hi hi --
the review of leo ku & miriam's concert was in today's malay mail (2/3/06) -- check out the part on Justin
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MUSIC: A perfect stage marriage
Chow EE-TAN
Mar 2:
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THEY joked that their joint concert would be like a wedding banquet.
However, Leo Ku and Miriam Yeung kept a safe distance from each other at the Leo Ku + Miriam Yeung CNY Concert in Malaysia 06 last Saturday.
There were plenty of teasing and jokes, and a bear hug in one instance, even if their relationship was strictly platonic. But that didn’t matter to their fans.
So even when the 14,000 strong audience at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil were kept waiting for an hour, their enthusiasm never dampened.
The yelling and whistling were deafening when the two pop idols finally appeared on the 360 degree stage.
The show opened with a ‘past meets future’ theme.
Yeung, dressed as a heroine from the olden days and Ku, who looked as if he stepped out of a futuristic sci-fi movie, were accompanied by dancers and sang a medley of songs.
“We are getting married tonight,” declared Ku after greeting the audience. “And thank you for all your angpows! I hope every year we can come here and get married!”
Yeung reacted with a loud “choi!” and laughed.
They then clarified what they meant was the marriage of their music. After all, this was the first time the two artistes had teamed up in a concert, presented by Hotlink and organised by Galaxy Productions.
Unfortunately, when Yeung took the stage alone she was let down by the the poor sound system. Her voice was often muffled or drowned out by the band while intermittent feedback made things worse.
Next came Ku’s Broadway segment, which was the same as what he presented in his Genting Highlands concert last September.
Ku and his dancers did some slick dances to songs such as Roman Holiday and Persian Cat.
Ku and Yeung often exchanged banter.
Like when Ku said that they liked each other’s songs, Yeung retorted: “You mean songs only?”
And then Ku played along and said: “Some things should be kept private like our phone calls.”
To which Yeung replied: “You better be careful what you said – you might get scolded when you go home!”
Guest artiste Justin Lo’s presence was definitely worth the wait.
The pint sized singer-songwriter, who swept all the Best Newcomers Awards in Hong Kong’s major music awards ceremonies, seemed overwhelmed by the passionate reception showered on him – which was not secondary to Ku and Yeung.
He sang Good Guy and Hard Life in a mesmerising falsetto.
He was then joined by Ku, a guitarist and a back-up singer for an a capella medley that included English numbers I Believe and Can We Try. Their rapport and spontaneity made this the most enjoyable part of the concert.When Yeung came out again, what she wore looked familiar from her concert last April. She donned a rather peculiar coat with glittering stars to sing Little Stars and then took it off to reveal a strapless peach dress.
Fashion faux-pas aside, she presented the melodious Small Town, Big Affair and Wolf Is Here in her dulcet voice.
“My songs usually describe my own stories. And every time when I sing a song, it feels different and new to me,” she said. Then, some from the audience started chanting Mou Lai, Mou Lai (Rascal – the famous song of Yeung’s ex-boyfriend Ronald Cheng).
“You want me to sing that? But I’m not Mou Lai,” said a bemused Yeung. But her fans won’t let her go and even the band started playing the melody. So a sporting Yeung actually sang a few verses of the song although she forgot some lyrics!
In a gold cape and sporting gold tinted hair to match, Ku crooned Solid Gold Hits – a 12- minute long medley of more than 30 hits in recent years, showing off his stamina and voice.
Even at such a huge venue, these two amiable idols made efforts to get close to their fans. Besides getting into an elevated crane that raised them up in the air, they came down from the stage to shake hands with the audience.
It created a frenzy and at times the singers almost got mobbed. But it did not deter them from continuing their rounds, in one of the longest hand-shaking sessions seen in a local concert.
It was close to midnight but neither the performers nor the audience showed any signs that they wanted to leave. The final segment of the show climaxed with the two singers belting out their biggest hits.
“I love to come to Malaysia. I have been to many countries to perform and you guys are the most passionate, honestly!” said Ku.
As for Yeung, she said she felt like she was in a big karaoke party.
For the final song, Love and Sincerity, Yeung and Ku dragged Justin up on stage to sing with them, letting the audience take over the chorus.
It was heartwarming to see the friendship and comradeship between the performers.
Finally the three of them, hand-in-hand, descended and disappeared from the stage to conclude a satisfying, three hour plus concert.