MUSIC: Leo’s unforgettable debut
Malaysia
September 7, 2005
As
he promised, Leo Ku didn’t cry at his first solo concert
in Malaysia.
However, it was obvious that he was
fighting back the tears. He was just too moved by the
immense adulation he received from the full-house crowd
at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands last Saturday.
So
much so that the 6,000-plus strong crowd would not let
Ku go after he completed his songs, in a two-and-a-half
hour show.
The lights were already on but his fans just could not
stop cheering and asking for more! That touched the
heart of the amiable singer who relented and reappeared
for another encore.
It
certainly was a memorable concert for the singer and his
fans.
After all, it was a dream come true for Ku, who had to
wait 11 years before holding his solo concert in Hong
Kong. He is now on his world tour.
He entered the entertainment scene in
1994 and three years later, shot to fame with the song
Enjoy Yourself Tonight.
Ku
was offered to stage a solo concert but he declined as
he thought he wasn’t ready yet.
“But with that ‘no’, I didn’t know I
had to wait another eight years!” said Ku, who won all
the major music awards in Hong Kong last year.
In
his concert, he showed off his musical versatility by
presenting a variety of segments with different themes,
like a big band/Broadway segment that featured his songs
Roman Holiday and Persian Cat. Ku was sleek in black and
white, backed by dancers with complementing costumes.
“Am I good? Am I better than Aaron Kwok?” he teased and
the response was affirmative. While his dancing was not
that great, appearing slightly stiff at times, his vocal
prowess and charm more than made up for it.
He
also sang songs acapella, and also another song with
only acoustic accompaniment. Here, Ku proved he is a
true singer, reaching some really high notes with his
unique falsetto.
He
also let his three back-up singers come to the
forefront, and together they sang a few beautiful
numbers including I Believe and Nobita.
Since he also has an affinity for cartoons and comics,
he also incorporated this element into his concert by
taking the audience into the world of computer games.
Looking like he just stepped out from a futuristic comic
book, Ku, clad in a space-suit, cape and blue wig, was
accompanied by masked dancers with swords. They looked
like Star Wars characters.
Next came the ‘hand shake section’, which saw hundreds
of fans rush and scramble to the front.
It
created such a frenzy that Ku said he lost a ring! He
joked that he hoped it was a girl who took it and that
she should put it on her ring finger! Humorous as he was
charming, he earlier sang a few lines of Rasa Sayang,
although it sounded like ‘laksa sayang’.
Apparently, he was told he could woo a Malaysian girl
with that song!
He
also declared that he was single and that sent his
female fans into delirium.
At
one time, Ku asked his audience to do the Mexican wave
and they actually did it, with Ku as the ‘conductor’.
His guest artiste was Alex Fong Lik San, who turned in a
competent performance.
Judging from the response, Fong, who sang two of his own
songs, had quite a following himself.
When Fong walked off the stage, the overture of the
Solid Gold Hits came on, to the delight of the audience.
Draped in gold, Ku sang the 11-minute long medley that
chained together 39 classic hits from the 1980s till
today.
He
didn’t leave out his first hit song Enjoy Yourself
Tonight and then took time to thank his fans for their
continuous support and love over the years.
The encore saw Ku on stage in a bizarre costume – a long
white shredded shirt featuring ‘Mr Man’ cartoons with
(gasp) black shorts and black lace stockings!
“I
heard all of you, and I wanted to run out here,” he said
and added that he wouldn’t cry anymore as he had grown
up by now.
For the finale, he sang his No. 1 hit Love and Sincerity
and it turned into a ‘karaoke session’ as he asked his
fans to sing with him and even let them take over the
chorus.
With several ‘thank yous, Ku waved goodbye and descended
down the elevated platform.
The end? Nope. The fans did not budge. They were all on
their feet, screaming and cheering for Ku to come back
for more than five minutes until the stage lights came
on again, and Ku came out with a happy but bewildered
expression on his face.
“I
represent the organizers and ask you all to leave,” he
said smilingly. “Are Malaysians really that fantastic?
However, we don’t have more songs...”
But the cheers and shouts wouldn’t stop. So he sang the
Love and Sincerity once more and everyone stood up,
waved and sang together with Ku. Quite an amazing sight.
Ku
certainly deserved such affection. He had put in his all
for this concert. And from the way he yelled his long
and thunderous ‘thank you’ (with tears in his eyes), you
just knew it came from the bottom of his heart.
(Source: mmail.com.my)
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