Poparazzi

THERE’S no better way to say this – or maybe there is, but I just can’t think of them – so I’m going to just go ahead and say I’ve just had one of the best concert performances this year. Yup, thanks to the good folk at Unusual Entertainment, your Abang here was lucky enough to go watch Amit astound a sold out crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last night.

I know people thought that a gig so soon after her F1 Rocks performance in September, a mere four months ago, wasn’t a good idea. Well, they were silly – and wrong.

I could go on gushing about what a fantastic show it was, despite it being three hours long, but I won’t, because really, words can’t come close to that music epiphany. So I’ll just give you the highlights.

AN AMIT CONCERT IS NOT AN A*MEI CONCERT. Even though it’s done by the same person. Really. That’s what she reminded us all night. What’s different? Well, while an A*mei concert is a great exercise in showmanship; an Amit concert just simply ROCKS! There’s the slick production value, but it’s just dirty and nasty at the same time. This wasn’t just an Amit concert, this was an Amit rock concert.

NO, REALLY, IT’S A ROCK CONCERT. Even her most perky of pop numbers like OK, Three Days And Three Nights, Fire, Because Of Me and Falling were turned into hard-hitting rockers.

AMIT LOOKS… BIGGER. Speaking of dirty and nasty, her leather corset/jacket over her leopard prings dress left little to the imagination, causing someone to remark, “Did she get a boob job?” “No, push-up bra,” came the reply.

AMIT’S VOICE. An angel’s voice singing devilish hell all night. And just to prove that she could, she tackled a snippet of that famous operatic aria, Nessum Dorma – in full flight soprano. The last time we heard a range like that – live, without in-studio trickery – was probably Faye Wong. Speaking of Faye, Amit did a blistering version of the former’s Oncoming Love, with a blinding guitar solo by…

…MARTY FRIEDMAN. Yes, you read right. (If you don’t know who he is, just ask your muso friends – any rocker worth their salt will be able to tell you.) Although we weren’t sure at first. “That guitarist looks a lot like Marty Friedman,” said a fellow journo when the concert started. Then right at the end, Amit gave him a shout out: “On guitar… Mardddddddyyyyy!” But what’s he doing with Amit? The last time we checked the dude who used to kick out the jams with Megadeth was having a fun time in Japan, even starring in Japanese movies. And now he’s firing up the frets with one of Taiwan’s best singers. Yup, you said it – a step up fer sure! (Haha)

IT MIGHT GET LOUD. With Marty in her corner, why wouldn’t it? The decibels were cranked up as the show went along – and we’re pretty sure his guitar can go up to 11 – but in a good way, not like what happened with Maroon 5.

And so we left – a little tired but fired up at the same time. As the Grateful Dead might have said, what a strange long trip it was. This won’t easily be forgotten – heck, it’s 24 hours later and the ringing is still in my ears. CHECK BACK HERE FOR MORE PICS AND MEDIA.

(Thanks to Unusual Entertainment, Rich Host Productions for the photos and other media.)

Tags: A*mei, Amit, concert, F1 Rocks, Faye Wong, Maroon 5, Marty Friedman, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Unusual Entertainment

WHOOP whoop, A*mei fans!

Here’s the deal: According to organiser UnUsUal Entertainment, response for the upcoming concert by Taiwanese pop diva Chang Huimei, aka A*mei, aka Amit, has been so overwhelming that they’ve had to open another show on Jan 29, 2010, so that all her fans will get a chance to see the concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Incidentally, the concert tour is dubbed Amit Live First World Tour after her latest album, which in turn was named after her Taiwanese aboriginal name, Gulilai Amit. But if her segment at F1 Rocks was anything to go by, then it doesn’t matter by what name you call her, the show will still rock.

Tickets from $88 to $168 are available at Sistic outlets. Hurry, hurry! Don’t say we didn’t tell you!

