Avril's Happy Ending

This show almost didn't make it to Malaysian shore due to some protests from some extreme religious organisation. Reason: Avril is bad influence and counter culture to Malaysian youth. She is too sexy for Malaysians' eyes too. (Insert eye rolling ceremony here!) Get real, people!

Anyway, to cut the long story short, the show was finally approved by the government to go on, despite the initial cancellation.

The sky was grey when I reach Merdeka Stadium.

Then it rained. People were seen running helter skelter to get free raincoats distributed by the organiser.

Wet or not...we fans didn't move an inch from out seat. Patiently waiting for the MF Princess herself.

Wet and evil?

The rain stopped when the show was about to start.

The lights in the stadium were switched off about 9:20pm and out came Avril with her unmistakable hit - Girlfriend. She looked sweet and decent. The sexy and counter culture accusations were totally unfounded!

The concert was fun. She certainly doesn't have the pipes of Celine Dion, which also hailed from Canada. She was OK but at times her vocals were drowned by the loud music.

So much for my happy ending!

Avril played the piano while singing When You're Gone. And of course the fans sang along with her!

Set List

Girlfriend

I Can Do Better

Complicated

My Happy Ending

I’m With You

I Always Get What I Want

When You’re Gone (Avril played the Piano)

Innocence

Don’t Tell Me

Hot

Losing Grip

The Best Damn Thing

Bad Reputation (Video Montage)

Everything Back But You

I Don’t Have To Try

Runaway (Avril played the Drums)

He Wasn’t

Girlfriend (Remix) (Avril rapped)

Sk8er Boy

I bought a copy of the Best Damn Tour DVD sold at the stadium. It was not released yet then. RM40. A very good buy. I enjoyed the DVD more at home than in the stadium. Perhaps the rain had dampened the spirits. :)

Welcome to My World: Gary Chaw Asia Live Tour 2008

More details here.

Hold You Tight - Tara Kemp

All day...All night...

Hold You Tight (All Night Extended Mix)

(Your're My One And Only) True Love - Seduction

My heart is on fire, so I'm giving all my love to you...

(Your're My One And Only) True Love (New York House Mix)

Steam - Peter Gabriel

Give me steam. And how you feel to make it real.

Real as any place you've been. Get a life with the dreamer's dream

Steam (Oh, Oh, Let Off Steam Mix 12")

It's No Crime - Babyface

Why, it's no crime. Everybody needs love. And baby (so do I)...

It's No Crime (Extended Radio Mix)

Rockit - Herbie Hancock

Rock it! Don't Stop It!

Rockit (MixMaster Mike Version)

The Night Celine Dion Rocked Kuala Lumpur

What: Celine Dion Taking Chances World Tour 2008

Where : Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

When: 8:00pm 13 April 2008 (Originally 8 April 2008)

I made my way to Stadium Merdeka at 5:00pm on a rainy Sunday evening even though the gate only opened at 7:00pm. Was hoping to get the best seat in RM288 free seating ticket category. Couldn’t afford the RM1000 numbered seat ticket. LOL!

I couldn’t believe my ears when I arrived to the stadium. I heard Celine singing! The Show Must Go On! A Queen hit! I pinched myself. Yup! That was Celine. I was not dreaming! LOL!

She was doing her sound check. So, peeped through the stadium fence and there she was in all her glory – Celine Dion, pretty in a floral blouse. Her reddish hair glistened so beautifully in the glow of Malaysian evening sun. She was singing and occasionally stopped to talk to her sound technicians in French! Sounded so romantic. LOL! Je t’aime, Celine!

I was standing in queue, the first few people of course. We got very excited when we hear the intro of Celine remake of Heart’s Alone. Wow! We get a little teaser of what was in store for us later that night! (Insert squeals of delight here). CLICK PLAY to see “Alone”.

Celine left the stage after belting out Alone. We were all hyped up for the concert. While we stood in line, a Celine Dion hardcore fan started to blast Celine hits from his speaker phone. So, waiting in line was not that boring after all. Hahah! It was fun talking and with some die hard Celine fans out there.

At about 7:00pm. The gates were open. A brief security check. Big camera with zoom lens were not allowed. Small camera like mine is allowed. Hahah! Click like crazy I would! I rushed into stadium and plonked myself seat near the railing. I need to railing to support my mini gorilla-pod (tripod with flexible arms).

