26 July 2008, Saturday
Eason has always enjoyed some sort of a mixed fortune in Singapore. While not the most popular singer here, his fans are genuinely appreciative of his music. But because most of Eason's best work is in Cantonese, the average Singaporean listener is unable to fully understand the extent of Eason's musical leanings.
When Eason held his first concert in Singapore in Jan 07, he eschewed the "Get a Life" concept that had just concluded in Hong Kong and presented an intimate occasion. There were no elaborate costumes or dances, no fireworks. It was mostly a celebration of his best Cantonese and Mandarin hits, fueled by his typical enthusiasm. He even sang John Meyer's "Daughters" and Jet's "Look What You've Done".
So it was with a huge air of expectancy that I entered the Singapore Indoor Stadium for Eason's "Moving on Stage 11" concert in Singapore. Eason appeared in his veiled red getup, singing 紅玫瑰, which was a treat for us as 白玫瑰 is his regular opening song. He followed that up by a very touching 信心花舍, which surprised me as this song is not very popular in Singapore. Eason then ran through his entire gamut of Moving On songs, even singing "What a Wonderful World" and "Aren't You Glad", and peppering his repertoire with some Mandarin songs. Thankfully though, he chose to sing mostly the Cantonese versions of his hits, like 富士山下 and 明年今日. He also ran through a variety of costumes—I especially enjoyed his pimp look.
However, Eason somehow picked the same Mandarin songs to sing this time as he did last year, like 我們都寂寞 and 你的背包, which I felt were not songs that truly bring out the quality of Eason's voice. Thankfully though there were a few incredible highlights, like Eason rapping in 愛是懷疑，and singing a lush version of 不如這樣 that might have even surpassed the recording version. He also played around with the melody of 淘汰, which made me wish he had been as adventurous on the CD. He strangely left out 對不起謝謝, which was a song that was wildly popular in Singapore.
At the end though, I felt that Eason's "Moving on Stage 11" concert in Singapore was simply that—just another one in a series of Moving On concerts. It was a highly professional and well-choreographed performance, but it was also very manufactured. Whatever you see on Eason's Moving On Stage Live DVD, you basically saw here. It lacked the intimacy that was the hallmark of his concert last year. The concert was technically competent—Eason is a great dancer—but I didn't go away feeling as touched as I did last year. Maybe it's because I like Eason at his most basic—as a singer with an incredible ability to deliver a variety of genres. The Eason last year was one with a guitar strapped to his shoulders, delivering his songs in an understated, genuine manner, while the Eason we saw this year was explosive and showy.
All in all though, Eason's vocals never let anyone down and at the end of the day, it was his music and his voice that carried the show. I look forward to his next appearance in Singapore.
By KYK 08.10.2008
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As a non-Cantonese speaker, I also enjoyed the '07 concert more, as there was a bigger repertoire of Mandarin songs. I do agree though, that the '07 concert was more intimate, but perhaps the venue had some part to play in that as well.
Though I didn't understand what went on during the encore segment, I thought it was really nice of Eason to sing the requests of his fans. And I appreciated him asking the audience what language we prefered, though of course non-Cantonese speakers like me were ultimately at a disadvantage.
Next time, I'll consider bringing along a translator.
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