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HK VETERANS GIVE MEMORABLE CONCERT Article Year: May 7, 2000 Written by: Suzanne Sng (- from Straits Times) |
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Life's A Beach Once More Three-day charity concert and donations raise $2 million so far for the Ren Ci Hospital. CHINESE CONCERT JOSEPH KOO AND JAMES WONG CONCERT 2000 Singapore Indoor Stadium Last Friday, 8 pm WHERE were you when golden oldies such as Shanghai Beach were the hits of the day? If you are a babyboomer, you were probably plonked in front of the telly, humming along to the opening strains of The Bund, Swordsman Chu or Man In The Net. At last Friday's show, it was a glittery, sequined-filled trip down memory lane for this middle-aged crowd. The first of the 11 performers of the night, diva Frances Yip, dominated the stage with her powerhouse lungs, belting out her classic anthem, Shanghai Beach. Without missing a beat, she crooned and paraded round the stage in her stilettoes. The treacherous multi-layered stage, set in the centre of the Indoor Stadium, did not make the job easy. But the performers of the night -- all showbiz veterans -- handled it with aplomb. Some pranced, some strolled, and some even bowed, but all made their rounds to the four corners of the stage to thank everyone for supporting the charity concert. The three-night concert, which began on Friday and ended last night, was in aid of Ren Ci Hospital. The amount raised from donations and $50, $100 and $150 tickets was over $2 million at the last count before the show. With nearly 40 songs by 11 singers, it was no wonder that the value-for-money show went on for more than three hours. Not that the obedient and responsive audience minded. The uncles dug out their glasses to scrutinise their idols on stage, while the aunties left their handbags carelessly unattended to applaud the performance of each singer. As the host of the night, Wong, commented, everyone on stage was worthy to be called a "Big Brother (da ge da) or Big Sister (da jie da)". But the loudest claps and wolf whistles were reserved for the biggest brothers and sisters. Lisa Wang worked her magic and swept the stadium into clapping along to her Thousands And Ten Thousands Of Emotions. The ever-flamboyant Roman Tam caused middle-aged female hearts to flutter when his trenchcoat came off to reveal tight leather trousers. Singer-actor Adam Cheng drew wild applause with his mellow rendition of Swordsman Chu. And while 1960s movie queen Ivy Ling Po was not part of the Koo-Wong repertoire, the audience gave her the warmest applause for her unfaltering performance of the huang mei diao piece from her movie, The Butterfly Lovers. For the big bang finale, the performers -- who included Teresa Cheung Tak Lan, Johnny Ip Chun Tong, Elisa Chan Kit Ling, Sandra Lang and Annabelle Lui -- took to the stage for one last song and dance. It had been a nostalgia-fuelled ride down memory lane. Source: http://www.hkentreview.com/2000/may/0507/0507.html |