Planet Earth in Concert

Documentaries like these always fill me with a profound sense of wanderlust, and when backed up with a live orchestra like the SSO, this wanderlust just gets amplified.

Regardless whether you have watched this series before or not, it is impossible not to be awed by awesomeness and mysteries of Mother Nature and Planet Earth. But undoubtedly, some of that awe is blunted with prior exposure. Although seeing half a million snow geese take flight and the money-shot of the orca leaping out of the water on a big screen is beyond words.  

One of the downside to this presentation is that David Attenborough was sorely missed! kJoshua Tan performs better with his back to the audience, and his narration lacked the grandeur and wisdom so inherent in Attenborough's narration. 

Nonetheless, kudos to the film-making team at BBC Earth - although this was so clearly an unabashed money grab.

Looking forward to Frozen Planet in Concert!

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra 100th Anniversary World Tour 2014

A fantastic performance by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Eiji Oue featuring soloist Kyoko Takezawa. A refreshing change away from the usual classical repertoire.

The night started off with the hauntingly lush and majestically epic Bugaku by Toshiro Mayuzumi. The soundscape was gorgeous and I could totally see this as a ballet or a modern dance interpretation, and even a short film. Closing your eyes and listening to TPO, one's inner eye easily conjures up images rich in Japanese history. I can imagine Hayao Miyazaki incorporating it into one of his animations and it would not be out of place.

Miss Takezawa was sublime in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35. I got goosebumps just from the her first few bars. Her interpretation of this popular classic was filled with soul and spirit, infusing the notes with her emotion. The orchestra backing her did not fail in leading her in and out of her amazing solos, always present and never overshadowing the featured instrument. Miss Takezawa graced us with a short encore of the elegiac Song of the Autumn by Tchaikovsky, and she was accompanied, to everybody's delight, by maestro Eiji Oue on the piano. Beautifully emotive piece.

After the intermission was Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. I totally enjoyed this very different sounding, non-classical, polyharmonic piece. It again aptly illustrated the image that Stravinsky himself had of the piece: "...a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watched a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of spring." Again, like Bugaku, the soundscape was lush in its grandeur (the timpani, woodwinds and horns were outstanding!), and somewhere between the strains one can detect a hint of sadness. A gorgeous aural pleasure!

We close the night with a rousing encore of a traditional Japanese piece, and everybody was on their feet by then!

Great night, great performance!

Dee Dee Bridgewater (Mosaic Festival, Singapore)

An amazing, live performance by the consummate Ms. Bridgewater. She has never disappointed in terms of live, on-stage performances. This was a night of real, New Orleans Jazz, none of that contemporary pop-jazz that most people seemed to like.

My first show of hers was when back in 2005, in a smoky little jazz bar in NYC. Very intimate setting, just a couple of tables, and Dee Dee on stage with her band serenading the audience with new and old classics. I was smitten.

I then caught her again back in 2008 in Japan's famous Blue Note Tokyo over dinner and drinks. A bigger venue, but she was no less charismatic and enchanting. But perhaps the language barrier reduced the flow of conversation between her and the audience.

Anyways, this was an amazing night! It took a while - bout 3 songs in - before the audience warmed up. "Them Brown Eyes" was the one that really broke the ice. Dee Dee was an engaging performer, with the right amount of banter and self-deprecation and saltines which at times does seemed a bit rehearsed. Nonetheless, it was entertaining. But of course the star was her impeccable voice accompanied by her wonderful quartet. That smooth silky voice with her incomparable scatting, relaxing and uplifting to the soul.

We got an encore from her, then a rather unexpected unplugged rendition of "Amazing Grace before she really bowed out finally.

Wonderful night!

Can't wait for my fourth concert with her.

Lady Gaga The Born This Way Ball 2012 (Singapore)

The wait for the concert was not too long. They had a DJ out initially to get the crowd, well more like the penned sheep, going. Unfortunately his set was rather short and the audience was left listening to a set of classicial pieces from Vivaldi's "Winter" to Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee", Wagner's "Ride of The Valkyries", an opera, and finally the starting strains of Beethoven's Fifth , before the entrance of the alien ("A-lian" ? hahaha) being Gaga, who is apparently here to liberate us and set us free. Free from oppression. Free from discriminaition. Free to love. (Hear that Singapore?). Gorgeous sets and lightings, shitty indoor stadium sound system. Pity. The Lady and her dancers were energetic throughout the show and it was amazing! The crowd only got warmed up after she started on "Bad Romance" which thankfully was not that long into the show. Thereafter, she interspersed her sets with her radio hits and the lesser known tracks out of her "Born This Way" album. The formers illicit wild screamings, jumpings and general hysteria, whilst the latter were more subdued. I think she sang live (for most of the songs at least), but her dancers were more amazing dancing than her. She changed her costume almost after every song, but not all were stand-outs. Few interesting bits from the show, were really her interaction with the crowd. The un-scripted bit where she played with a doll thrown on stage and used it to sing/dance "Born This Way". Her description and story that prompted her to write "Hair" and its accompanying acoustics/piano-as-a-motorcycle rendition of it. The sing-a-long for "Edge of Glory". Some of her talk to audience/song transitions were a bit cheesy but at least they brought on the hits. Standing tickets were so much more worth it just for the atmosphere and space/freedom to jump, put your hands up and scream!

