4 Divas, 1 Great Cause – WAO Charity Concert Hong Kong

For one rare chance, I got to meet four Great Divas (A-mei, Tanya Chua, Sandy Lam and Na Ying) of Mandarin Pop at the WAO (Women As One) Charity Concert at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Arena. The proceeds of the night will benefit the “End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation”.

This was the 2nd leg of the WAO Charity Concert (the first leg kick-started in Taipei on 20th April 2014). I was here specially to meet my idol A-mei. Judging from the audience’s screams and applauds, A-mei was definitely the most popular diva of the night. Another great treat was seeing legendary Na Ning upfront. I have been watching Na Ning on The Voice of China reality program over the past 2 years so it was great to hear her sing live! Sandy Lam was gorgeous and charming! I couldn’t recognise her at the first glance! And yes, it was good to have Tanya standing amongst the 4 Divas ~ she made Singapore proud!

What an extraordinary night to see all 4 legends came together to perform for such a meaningful movement. No fancy costumes and special effects, it was simply pure and elegant. The divas touched our hearts with their powerful performance.

I hope WAO Charity Concert makes its way to Singapore and other Chinese cities. And I hope to see more local talents taking part in this movement to bring people together to contribute for a greater cause through the power of music.

Under the full moon with Jay Chou

Last evening, I spent Mid Autumn Festival with a couple special people – Tracy, Kelly, Chowpo and a very special idol, Jay Chou. It is Jay’s 6th show (Opus Jay World Tour) at Hong Kong’s Hung Hom Coliseum.

Compared with his last tour in 2011, Jay was a lot chattier last night. He wooed and flirted with the crowd in mostly Cantonese last night. It was a rewarding night for all his old fans. Jay delivered many old hits from his earlier albums. It was like one big karaoke night with Jay.

Despite the raving reviews from Beijing, Singapore and Taiwan, Jay’s vocal performance last night wasn’t his best. I hate to compare his voice with those contenders of China’s singing talent shows but he was not in his usual form. There were a couple of songs when Jay’s couldn’t even delivered smoothly. I believe he was exhausted after performing 5 straight shows. At some point, his voice was squeaking so softly that I couldn’t even hear him. The sound system was bad too. Also, Jay was trying too many roles – he wanted to be seen as a multi-talented artiste but I felt he should focus more on his voice rather than pulling up with new theatrical acts that dilute his talent as a musician. You simply cannot sing, rap, play instruments, act, beat-box and dance well at the same time.

On the positive side, the overall stage design, pyrotechnics and visual effects were good. This is one area where Jay beat the other artistes. The highlight of the night was when Jay sang a duet with the late legendary songstress, Teresa Teng. It was supposed to be an awesome union of 2 legendary singers. Unfortunately, Jay’s vocal let the show down. It was less of a harmonious duet; Jay just couldn’t keep up to the high notes with Teresa. What a pity.

Overall, I had a good time last night. It could have been better. Song after song, Jay triggered back many fond memories. This was certainly not his best performance. Despite this bad review, Jay is doubtlessly a very talented, original and explorative artiste. Afterall, his songs have accompanied me since 2000 and Jay will always be my all-time favourite idol.

Well, no encore for Jay’s concert last night. Nonetheless, this is one very special and memorable Mid Autumn Festival for me.

Leehom Wang Music-Man II Concert 2012 (王力宏火力全开 – Hong Kong)

Asia’s most suave-looking, multi-instrumentalist, multi-music-styles Mandopop star, Wang Leehom (王力宏) is here in Hong Kong for his second Music-Man World Tour Concert 2012. Noted as one of 2012’s most impressive Mandopop performances by the Taiwanese media, Leehom charmed his fans with 2.5 solid hours of powerful dance hits, over 30 sentimental ballads, raps and impressive multi-instrumental performance. Hong Kong Coliseum is the birthplace of his first solo concert 10 years ago. Wang paid tribute to his loyal Hong Kong fans.

It isn’t the stage design or fancy attires that rocked tonight’s concert. In fact, I thought his entrance attire and style reminded me of Michael Jackson’s decorated army suit. So, don’t expect any fancy pyrotechnic displays or lazer-light shows. The only one thing which impressed me was the floating piano. Wow, that is totally unexpected and spectacular!

Throughout the night, Wong tried very hard to connect his songs with a mushy storyline about his messy tale of “love”. Some found it creative while I thought it was really cheesy. Who cares, his female fans were giggling and enjoying his every dedication of “fan-love”. I lost count on the number of “I Love You” he said on the stage tonight. With his suave, hot body and clean good-boy look, it is no surprise why his screaming fans are mainly females – both young and old ladies. He is really a natural charmer.

