KUALA LUMPUR: Four years worth of waiting and a change of event organiser made a big difference for British boy band Blue to give some 2,900 strong Malaysian fans the concert experience they longed for.
Back in 2019, Simon, Lee, Anthony and Duncan (the musical lads that make up the group) once graced the halls of Dewan Wawasan Convention and Exhibition Centre, Cheras, for a comeback concert where they allowed fans to reminisce the love and loss of the early 2000s through their hits.
The same nostalgic mood resonated across KLCC's Plenary Hall last night (10 Feb), when they returned to the city to give their audience a show to remember in their "Heart and Soul" tour.
This time around, it's better and even more special as Blue celebrates 20 years of being in the industry, arriving in Kuala Lumpur for their performance shortly after visiting Singapore just a day prior.
Actress-and-singer Diana Danielle opened the show and presented two of her hits including her latest single called Shine On.
"I must say, the crowd here tonight is more exciting than the last (city)," expressed Duncan as he and his band mates took a breath to engage with the audience halfway through the concert.
Songs featured from Blue's past albums such as All Rise, Too Close, Best In Me, You Make Me Wanna, Curtain Falls, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Fly By, and Bubblin were adored by many of the concertgoers as expected.
While other songs from the boy band's most recent album; Ultraviolet, Haven't Found You Yet, Dance With Me and Heart & Soul got the crowd jumping the entire time.
However, Magnetic (from the Heart & Soul album) was unfortunately not part of the setlist, where many "True-Blue" fans were really looking forward to listening to it "live".
The reason for this is that the new song carries a familiar ballad feel that reflects what Blue is known best for when they were continuously on radio, akin to how Guilty or Breathe Easy was able to draw tears from listeners immediately when the chorus drops.
There were notable hiccups as the show progressed where the boys had to actively conduct mic and sound tests in between the songs, which slightly threw the concert flow a little off.
That said, it did not stop fans from showing their love for the boys and their music, as their energy filled the venue all night.
Talk about a euphoric night, credit must be given to Blue for continuously hyping those in the hall to be up on their feet and fist-pumping as the music was playing.
When the boys bust out their dance moves, they proved they still had the chops to make their female, and some male, fans' hearts throb.
For the fans, this showcase was somewhat a retribution for them to make up for the last KL concert.
"The 2019 concert was simply okay, at best, but this concert topped it off," said a 31-year-old hardcore fan, Adele.
"The last time, the stage was far apart and the organisers were strict.
"People could not even stand up to dance, even if they stayed in their seats. We kept on being asked to sit down by security on the floor. How do you even sit down when Blue is singing All Rise or One Love?
"So this year's concert is so much better and I'm really happy with the whole show. Hitman Solution and Happymoon organised it well," she added.
Although the concert ended just before 10pm after starting around 8.40pm, Adele dubbed that as sufficient for fans to enjoy.
However, Najwa Badjened, 26, hoped for the show to have gone on longer.
"I had a lot of fun because I have been listening to them since I was young, so it's a dream come true to be able to actually watch them perform Live.
"The duration was too short for me, and ended just before you realised it," she said.
"Initially I thought they purposely skipped One Love.
"It was almost heartbreaking but then they did an encore and performed it. That made my night!" she highlighted.
To conclude, Blue knew how important it was to bring back a show that is not only worthwhile, but true to the value of why fans maintain loyalty and have been sticking to their music throughout two decades.