We spotted local artistes - Cheryl Samad (Malaysian Idol Host) and Nur Fazura (Gol & Gincu Actress) sitting not far from us. I am sure they can afford the RM1000 tickets but I guess they were just being thrifty! :)

Watched the sun set. The sky was glorious after the heavy rain in the afternoon. I was so worried about the rain that I brought my raincoat, just in case. Thank God I didn’t have to use the raincoat. We were all blessed with a beautiful evening!

CLICK PLAY! To fend of boredom while waiting for the show to start, the whole stadium (except those filthy rich flers who can afford RM1000 per ticket in the middle of the field..LOL!) created the Mexican Waves. It was so much fun!

All Eyes On Celine...

At about 8:50pm, the stadium light were switched off after the arrival of the King and Queen of Malaysia. We screamed and screamed Celine’s name. Then….Boom! The screen played Celine's I Drove All Night video clip. Wow! I was transported into the musical world of Celine Dion! It was surreal watching the diva on stage.

She sounded great. Without wasting any time, she slipped into Power of Love. Wow! I was totally blown away by her sheer power!

She greeted the King and Queen graciously and later apologized for reschedule the concert as she got sick during her OZ leg. It’s OK, Celine! As long as you don’t cancel it, I am fine. She even noticed the beautiful Malaysian moon, high up in the sky. CLICK PLAY to watch Celine greeting her “extraordinary” Malaysian fans. I love you Celine!

Celine sang and sang like there was no tomorrow in perfect pitch too! Hit after Hit! Song after Song! (See song list at the end of the post). Truly a diva!

CLICK PLAY to hear she belt out ALL BY MYSELF. Awesome! Awesome! Still give me goose bumps every time I listened to this! Awesome!

I was quite surprised when Celine went in and out the stage without a costume change. Was she doing a Mariah Carey – no costume change in her Malaysian Charmbracelet tour? Hmmm....

Celine's sequinned dress with leather sleeves and pants. She didn't make any costume change until the last song unlike her shows in other cities where she had a few.

CLICK PLAY! Celine will rock you! A QUEEN tribute. She rocked the stadium, indeed!

The Show Must Go On! The Show Must Go On! Celine, we glad that the show in Malaysia went on despite having to reschedule. Thanks for singing for us. Love ya!

Celine did change her costume after all. Into a sweet yellow evening gown...and then the haunting flute of My Heart Will Go On played....The crowd screamed with delight! She saved the best for last!

CLICK PLAY. You can hear yours truly warbling along with Celine Dion too in the video too. LOL! Well....everyone in the stadium sang! It was a true mother of all goosebumps moment!

After the final song, Celine bowed and said Terima Kasih (Thank You in Malay with very good diction) to the crowd!

Flying kisses...Muah! Muah! Muah!

Wow! What a show! She Came. She Sang. She Conquered My Heart (along with other 10,000 hearts too!). I LOVE YOU, CELINE!

I was transported back to Stadium Merdeka as I was writing this blog. I am really awestruck by Celine's grace, beauty and sheer powerful voice. It is one of the best concerts so far in MY LIFE! Awesome!

The Complete Kuala Lumpur Set List

First part (Black leather and silver sequinned dress)
1. Video introduction: "I Drove All Night" (remix)
2. "I Drove All Night"
3. "The Power of Love"
4. "Taking Chances"
5. "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"
6. "Because You Loved Me"
7. "To Love You More"

Second part
8. New Mego's Flamenco (instrumental)
9. "Eyes on Me"
10. "All by Myself"

Third part
11. Interval video: "My Heart Will Go On" (remix)
12. "I'm Alive" (remix)
13. "Shadow of Love"
14. "I'm Your Angel" (with Barnev Valsaint)
15. "Alone"
16. "Pour que tu m'aimes encore"
17. "Think Twice"
18. "My Love"

Fourth part (Queen Tribute)
19. "We Will Rock You"
20. "The Show Must Go On"

Fifth part
21. "Soul Man" / "Lady Marmalade" / "Respect" (by band and background vocalists)
22. "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
23. "That's Just the Woman in Me"
24. "Love Can Move Mountains"
25. "River Deep, Mountain High"

Sixth Part (Long yellow outfit)
26. "My Heart Will Go On"

OTHER REVIEWS
Here are some blogs with Celine Dion Taking Chances reviews. Linked without permission. LOL! Found them in the Net. If you are the owners of the blogs and in any circumstances you want me to remove the links, do drop me a mail. I hope not, we Celine fan love to share, right?? :)

