Call it Emil Chau's own class of charm and charisma.
The Mandarin pop singer whipped up a rowdy and unforgettable concert almost effortlessly when he came to perform here last Friday night.
The Taiwan-based pop star displayed no nifty footwork or glittery costumes. There were also minimal pyrotechnics on the bare stage. But what the concert lacked in the visual department, Chau made up for with lots of passionate crooning.
The star opened his concert in a mild black suit with the famous Mandarin hit "Tomorrow I Will Marry You."
Having
warmed up, he moved on to other familiar numbers like "Actually
I Don't Want to Leave," "Love Follows Us," and "Flowery Heart." And he interspersed these
with unexpected delights, such as his Mandarin song for his baby
daughter "A
Song For My Daughter," the English hit "You Are So Beautiful,"
and Elvis Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes," as well
as the Chinese folk classic Flower Drum Song, backed by a powerful band
of about 10 members and occasionally working on the piano or
guitar himself.
There was no sign of his flu which he told reporters about at a press conference two days before the show. For most of the time, his voice retained its usual warm and expressive quality which endeared him to the 12,000 fans of all ages at the concert.
"Thank you so much," the 35-year-old singer told the audience in Mandarin as he looked around the fully-packed stadium. "Thanks to all the supportive and rich people who came to this show. My kids can now afford to attend university."
He charmed the audience throughout the three-hour concert. Chau uttered his xie xie's (thank yous) profusely, blew flying kisses unabashedly to different sections of the audience, and postured and posed before eager fans who were clicking away with their cameras. It was apparent that the wholesome singer felt completely at ease and at home. Time and again, he cracked jokes, teased his band members and chuckled to himself like a cheeky child.
The audience responded to his infectious enthusiasm with equal zeal. No more were they the average Chinese concert-goers who would be content with just sitting back as passive listeners. Many clapped, cheered, shouted for his attention and sang along with the singer-turned-singing instructor when Chau urged them to take part in the show.
Compared
to his first concert here which had several big names like Chao Chuan,
Tarcy
Su and Alex
To lending their support, Chau only had Taiwanese singers
Chyi Yu and LI DU
(left) this time.
He told Chyi Yu, "I was afraid that there would not be enough applause at the concert last year. But this year, the organisers told me that there was no need to invite too many guest stars to my show."
He was right. While Li Du and CHYI YU (right) impressed with their beautiful serenading, Chau proved that as one of the hottest stars in the Chinese pop scene he was capable of putting up a good show. And he did it like no other pop star -- relying on just his music and personality alone.
