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October 23, 2006
For you, a thousand times over – Leehom Singapore Concert 2006
The long awaited Heroes of the Earth concert tour has come and gone, and we in Singapore are left with yet another deeply memorable encounter of Leehom's live performance.
The Anticipation
Leehom arrived at the airport on Thursday (19 Oct) night at about 8.30, looking comfortable and relaxed, as compared to his obvious weariness during his 1st October promotional stopover. Wearing the OurHome SG shirt, complete with his usual shades and a cap twisted backwards in an almost boyish style, Leehom looked decidedly fresh and all set for his upcoming concert.
21 Oct 2006. The big day arrived all too quickly. OurHome SG were all in a bustle for the entire day, distributing tickets and sharing news updates with fans from overseas. I was once again amazed at how Leehom has reached out to so many of us, and allowed people of different backgrounds to have this rare opportunity to share and party. We exchanged news about Leehom, about his previous concerts, and also made new friends. These overseas fans represented only a fraction of the support for Leehom from their home countries. Leehom's international fanclubs had sent their best wishes through gifts and concert flower arrangements. OurHome SG had prepared special gifts to mark Leehom's concert. A booklet containing the wishes of all Singapore fans was presented. On top of that, a Duval-Leroy vintage champagne engraved with Leehom's unique dragon treble clef logo was given to Leehom to celebrate his tour in Singapore.
The Concert
The Indoor Stadium filled up slowly as many were delayed by the stringent security checks at the doors. Gradually, the stadium was packed from end to end, which was hardly surprising as the affordable tickets ($78) were snapped up with 60% of the tickets were sold within the first 3 days of sales! This was despite the noticeably short notice and promotional period of this concert. Once again, an indication of Leehom's growing popularity in Singapore!
Leehom had looked noticeably thin in person at the airport, much to our concern. Once onstage, however, his dynamism and larger-than-life onstage personality cast that observation out of the window, sweeping us off our feet as always with a dazzling performance. For a start, the white cloth that hid the stage from the audience fell amidst thumping music and loud cheers, revealing Leehom looking all majestic on the suspended platform. Regrettably, Leehom did not ‘fly' down the platform as anticipated. The scene was one of the more spectacular moments of his concert. Instead, the platform lowered Leehom to the ground level as he prepared to ‘battle' the warriors.
Leehom gave his all, singing, dancing, prancing, and bowled us over with his musical pieces. He didn't once hold back and was truly enjoying himself. The fans added to the charged up atmosphere by singing, screaming and cheering with the rhythm.
During an interval where Leehom went off stage to change, the video that captured Leehom's visits to Singapore over the past 11 years were shown on the big screens. With the song, Da Chang Xiao Ai playing in the background, the video expressed Singapore's best wishes and support for Leehom over the past years. This was put together specially by OurHome SG who had been around cheering Leehom on since the days of Love Rival, Beethoven. Many could not help but be moved to tears—whether with the realization of how far he had come in all these years, or what some of us had been missing in his early stages of development.
The songs arrangement and sequences may be rather similar to the previous 3 concerts. Yet, what made this concert so memorable and special was how deeply emotional and heart-warming it had been. Having been busy with filming in the recent months, Leehom had not been able to spend time doing what he enjoys the most—taking the stage and singing the songs that have come to mean so much to him and his fans. His ballads were filled with so much heart and soul. During the acoustic section when Leehom belted out Da Cheng Xiao Ai. As he strummed the guitar, Leehom appeared to be fighting his overwhelmed emotions. His voice quivered slightly as he proclaimed his big love in this small city (小小的爱在那城里好甜蜜) . Kiss Goodbye, Forever First Day, Forever Love, A Simple Love Song, Mary Says & Wei Yi were delivered with such aching beauty that pulled at the heart strings of all. The highlight of the show was when Leehom pulled out his beloved violin, and played the theme of Cinema Paradiso. The moment came to a stand still as all stood entranced. We were captivated by the melody which drew us slowly into Leehom's world. It was thus not surprising that when the song came to an end, both Leehom and the audience took a while before reacting to a more upbeat of Julia.
Leehom closed the last Heroes of Earth 2006 Concert with Impossible to Miss You & Wei Yi. The crowd gave Leehom a standing ovation. The entire stadium stood as they saluted to this amazing hero who, in the short 2.5 hours concert, brought them all through a wonderful musical journey. That was indeed a rare sight as Singaporeans were known for not being as expressive as they would like to. Even when the announcement came to close the concert officially, many lingered behind, not wanting the moment to end.
After thought: Our only lament was that this concert was way too short. In fact, it was the shortest amongst all his concerts.Nonetheless, Leehom delivered a great performance that night. He poured his passion, his heart and his soul into every word he sang and every note he played. 21 Oct 2006 was truly a night to remember and all of us had taken home many precious memories.
Thank you Leehom! And come back real soon!
Also, cheers to the organizers - Sony Ericsson, Singtel and Hype Records for preparing the air filled clappers for all during the concert! We had a wild time bringing the stadium down with the loud clappers!
Article By: Charlene Tan (OurHome SG)
Posted by staff at October 23, 2006 01:17 AM