Judd - He hobnobbed with the local celebrities - Datuk Siti & husband Datuk Khalid, Datuk Mukhriz, Datin Norjuma & husband - Datuk Nazim, Sarimah Ibrahim & husband (who were seated next to him), fashion designer - Rizalman Ibrahim, Ezlynn, Ziana Zain, Jaclyn Victor, Daniel Lee, Harith Iskandar, Hannah Tan, Fara Fauzana, Amy Search, Rossa from Indonesia, Sasha Basir & Malaysian astronaut - Sheikh Muszaphar.
http://golden-judd.blogspot.com/search/label/celine%20dion

Juliansi – Great pictures. The difference from a RM1000 seat from RM288 is so striking. LOL!
http://juliansi.blogspot.com/search?q=celine+dion

Sasha Bashir - Local celeb.
http://sashabashir.blogspot.com/2008/04/celine-dion.html

Kevin Meets The Star.
http://kevinmeetstars.blogspot.com/2008/04/celine-dion-taking-chances-tour-in.html

Some other reviews/ blogs:
http://phuntort.blogspot.com/2008/04/taking-chances-celine-dions-concert-in.html

http://www.razlan.name/blog/2008/04/celine-dions-taking-chances-concert-in-kuala-lumpur/

http://wonderfulcharm.blogspot.com/2008/04/celine-dion.html

Heartache - Pepsi & Shirley

Guess loving you was a waste of time. Never mind what I've been through....

Heartache (Phil Harding Dot & Daisy's Club Mix)

Request: Nightime - Pretty Poison

Nightime (Shep Pettibone Mix)

You Keep Me Hangin' On - Kim Wilde

Get out, get out of my life and let me sleep at night

You Keep Me Hangin' On (Extended 12" Mix)

Silence Speaks A Thousand Words - Debbie Gibson

VERSE 1:
When I asked you
you said nothing was wrong
But I listened to your magical song
All its notes were gone
You sang it, I heard
Silence speaks a thousand words

VERSE 2:
You keep telling me
I'll pay the price
for asking you once
and telling you twice
But I paid the day your emotions turned cold
Silence speaks a thousand words

CHORUS:
Where do I turn when you turn away
it's never just the things you say
You never ever put me down
But when I speak you turn around
and saying not much is saying a lot

VERSE 3:
If you spoke truth
there would be no doubt
but the only words are
"we'll work it out"
Well that's not saying much
You just don't take the time
And that is where I draw the line

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
You're sending signals
first of hope then insecurity
signals of doubt are everywhere
and subconsciously
You know you wanna break the ties
But you use silence
You use lies
Don't worry
I'll return your song of silence

Silence speaks a thousand words
Silence speaks a thousand words

Silence Speaks A Thousand Words (Acoustic Mix)

The Lover In Me - Sheena Easton

Shoo Do Wop! :)

The Lover In Me (12" Extended Dance Version)

I'm So Into You - SWV

Boy, you got me so confused. I don't know what I'm gonna do...

I'm So Into You (Radio Remix with Rap)

Note: Re-up for Marvin.

Step Back to The 80's

What? Here and Now. The Best of 80's Concert

Where? Arena of The Stars, Genting Highland.

When? 21 March 2008. 8pm onwards.

Who? Limahl, Johnny Hates Jazz, Paul Young, Howard Jones & Bananarama.

Initially I was very excited to go for this concert when I see the line-up included my famous diva warbler (yes..she warbles LOL!) Belinda Carlisle. Then later, my excitement died when they replaced Belinda with Howard Jones. I always wanted to see Belinda Carlisle in action. I grew up listening to her songs like Heaven Is A Place On Earth, I Get Weak, Leave A Light On etc.

However, thanks to my good friend, Marianne, I get to go for the concert for free. (Insert Hugs for Marianne!). It was one of the fun concerts I have attended in my life, the other being Boney M concert last year.

I rushed to Pekeliling Bus Station to catch a bus to Genting Highlands after work on Friday evening. And my journey to the past has begun.....

Never Ending Story

Limalh stated the show about 8:30pm with "Too Shy", his hit from the group Kajagoogoo. Wowow! For a 50 years-old-guy, he looked damn good! LOL! His hair was still spiky even though it was not as big as in the 80's.

Limalh continued to entertain with "Ooh To Be Ahh", "Hang On Now", "Rio" (a tribute to Nick Rhodes for helping Kajagoogoo get signed on under the EMI label) and "Only For Love"

Limahl was energetic on the stage but he didn't make use of the stage like Paul Young did and just contained himself at the centre of the stage. I was hoping that he get closer to the sides so that I can get a good shot of him.