Tags: A*mei, Amit, Chang Huimei, F1 Rocks, Gulilai, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sistic, world tour

Green Day is one of the big name acts already slated to perform in Singapore next year. (pic: Marina Chavez)

IF YOU thought 2009 was a bumper year for concerts, then you should keep an eye out for next year’s calendar.
Already, alternative darlings like Cat Power set to perform for next year’s Mosaic concert series, and it seems things can only get better.

In January, Greenhorn Productions brings Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, and Lushington Entertainments will present Green Day — their first ever shows in this region. Unusual Entertainment has Taiwanese superstar Amit (or A*mei, as she is also known) slated for a January appearance and Hong Kong icon Sam Hui coming over in June.

Like we said, things can only get better.

Catch Green Day on Jan 14 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Patrick Watson on Jan 19 at the Esplanade Recital Studio, Amit on Jan 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and Sam Hui on Jun 26 at the Max Pavilion @ Singapore Expo. All tickets from Sistic.

Tags: 2009, 2010, A*mei, Abang of the Airwaves, Cat Power, Christopher Toh, Green Day, Greenhorn Productions, Lushington Entertainments, Patrick Watson, Sam Hui, Unusual Entertainment

LIKE any event, F1 Rocks Singapore with LG had its fair share of highs and lows. As Charles Dickens might say, it was the best and worst of times. From inconsiderate fans to some searing shows, here then, are our awards for best and worst:

Best in show: A tie between A*mei, Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and Beyonce. A*mei’s fantastic vocals showed by she’s still considered to be one of Asia’s top singers.

Meanwhile, Gwen showed that with a lot of hard work – and cash, admittedly - you too, can have two children and still look like one hot mother. Her sizzling performance was definitely the highlight of night #2.

But if you wanted a scorching show, it was Beyonce’s closing set that did the trick. Despite being shorter than her usual shows, she still brought it on – with bootylicious moves, several striking costumes and a voice that was just above and beyond everything we’d heard previously. F1 Rocks? No, Beyonce – YOU rock.

Most fan appreciative moment: During Beyonce’s finale, Halo, she stood on the top of the stairs onstage and intoned: “Singapore, I am…” Crowd: “BEYONCE!”

She said it again: “Singapore, I am…” Crowd: “BEYONCE!!!!! (doesn’t she know who she is)???”

Then she said: “Singapore, I AM… YOURS!” AWWWWWWW! We love you, too, Beyonce!

The What-Were-You-Thinking award: Goes to Jacky Cheung, perhaps in a misguided effort to look “rock” for F1 Rocks, ended up wearing an outfit and a wig that looked like a reject from a cosplay party.

The I Am Robot award: The security guys, who were seriously either very blur or just confused. First, they kept repeating “move up/down, don’t block the stairs” to anyone and everyone, even to someone who asked them directions to the toilet. Then, they gave conflicting directions to VIP pass holders by telling them to go this way and that, making for one bunch of confused VIPs.

The Active Ageing award: Goes to ZZ Top (above) and Simple Minds (below), who showed that life really does begin after 40. (So does arthritis and hypertension, but that’s another story).

The Back To School award: To ex-F1 driver David Coulthard who mis-read 127.4 as “175″. Maybe that’s why he didn’t win as many races as he could.

Most Inconsiderate award: To smokers. Sorry, I know you need to puff and all, but come on, couldn’t you just hold off a bit, especially since people are already having to endure being thirsty in the sweltering heat and being crammed up against each other. We’re already sweaty and stinky, we don’t need the extra pollution, thanks. 

Best F&B advertising: Billy Gibbon’sGretsch guitar, which, when flipped over had the word “Beer” stenciled in gold.

The Forgiving Fashion Faux Pas award: The general rule has always been not to wear coloured underwear when wearing white, but if you looked like Gwen Stefani, we say “go ahead, make our day”. 

Best Sweat and Stinky moment: Gwen Stefani, inviting two fans to go up and towel her off.

Most Inconsiderate award #2: Those who didn’t know how to clean up after themselves, making Fort Canning Park look like Fort Canning waste dump.

Best animalistic name: DJ Havana Brown (a Havana Brown is a type of cat in Australia, much like a Kucinta here in Singapore).

