BLACK&WHITE:]

Friday, December 21, 2007

I read this at some website.
it's a review of M. Nasir's concert held at esplanade
almost one month ago.
shit I should have gone for it. tsk.

It was a powerful M. Nasir performance that left ARNI ABDUL RAZAK breathless at the Esplanade in Singapore recently. COVERING concerts and showcases has always been one of my highlights as a journalist. It’s probably because I appreciate good music, especially if it is performed "live".But good live shows are hard to come by. While most singers try to concentrate so much on their singing during a concert, they often forget the importance of "connecting" with the crowd.
M. Nasir, however, is in a class of his own when it comes to concerts. Sure, he may have been labelled arrogant, snobbish and unfriendly at various times by the media but when he is on stage, he is something else altogether.M. Nasir is funny, vibrant and "alive" when performing.I am not ashamed to say that I laughed and cried with M. Nasir during his three-hour long Look and Feel — Get Close with M. Nasir concert held at the Esplanade in Singapore recently.
The packed hall fell silent as he belted out P. Ramlee’s Nak Dara Rindu (a song about pretty Singaporean girls hanging out at Tanjong Katong) and the makcik seated next to me went teary-eyed.
"He’s probably trying to tell us Singaporeans that he still feels very much at home when he’s here," she whispered and I couldn’t help but nod.
After all, Singapore-born M. Nasir did start his career in the music scene after obtaining a diploma from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1978 before coming to Malaysia.
The multi-talented man (he is not only a singer/composer/lyricist/producer but is an actor and film director) had me in tears the when he sang Kepadamu Kekasih a song about the relationship between a man and his God. His beautiful deep voice that resonated through the hall made the song sound so haunting. [[ that's why I love him ! ]]
But I have to say that M. Nasir is not all dark and broody. He belted out a lot of uplifting nusantara tunes that night such as Andalusia, Mustika, Apokalips, Ada, Mentera Semerah Padi and Keroncong Untuk Ana that got the audience all charged up.
"Too bad you guys can’t get up and dance with me. Next time, I should do a standing concert so that everyone can dance with me. For now, you’ll just have to see me dance," he teased. And dance he did.
The thing about M. Nasir was that when he danced, it felt like he was in a musical world of his own. There were some youngsters shuffling in their seats, probably trying to restrain themselves from getting up and dancing (yes, he was that infectious).
The concert allowed his fans to understand him better, to know that he is not all arrogant and unapproachable. His rapport with the audience, was in fact, excellent.
"I’d like to turn this concert into a question-and-answer session," he said. "Ask me anything and I’ll answer."Lagipun, kita orang KL dah open-minded sekarang (Furthermore, we from KL are more open-minded these days)."
And the fans fired away. They asked about his family and his career (one even asked for his telephone number!) and he answered them candidly.
"When I make music, it’s always connected to what I feel. Though I admit that sometimes, my songs don’t make much sense even to me," he said cheekily.
"But there are songs that mean so much to me such as this next number.. a song that gave me the needed break into the music industry."
And he launched into Fantasia Bulan Madu, a song he wrote for rock group Search.The song was so beautifully sung (he hit the high notes perfectly!) that some people gave him a standing ovation.
The 1,500-crowd that night also got to watch M. Nasir perform his popular Satu Hari Di Hari Raya, Langgam Pak Dogo/Angguk-Angguk Geleng-Geleng (with Singaporean hip hop group Ahli Fiqir) and Dua Insan (a duet with Misha Omar).
Yes, I’ve been to quite some big-name concerts, but this was the best I’ve attended so far.
* M. Nasir’s latest album is due to be released next month and fans can also expect to see him in action at Planet Hollywood the same month.

da ! besok ade ptps reunion ! yayes !

black&white ; Friday, December 21, 2007