[ 22-02-2005 ]
TO tell the truth, Sam Hui? concert last Saturday at Bukit Jalil National Stadium was a slight disappointment for me.
Sam himself seemed slightly overwhelmed by the crowd (it was apparently his biggest ever one-show concert), and at one point he nearly rode his scooter into the mobile toilets parked on the track. For a 56-year-old, Sam? stamina was impressive. The concert lasted more than three hours, in which he sang almost 40 songs and talked nearly non-stop throughout the show. His charisma and enthusiasm were also quite infectious, managing to keep the audience entertained throughout the concert with his banter; although at times he sounded like a Chinese medicine seller at the pasar malam. Among of the highlights of the concert were the guest performances by Sam? two sons, Ryan and Scott. Youngest son Scott appeared first together dressed as the God of Prosperity with Sam? older brother Ricky Hui, singing (unsurprisingly enough) Choi San Dou (Here Comes the God of Prosperity). Sam then had a duet with Ryan (who is also a budding musician) on the songs Guai Ma Siong Seng and Tsim Sha Tsui Suzie, followed by the most energetic segment of the concert, with Sam singing Tin Choi Yu Pak Chi and perennial favourite Pun Kam Pat Liong with both sons. Ricky also made a lasting impression, singing a few songs with Sam, as well as two songs all by himself. He may not be a singer by profession, but what he lacked in singing prowess, he more than made up with his hilarious banter, which was laced with his trademark self-deprecating humour. He also appeared in several costumes (which he said was to ?over up his ugliness? ?including a cowboy suit, performing with Scott, as well as an Elvis Presley costume. Speaking of Elvis, one of the most endearing segments of the show was Sam dressing up in an Elvis costume, and going around the stadium kissing girls on the cheek in true Elvis fashion. Another beautiful moment was his duet with Ella Koon, singing a cover of Somewhere Out There, while riding on a fake zebra on stage. Trust me, it was a lot more romantic than it sounds here. My personal favourite guest appearance was that of the Chinese instrumental group from China, 12 Girls Band. After playing two songs on their own, Sam sang four songs accompanied by the group, including the late James Wong? ever-popular composition Chong Hoi Yat Seng Xiu. He was dressed as an ancient Chinese swordsman and showed off some fairly decent swordplay on stage. Sam also sang a duet with Hong Kong actress Myolie Wu early in the concert, though this part was interrupted by a breakdown in the sound system for a good five minutes. To their credit, the duo gamely sang on as if nothing had happened. Nevertheless, this, together with a segment with a group of girls called Sam? Angels, were the least effective parts of the concert. Clocking in at three hours and 20 minutes, the concert was probably a tad too long, as by the two-hour mark, most of the audience began to get restless. By the time Sam got to the encore at 11.30pm, there was already a stream of people leaving the stadium (although a large part was still clamouring for more). All in all, one can? help but feel that this concert would have been so much better if the venue was more ?oncert-friendly? The echoes around the stadium, coupled with the long distance between the stage and the cheaper seats (which made up almost 80% of the entire crowd) left many fans disappointed. However, kudos to the organisers for trying their best to put on a great show with this RM10mil production and for convincing Sam into coming here for the only performance outside of Hong Kong this year. n Sam Hui Live in Malaysia 2005 was presented by Da Ma Cai (Pan Malaysian Pools), and jointly organised by Galaxy Production and Sunway Lagoon Resort. The official airline was Malaysia Airline Systems and the official radio station was 988, which is operated by The Star. |  
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