The Keanu Reeves award: To Lindsay Lohan, whose wooden performance as host of the first F1 Rocks show (broadcast last night) can surely top anything by the “Cool Breeze that blows off the Pacific coastal mountains”.

Best Surprise: Beyonce, breaking out into Alanis Morisette’s You Oughta Know – complete with nasal twang.

Best Cleavage award: Beyonce. Hands down. And no, that’s not a colourful euphemism – that’s an order.

The Serene Award: Goes to this lady who could still sleep during Seb Fontaine’s rather loud DJ set.

Tags: A*mei, Abang of the Airwaves, Alanis Morisette, Alive And Kicking, awards, Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Christopher Toh, concert, Da Mouth, F1 Rocks, fan, fans, Fort Canning Park, Gwen Stefani, Halo, Havana Brown, Jacky Cheung, Just A Girl, Lindsay Lohan, No Doubt, rock, Seb Fontaine, set, show, Simple Minds, Singapore, Sodagreen, You Oughta Know, ZZ Top

Below is the exaggerated transcript of what happened at the Lindsay Lohan media cocktail.

1230hrs. The media cocktail for Lindsay Lohan starts. But first, the rules. 

The lovely Lindsay. pic: F1 Rocks Singapore With LG

• Rule #1. NO photography of Lindsay Lohan, the powers-that-be warn. If you do, her spirit will get absorbed into the camera and she will cease to exist and the media cocktail will be over, d’you hear? OVER. Only the official photographer and some dude from Associated Press can take pictures, otherwise the media cocktail will be over, d’you hear? OVER.
• Rule #2. See Rule #1.
• Rule #3. Only broadcast and official media (TV, radio, etc) can ask Lindsay Lohan a total of three questions. The rest of you lot can ask Lindsay questions when she mingles after that. IF that actually happens.

1245hrs. “Hi, sorry guys, Lindsay will be a little late.” That’s okay, we say, we’ll just start the cocktails without her. Oh, except there are no cocktails. Not even cold water to assuage our thirsting souls.

1255hrs. My bad. There is cold water, after all. But no food. Hungry. Haven’t eaten since 7am. Don’t they know hungry media makes angry media? Oh, wait. That’s just me, apparently. But now too faint to feel angry.

1300hrs. First “drama” moment of the day. A spotlight for the TV crew explodes people get impaled by the shards. Okay, the impalement didn’t happen, but that’s how bored I was – that an exploding light bulb was the highlight of my day so far.

1310hrs. Wait, what’’s that noise outside? Oh, it’s Jacky Cheung and A*mei rehearsing for their slot. Excuse me while I step out for a while.

Da Mouth, Jacky Cheung, A*mei and Sodagreen rehearsing Heal The World.

1320hrs. People start to grumble: How late can she be, we have other assignments you know, etc, etc, etc. Come on, she was Tweeting at 3am about having a fun time at Club McDonald’s. “Don’t hesitate, appreciate!” is what she wrote. Right on, Lindsay. But, er, where the heck is Club McDonald’s?

1330hrs. No, seriously, where IS Club McDonald’s?

1345hrs. Hello, KFC? I’d like to order a Hot Box, pop corn chicken, snackers and one root beer, no ice, please. Where? Fort Canning Park. Yes. At the building. You can’t miss it, it’s at the top of the hill. Hello? Hello? Heeelllo?

1346hrs. SHE’S HERE! Lindsay arrives, looking rather perky for someone out at Club McDonald’s at 3am. Unless, you know, she’s been having her Coca Cola. Hee hee! Oh, but nice shoes though. Alexander McQueen, we are told.

Nice shoes, where’d you buy them?

1348hrs.  The questioning starts. Of course, the music from the rehearsal outside is a little loud, so we can’t really hear what she’s saying. Something about being nervous because she hasn’t a clue what F1 is all about, but she’s going to do her best to learn as the day goes on.

1353hrs. Is it me, or does she look a little out of proportion. Maybe my not eating has affected my vision. Her arms look really thin, but dang, talk about being blessedly endowed.