Faye Wong Concert 2011 王菲巡迴演唱會2011

[disclaimer: I actually watched her comeback concert back in Nov 2010 over at Shanghai, where it was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena which seats 18,000 people]

WOW! She is undisputedly the Queen of Mando/Canto-pop! And this concert does not disappoint!! The much smaller Singapore Indoor Stadium (?8-9000) was filled with fans of all ages. Unlike in Shanghai, she sang a couple of cantonese songs and 1 English song (Sinead O'Connor's "A Perfect Indian"). Her dresses were prettier and less theatrical which is either a good or bad thing depending on your taste. Her earlier initial comeback concerts in China set the iconic looks for her promotional items, but I guess, similar to how she changed the songlist for this local concert, she got bored (though I can't decide whether I liked her Alexander McQueen Amish/Mormon dress at the end)! Speaking of which, the songlist here were at least 50% different from the one in Shanghai, which makes it very much worth it to have watched it again! Unfortunately, the song system in Singapore sucks, and the sound engineer had to spend the first 2 songs tweaking the settings until we got it right. That ended up producing a very pitchy and screechy first 2 songs, before finally Faye managed to belt her a signature yodel/scat singing. Otherwise, this was a fantastically great concert! Since I went to her Shanghai one, I already expected the ending and lack of audience interaction, though she did speak two times more than in Shanghai!! (5 "谢谢" and 1 "多谢" in canto!!)...ahhahahha....

Kit Chan - The Music Room [Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands]

Kit Chan's first solo concert in many years, excluding her previous one where she shared the headlines with Singapore Chinese Orchestra, was undoubtedly highly awaited by her fans, and boy were they rewarded. At times sultry, at times coy and earnest; but always a diva. She started off nervous and the first song was off on a shaky start, but after 2 songs in she finally got into her stride and belted hits from an  18-years repertoire  (7 of which were out of circuit) and some others. Kit has a very theatrical voice which shines at some of her more drama songs, however it also highlighted some of the pitfalls in the concert. She should not have mentioned Barbara Striesand before breaking out into "Send in the Clowns": girl, there is no comparison (not even with Rachel Berry)! Her version of "Nothing Compares to You" was similarly over-theatrical and would have benefitted from a slower tempo. Lastly, I come for a pop concert expecting a secular experience. Sure, you may thank "the man up there", and say "god" in your songs, but I do not expect a whole charismatic, adulating experience. That was a major turn-off! And if you think about it, the song "What if God was One of Us" really does not mean that! But otherwise, when Kit started on her Mando-pop and Canto-pop hits, the crowd went wild, and very deservedly so. She even did a commendable, passable, but too sultry version of Edith Piaf's "Je Ne Veux Pas Travailler". Her back-up singers were also a tad off-key quite often, which is a distraction. She is a consumate performer and entertainer, now she just needs to work more on being polished and less stage-y! Perhaps just first day nerves?

The Cranberries LIVE in Singapore

Flash from the past! The band still rocks. Dolores still has got the pipes after so many years! I last watched them almost 8 years ago in a double bill with No Doubt. The Cranberries played a 90mins set with a pseudo-encore towards the end that was kinda lame. Then again, this is Singapore, also the country where >50% of the crowd sits down during a rock concert...heh! Damn wish I was with the ground crowd which seemed more happening, my section there were only like a handful of us who stood up...sigh. Where's the love? Even had to move one side as I was blocking the peeps behind...sheesh. Anyways, the Irish quartet (now) played all their big hits which got the crowd into a frenzy. Started off slow with "Animal Instinct", built up with "Linger" but by the time they reached "Zombies" and "Ode to My Family" the fans went wild! They did sneak in some of Dolores' solo efforts and some slower tunes, but that felt more like fillers to give the band (and the audience) time to catch their breath. It all ended with a rousing rendition of "Dreams" and the band's promise to be back next year with new material! You think people will come for their new stuffs?