Limahl ended his show with "Never Ending Story". Of course the crowd sang along with him in unison. I got goosebumps! Suddenly I felt like a kid again! Hahah!

Click play: Limalh giving away free CDs and photos to the P1 audience. Me in P3 was blocked by the barricades and could only watch in envy.(Insert cry here!)

This lucky blogger managed to grab a Limalh CD. Could you rip it for me please???? Pretty please? Heheh!

I Wish That I Could Turn Back The Clock

The second act was Johnny Hates Jazz (from now on will be known as JHJ). They didn't age well I noticed. LOL!

Danny Saxon, the new lead vocalist of JHJ sang I Don't Wanna Be A Hero, Turn Back The Clock, Different Seasons, Heart Of Gold, Shattered Dreams. He was pitchy and out of breath at times (suddenly everyone's an Idol critic! LOL!.

I missed the original lead vocalist, Clark Datchler.

Anyway, I was standing right in front of the speakers on the left side of the stage, was half deaf to even notice the "pitchiness" of his notes. Had a great time singing along to the tunes, especially this one.

Turn Back The Clock

Another day is ended
And I still cant sleep
Remembering my yesterdays
I begin to weep
If I could have it over
Live my life again
I wouldnt change a single day

(chorus)
I wish that I could turn back the clock
Bring the wheels of time to stop
Back to the days when life was so much better

Lying here in silence
Picture in my hand
Of a boy I still resemble
But I no longer understand
And as the tears run freely
How I realise they were the best years of my life

(chorus)

You might say its just
A case of giving up
No
But without these memories where is the love
Where is the love



Click Play: Shattered Eardrums LOL!

Everytime You Go Away

My friend Marianne's favourite. Paul Young! He looked kinda dashing. Very different from the boyish Limahl earlier. Unlike Limahl, I was running, jumping and sliding around the stage. Pretty energetic for a 52 years old. LOL!

Paul Young sang some of his hits like Come Back & Stay, Love Of The Common People, Senza Una Donna, Tear Your Playhouse Down.

His vocal was not as smooth as I heard in the 80's. Gone were the sliky smooth blue eyed soul, replaced by an edgier rockier sound. He tried to act like a rocker too. See...? Heheh!

Everytime You Go Away.....Now she's gone and she took most of the glow out of me. Now I'm in a gutter all alone. And I wont even let my friend be near me. Woe is me. Woe is me....

I enjoyed Paul Young performance. If you like the pictures, you will love the coming video clips.

Forever Young

"Omigod! Omigod! Paul grabbed my hand", screamed Marianne! Ol' Paul still got the stuff to make them girls scream. LOL!

Two lucky women (re: b*tches! LOL!) get to slow dance with Paul Young!

Sing Scream Sing Scream session. My left ear was half deaf from the screaming emitted from the girl standing next to me. You can hear her loud and clear in this video. You can hear yours truly sing too. LOL! Everytime you go....Away...

It was so much FUN!!!!!

Things Can Only Get Better

Howard Jones came out after Paul Young. He was the only artist who attempted to say "Terima Kasih" (Thank You in Malay) for coming to the concert. OK, he did it with the help of a piece of paper, but still melt lots of Malaysians' hearts out there.

In my opinion, the best vocals of the night belonged to Howard Jones. Powerful yet vunerable at times.


He performed "What Is Love", "Like To Get To Know Well", "No One Is To Blame", "New Song", "Things Can Only Get Better" and "Pearl In The Shell".

I only managed to get a short clip of "What is Love". The security was breathing down my neck. Damn!

My favourite slow song of the night. Heart-breakingly rendered to perfection by the great Mr. Howard Jones. (Insert teardrops here! LOL)

No One Is To Blame

You can look at the menu but you just cant eat
You can feel the cushions but you cant have a seat
You can dip your foot in the pool but you cant have a swim
You can feel the punishment but you cant commit the sin

And you want her and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

You can build a mansion but you just cant live in it
Youre the fastest runner but youre not allowed to win

Some break the rules
And live to count the cost
The insecurity is the thing that wont get lost

And you want her and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

You can see the summit but you cant reach it
Its the last piece of the puzzle but you just cant make it fit
Doctor says youre cured but you still feel the pain
Aspirations in the clouds but your hopes go down the drain

And you want her and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you

No one, no one, no one ever is to blame
No one ever is to blame
No one ever is to blame