Post by OHSG Webby on Oct 23, 2006 21:19:54 GMT 8
Lee Hom's concert over the weekends
Oct 23, 2006
SITNews: Wang's a hero with perfect pitch but passable dancing
by June Cheong
concert
HEROES OF THE EARTH
Wang Lee Hom
Singapore Indoor Stadium/Last Saturday
HEROES Of The Earth proved why Chinese-American singer Wang Lee Hom is still a hero to his fans.
His show here over the weekend - the last in his current tour - saw the 30-year-old bounce from hip-hop to delicate ballads.
Currently in the midst of filming Taiwanese director Lee Ang's new film Lust, Caution, Wang told the audience that he had not been singing for some time.
Not that it mattered. He threw himself into his performances with the fervour of one who basks in the limelight.
He burst onstage at 8.30pm to an accompanying shower of fireworks, clad in a glittery gold ma gua (a traditional long Chinese robe worn by men).
As the audience cheered and screamed, he launched into an energetic rendition of two uptempo songs, Hero and Open Your Heart. While his pitch was perfect, his laboured dancing was passable at best.
Thankfully, he did not do too much fancy footwork. But his back-up dancers pressed on with a cringeworthy dance-off between B-boys and wushu exponents.
Like an excited schoolboy let loose in a toy store, Wang revelled in jamming on his instruments.
Throughout the 21/2-hour concert, he displayed his prowess on the guitar, piano, drums, violin and erhu.
Wang was in his element when he performed stripped-down versions of his old hits such as Don't Be Afraid and Forever Love.
Changing into a simple ensemble of shirt and trousers for those segments, Wang's appearance was a refreshingly far cry from his current homeboy look. It reminded the audience of how earnestly serious he was when he broke into Mandopop in 1995.
He worked the crowd to fever pitch as he sang Crying Palm, a doleful break-up song, while plinking away on the piano.
His voice was a treasure trove of emotions and he mined the haunting aspect of his ballads - mostly sweet pledges of eternal love - with his jazzy sensibilities and a deftly handled falsetto.
While he appeared relaxed and in control whenever he crooned, Wang was less confident when interacting with the audience. To much laughter and applause, Wang said he had a crush on Singaporean singer Kit Chan, even singing a few phrases from her hit song, Liking You.
Fortunately, his shy, retiring manner of speaking meant that audience catcalls of love frequently punctuated his pauses.
Ever the musician, Wang made his audience an impromptu choir, conducting them to sing the chorus of his 2001 hit Only, softly and then loudly.
As he lowered their pitch to a whisper with shushes, he lay on the stage floor motionless.
After five seconds of playing dead, he leapt up and started jumping madly about while the song rose to a deafening climax as the audience belted the chorus out with full force.
As he waved goodbye amid gyrating dancers and a burst of silver streamers onstage, he promised to return next year.
Oct 23, 2006
SITNews: Wang's a hero with perfect pitch but passable dancing
by June Cheong
concert
HEROES OF THE EARTH
Wang Lee Hom
Singapore Indoor Stadium/Last Saturday
HEROES Of The Earth proved why Chinese-American singer Wang Lee Hom is still a hero to his fans.
His show here over the weekend - the last in his current tour - saw the 30-year-old bounce from hip-hop to delicate ballads.
Currently in the midst of filming Taiwanese director Lee Ang's new film Lust, Caution, Wang told the audience that he had not been singing for some time.
Not that it mattered. He threw himself into his performances with the fervour of one who basks in the limelight.
He burst onstage at 8.30pm to an accompanying shower of fireworks, clad in a glittery gold ma gua (a traditional long Chinese robe worn by men).
As the audience cheered and screamed, he launched into an energetic rendition of two uptempo songs, Hero and Open Your Heart. While his pitch was perfect, his laboured dancing was passable at best.
Thankfully, he did not do too much fancy footwork. But his back-up dancers pressed on with a cringeworthy dance-off between B-boys and wushu exponents.
Like an excited schoolboy let loose in a toy store, Wang revelled in jamming on his instruments.
Throughout the 21/2-hour concert, he displayed his prowess on the guitar, piano, drums, violin and erhu.
Wang was in his element when he performed stripped-down versions of his old hits such as Don't Be Afraid and Forever Love.
Changing into a simple ensemble of shirt and trousers for those segments, Wang's appearance was a refreshingly far cry from his current homeboy look. It reminded the audience of how earnestly serious he was when he broke into Mandopop in 1995.
He worked the crowd to fever pitch as he sang Crying Palm, a doleful break-up song, while plinking away on the piano.
His voice was a treasure trove of emotions and he mined the haunting aspect of his ballads - mostly sweet pledges of eternal love - with his jazzy sensibilities and a deftly handled falsetto.
While he appeared relaxed and in control whenever he crooned, Wang was less confident when interacting with the audience. To much laughter and applause, Wang said he had a crush on Singaporean singer Kit Chan, even singing a few phrases from her hit song, Liking You.
Fortunately, his shy, retiring manner of speaking meant that audience catcalls of love frequently punctuated his pauses.
Ever the musician, Wang made his audience an impromptu choir, conducting them to sing the chorus of his 2001 hit Only, softly and then loudly.
As he lowered their pitch to a whisper with shushes, he lay on the stage floor motionless.
After five seconds of playing dead, he leapt up and started jumping madly about while the song rose to a deafening climax as the audience belted the chorus out with full force.
As he waved goodbye amid gyrating dancers and a burst of silver streamers onstage, he promised to return next year.