pick them. B is known as Shakira's (yes, the mononymous petite bombshell) drummer so you know dia bukan calang-calang orangnya. So whenever Leehom left the stage, I'd shift my attention to B. There's just something about whacking the drums or watching people doing it that's so mesmerising. ^_^ (I miss my old worship team as I thought of this!) Anyway, B has a Youtube channel where he posts vids on himself at the drums during rehearsals, so if you don't mind hearing drums above the other instruments, head over here..
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left: erhu and right: violin
At this point, I was so proud and delighted when I realised that I could sing along to most of Leehom's songs. That's the best part about attending any show: knowing the words to songs just push the enjoyment factor up by a thousand! Hahaha.. as for me, given that I've been listening to him for a good long year, I should know them by heart right? Still, *pats self* hehehehe!
This was an interesting acapella medley that he did with a group of singers comprising.. he and a few of himselves (haha magic)! You need amazing sense of timing to pull this off! I've seen this on Youtube before, but nothing beats watching it live! :)
the aftermath: super tired but super pumped
And just like that, the show ended. There was not a moment of dullness and so we didn't realise that 2.5 hours has past! He gave the obligatory encore (including a few acapella numbers where he got the audience to sing along).. He also took out a pretty battered piece of paper from his pocket which had a list of people to thank, and you could tell that he was genuinely grateful.. I love that genuineness in him.. and it's good to be grateful! :)
After that, I think I fell into a daze. We were definitely elated and very high. But I had a mission: you see, I made him a card (it's from myself and my two other ardent fellow fans, D &S :). And because I'm really proud of it, I'm gonna show it off here :D And also because I didn't manage to get it to him, despite efforts of having to menebalkan my muka and asking at least 6 random strangers who look like they might be on his team who would do me the favor.. My last resort was to actually throw it onto the stage but we got kicked out before I managed to. Looking back, I don't see what the big deal was to get the card to him, other than the fact that I made it. But I was so consumed with that mission that I... okay, story after the photos.. :)
Disclaimer: If you are not a fan, you will not get what's going here.. but every element and every word was selected with for a reason. I'd totally understand though if the whole thing goes over your head :)
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| Check out this video for my source of inspiration for this card's cover. |
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| Check out this video - the rap section for how I've adapted |
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| Check out this video to see how I've adapted its rap section and made it our (me and the girls) story. |
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| Check out this video from where I grabbed the lyrics from the song "You're a song in my heart" |
So yeah, I was saying... I was asking around for anyone I thought would help. It must have been the adrenaline, because otherwise I'd never have done he talking-to-stranger thing. We stayed as long as we cld before we were kicked out of the hall because they had to commence cleaning and preparing the place for the next day's show... So while we were moping around outside the hall, who should exit the hall and pass our way but..... BRENDAN BUCKLEY ladies and gentlemen! *cue frenzy scream* -_-
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Hellooooo Brendan!! D and I thought that he and LH could pass off as brothers.
I did not expect him to still be there or that he'd just walk pass but there he was! Annnnd I can't believe it now, but instead of talking to him about him, I ASKED HIM ABOUT THE CARD. Looking back, I just wanna kick myself for my insolence. There he was, and the first thing I asked him was if he could help me pass the card to LH. No, I didn't ask. I PESTERED him. OMG slap me! He nicely declined and I was like "okayyy." Then I told him about D who's in LA and that she's a huge fan of his and that she said she'd try to make it to one of his gigs in LA. He seemed genuinely pleased. :) (At least I was sane enough to remember to do that!)
So he started walking away.
And I let him.
What was wrong with me, wro-o-ong with meee?
The next group of people who stopped him asked him for photos. Why didn't I think of that? WHY?
Argh!
But thankfully, he was stuck at the spot, so we caught up with him, and asked him for a photo.
And he nicely obliged.
That should be it, right? Snap and release, but nooo (sarcastic). I HAD to ask him about the card again. Argh. Why was I so annoying?! Sigh. He said no, and insisted that he couldn't. Perhaps muttering, take a hint woman! under his breath. He didn't. But I wouldn't blame him if he did. I thought he was going to walk away again.
But you know what was the next thing he said..? :)
"I'm sorry I can't. But here, you can have this instead."
"This" turns out to be one of the sticks that he used during the performance just now.
O_O
I was floored. And he kept smiling and started walking away. I must have turned into a babbling idiot then. I hope I thanked him profusely enough. Wow.
Brendan, I've tweeted you but if you happen to be reading this, I just want to THANK YOU again for the best concert memorabilia one could ever get. It means the world to me. Thank you. Thank you. :) I wish I had better EQ and wasn't so one-track minded. I would love to have asked you about your LA gigs and your other ventures and probably chatted you up about Shakira and her involvement in The Voice as a judge this season. I would also like to know how you manage your jet lag since you seem to be traveling from LA to Asia pretty often. I would also probably ask if you like cats.. or coffee.. or if we could go for a cuppa! You were really amiable and a real sweetheart and that means a lot. I don't know if I'd ever meet you again after MM2, but if I don't... *HUGS* Thanks again. :)
With that and no other sign of Leehom magically appearing where we were, we left the concert ground and started our journey home. My adrenaline was pumping for a long time and I was gushing incoherently for a while till I cooled down. Heh! I couldn't help the tinge of sadness just because the show's over. I was really thankful for the opportunity, and the gift.
See you again, Team Music Man!
Some final not-so-random parting thoughts:
- I wonder if his bro Leekai was there. Well, I guess he was, now that they are working together and seem to be appearing together everywhere a lot.. Hello Leekai! :) He is also new to Wb (he came on while I was away from Wb) and his nick is @leekaiinthesky which I just CAN'T read without hearing the whole Beatles line (i.e. lee kai in the sky with diamond) sung in my head. I wonder if he had meant to do that. I was really excited when I found out that he's part of his bro's team. The bond that they share is one of the things I really cherish. :)
- Mm I still find the life of a celeb under such intense scrutiny is no small matter. Fame's not for everyone and yet craved by many. Lh was right in saying that his major regret is the lost of privacy.
- I notice fans tend to make a remark about the obvious when they see him or when they comment on anything he says on Fb or Wb. I think he's probably immune to all the variations of "你好帅噢" (you're good looking). Is it a Chinese thing? But then again, it's been a year and I still couldn't decide on what I would say if I had the opportunity to speak to him, so I might end up stating the same too. I mean, if I had the luxury of an interview, I would have no shortage of Qs I would like to pose to him, but what if I were given one chance, and because I am not prepared, all I could blurt out would be just that! Bleh.
Finally before I go, here's the set list some kind soul on FB has noted down (which I gather is the same as the one from his MM2 tour), and here it is:
Peace out!
- Opening songs: 讓開+火力全開、龍的傳人
- 十八般武藝
- 唯一
- Dragon Dance
- 你不知道的事、Getaran Jiwa
- 心跳、Love Love Love
- 美\
- Julia、落葉歸根
- 在那遙遠的地方
- 蓋世英雄
- 在梅邊
- 花田錯
- 夢想被冷凍+改變自己
- 竹林深處、
- Medley: 愛的就是你+我們的歌+公轉自轉+不可能錯過你+第一個清晨+好想你+Can You Feel My World+白紙+愛你等于愛自己+你是我心內的一首歌
- 一首簡單的歌
- 愛，因爲在心中
- Forever Love+What's Wrong With Me
- Encore: 十二生肖+放開你的心、Kiss Goodbye
Peace out!