Really, Wang Leehom doesn’t need all these “cosmetic”, “special effects” or “cheesy scripts” to woo his fans. He is a multi-talented musician with a great, crystal clear, soulful voice. Tonight is’t his best “live” singing but every song of his stole our hearts. My favorite moment was the part when he performed a-cappella with his pre-recorded clones. Like Jacky Cheung or Jay Chou, Wang’s concert is a must go. 95% of his songs are timeless everlasting hits. Unlike other singers’ concerts when the audience drifted away in some unpopular hits, there is never a dull and unfamiliar moment at Wang’s Music-Man II Concert. (Enjoy the video highlight below!)

Girls’ Generation SNSD Hong Kong Concert 2012 (Asia Tour 2 – 15th Jan 2012)

This is Girls’ Generation’s debut concert in Hong Kong – it is powerful, sexy and explosive! 32 songs, 150 minutes. The 9-member K-pop group and their fans rocked the concert hall like no other Asian stars. Nothing comes close. Hate to say this – Not even Jay Chou or S.H.E. This is the power of 9.

Girls’ Generation charmed millions of fans worldwide. Today, they are South Korea’s most popular and important Ambassadors! It is amazing how a group of 9 Korean girls is able to woo the world. It doesn’t matter if their fans understand the lyrics of their songs. From young boys to mid-life crisis men (Ah Pek), Asians to Europeans, both males and females. They represent youth, peace, beauty and love. They are not divas or some pretentious “unapproachable” stars. It is the rawness in them that fans love them – they are your sweet “girls-next-door”. These lovely sirens charmed us with their mesmerizing winks, well-synchronized dance steps, seductive curvy moves (long legs and hairs) and very addictive “can’t-get-out-of-your-head” songs. Already, they are winning major music awards and breaking concert sales records everywhere. Their 12-Feb Bangkok concert tickets were snapped up within 20 minutes! (For the same class of seatings, their Hong Kong concert tickets cost 200% more than what I paid for Jacky Cheung and Jay Chou concert! Imagine the standing ticket cost about HKD1688/ticket and it was full house!)

The Hong Kong fans are superb! It was the fans who stole the show tonight! They memorized the Korean songs by heart! I have never seen fans that passionate and “well-coordinated”! (The fan club even posted up an online tutorial on Facebook to teach the fans what to do!) During the song “Complete”, thousands of the fans flashed their A4 home-printed banners “You + Me = Complete” at Girls’ Generation. It was a powerful movement, so dramatic and touching! (It moved Sunny to tears) And at the last line of the finale song “Fantastic” when Jessica sang “fly away”, the fans released thousands of pink balloons up in the air. It was so well-planned and synchronized! It was beautiful.

I hate to admit that I am one of the many “old boys” fans who fell in love with Girls’ Generation (aka SNSD – 소녀시대 / So Nyuh Si Dae / 少女时代). Seriously, their songs and dance are very addictive. (Trust me, these girls are more addictive and charming than Wonder Girls. If you don’t know them, go watch their “Genie” or “Taxi” MTVs online). Great songs + dances, great personalities and superb-talented individuals. It was confusing at the beginning to remember all their faces and names. But after watching their MTVs and variety-shows on YouTube, the power of 9 = full package of a perfect dreamgirl. The more you know them, the more you will like them. Mmmm…. makes me feel I should create my own girl-band. (It is not easy to manage a group of 9 girls. Utmost respect for their manager and record company!)

Jolin Tsai “Myself” World Tour Concert 2011 (蔡依林世界巡回演唱會)

Last night, Taiwanese Pop Princess Jolin Tsai heated up Hong Kong Coliseum with her sparkling performance. This is her 6th stop (total 8 cities) of her Asian “Myself” Tour. Teaming with Miguel Zarate (leading choreographer of Lady Gaga, Britney Spears), Jolin fired up the audience with her hot curves and seductive dance routines. She is the “Kylie Minogue” and “Ayumi Hamasaki” of Mandarin Pop.

It wasn’t the gigantic LCD Sphere or the pyrotechnics that stole the show. it was those daring, sexy and illuminated signature outfits Jolin wore. Red LED dress, Super bright Breast-Pads and low-cut tight dress that revealed her deep V. (See photo below) Simply booblicious! The key outfit of the night was undeniably the red laser-illuminated bodice. Hundreds of red laser lines beamed around Jolin – like a Goddess, a Superstar. (Ouch! She just laser-beam my eyes! What a knocker!)

Overall, it was a spectacular show (but not the best pop/dance concert I have attended). The Hong Kong concert was a little different from her Singapore and Taiwan legs. No water-dance finale and we didn’t see any special celebrity guest appearance. Jolin was an eye-candy but her singing was lacking. Loud woofer bass muffled her voice most of the night. Jolin didn’t really connect with her fans wholeheartedly – she sounded a little “cold” (not much confident) in her speech. Nevertheless, she managed to get half the audience standing and dancing towards the finale of the concert with her hot sexy moves. Surely, Jolin speaks louder with her body language than words. That’s being herself.