It was a night to remember for the 4,000 fans who witnessed Sheila Majid The Concert Kuala Lumpur 2017 at Stadium Negara recently.
The 52-year-old put on an electrifying show with her excellent showmanship and incredible vocals.
Small in stature but big in charisma, Sheila was a wonder to watch throughout the three-hour concert and proved beyond a doubt that she still has it.
The sold-out concert attracted fans from all walks of life; some flew in from around the region including Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei.
Dressed in a cream-coloured flowing dress, Sheila opened the show with Pengemis Muda and the crowd screamed with delight at her popular hits, such as Embun, Ku Mohon, Melukis Dunia and Di Dalam Emosi Ini.
Sheila and her band kept the energy levels up with infectious melodies and mellow ballads cherry-picked from the singer’s over three decade-long career.
Acclaimed music composer Mac Chew, musician Jenny Chin and husband Datuk Acis joined her onstage. Guest performer for the night was the famous Indonesian music composer and guitarist, Tohpati.
Having lit up the stage with her stunning performance in the same venue thrice — Konsert Lagenda (1991), Konsert Ratu (1996) and Konsert Ku Mohon (1999) — this year’s event was no exception: It was a grand affair.
Her sense of humour was also endearing. Not afraid to make fun of herself, Sheila screened a clip of her brief foray into acting in the late Tan Sri Jins Shamsuddin movie Ali Setan (1985).
In the movie, she spouted the infamous line “Tipah tertipu, pak!”, which she later re-enact onstage, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The warm banter carried on through the night. “Thank you all for coming. It’s like performing for spectators at a football match,” she said.
At one point, after hitting one of the high notes, she said good-naturedly: “Not bad for a 52-year-old huh?”
There was also a touching medley dedicated to the late composer Johan Nawawi, who died in March. She sang his song Jentayu, which won Best Song at Anugerah Industry Muzik in 1996.
Another segment featured a tribute to the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee, which saw her performing a medley that included Larut Malam and Jelingan Manja, as well as Tunggu Sekejap.
One of the highlights of the concert was her impassioned rendition of one of her biggest hits: Lagenda. Fans got on their feet for a sing-along, which was a touching moment for all, complete with a sea of undulating lights from cell phones.
The concert came to a close with another of Sheila’s biggest numbers, Sinaran. For the encore, she performed Aku Cinta Pada Mu, which she dedicated to fans.
It was indeed a truly magical experience filled with happy, warm and nostalgic moments. As the last notes of Aku Cinta Pada Mu echoed away, one knew that this wasn’t goodbye, but the beginning of many more years of great music by the celebrated singer.