1355hrs. For some reason, Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi gets stuck in my mind and I can’t get it out. Another journo turns to me and says, “For some reason, I’ve got Poker Face stuck in my mind.” OMG! Coincidence? I don’t think so.

1401hrs. Someone asks her about her movie role, which is rumoured to be “Paris Hilton with guns”.

“What do you mean by Paris Hilton with guns?” asks a befuddled Lindsay.

You know, Paris Hilton, like, a socialite… but carrying guns!

“Oh… Okay, you have one last question.”

That was never three questions just now!

Oh, snap!

1410hrs. The broadcast and official media segment ends. No mingling, time for Lindsay to go to her photo shoot.

“Hi Lindsay,” I ask. “Can I take a picture with you?”

“Sorry, I can’t! I have to go to a photo shoot now. But anyway, here’s my number, let me write it down for you. Call me later, we’ll have drinks. We’ll go to Club McDonald’s.”

Okay, so what if all that didn’t happen and I was probably hallucinating from lack of food? Somebody bring me a steak, my kingdom for a steak. Oh. I don’t have a kingdom…

Tags: A*mei, Abang of the Airwaves, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Toh, club, Coca Cola, cocktail, Da Mouth, F1 Rocks, Fort Canning Park, Jacky Cheung, KFC, Lady Gaga, LG, Lindsay Lohan, McDonald's, media, Paparazzi, Paris Hilton, Poker Face, radio, Singapore, Sodagreen, TV

Who can replace Nicole Scherzinger? The quest continues…

AND SO it came to pass: Nicole Scherzinger, devastated at race rat fink (RRF) Lewis Hamilton for having dumped her, blew off visiting our fair shores again.

Which, of course, poses that big question: Who can replace her?

Nicole was supposed to present the links and parts of the F1 Rocks TV show at various locations in Singapore. And she’d have been the perfect choice: Having been here a few times with the Pussycat Dolls, we bet she could even have told viewers where to go eat good beef hor fun.

Who else is that good looking and knows Singapore like that?

“We’ve got a few people shortlisted,” said Paul Morrison, the honcho of All The Worlds, the company that’s organising the F1 Rocks event here. “I don’t want to interfere with the process… we’ve got to be a bit professional about this!

“We have to just manage through this process and people can be quite touchy if you talk about their business in public before it’s confirmed. I’m not trying to be awkward here. It’s a complicated process but I refuse to be fazed by it,” he added resolutely.

Then he dropped this whopper of a nugget: ”I can confirm that Michael Jackson will not be on the shortlist!”

Thank goodness, otherwise I’d have to get John Constantine on the line.

Some of the possible replacements we think could be those who’ll already be in town: Gwen Stefani - well, if she’s got Kingston and Nester Rock in tow, she’d probably be at Sentosa or the zoo. A*mei – possible, but might confuse Swissotel with Taipei 101. Fergie – possible, but only if she’s not having a bad day.

However, Paul did mention of another presenter coming into town to present another segment: Rain, that oh-so-sexy Korean star. (Okay, I’m just quoting my female friends about the “oh-so-sexy” part because, you know…) 

Here comes the Rain again…

But anyway, Paul excited about his segment because he’s ”going to be a martial arts piece with one of the F1 drivers, so that’s going to be brilliant TV.”

Other brilliant bits of TV that they have come up with: Possibly RRF or even F1’s bigwig Bernie Ecclestone picking up Beyonce from the airport.

And Black Eyed Peas doing a pit stop challenge at the Force India garage. Yes, I can see Fergie plugging in the fuel lines while the guys change tyres, before telling the driver to watch out for the humps, the humps, the lovely lady lumps.

I’m definitely tuning in then.

Tags: A*mei, All The Worlds, Bernie Ecclestone, Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, F1 Rocks, Fergie, Formula One, Gwen Stefani, Korean star, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Jackson, Nicole Scherzinger, Paul Morrison, pit stop, Pussycat Dolls, Rain, rat fink, Singapore, TV