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#SHOWBIZ: Less colourful, but Andy still makes magic

FORMER Beatle Sir Paul McCartney famously sang about "growing old and losing my head" in the catchy song When I'm 64.

And the British rock legend posed the question "will you still need me" in the hit's concluding line.

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau Tak Wah turned 64 this year, but he is a far cry from what McCartney described.

Fans of the Heavenly King of Cantotainment certainly felt that they would always need him.

They proved it nicely by coming to sing along with him for 120 minutes in Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur on Oct 24.

 COMEBACK

Lau's splendid comeback to KL came five years after he last performed in the packed Arena which can house about 14,000 guests.

One of Asia's most recognisable entertainers, the legend performed 24 songs in his concert themed Today Is The Day.

Lau, who has been singing and acting since the 1980s and has 62 studio albums to his credit, started his show at 8pm that evening.

 MEMORY

Throughout the concert, Lau not only showcased his rich baritone voice, the extravaganza took fans, especially those who grew up in the 1980s down music memory lane.

And even though he admitted to being 64, it was evident that he had not aged at all.

"I love Malaysia, since it's my second home, and it's always great to sing in Kuala Lumpur."

 ELEVATED

Dressed in a white suit, Lau arrived on an elevated platform as he sang his first song, Today.

This energetic number was followed by No One Can Be Like You, which saw multiple Warholian images of him beamed on the screen, and funky dancers dressed in electric blue.

After briefly greeting his guests, Lau got everyone to say "Andy I love you" thrice, and dedicated the poignant sing-along Thank You For Your Love to them.

"Thank you ladies and gentleman, you are the greatest," said Lau, who proceeded to serenade the audience with another moving sing-along If You Are A Myth.

"I love you Malaysia. I hope to sing with you till I'm 80."

 BLUE

Lau who was now dressed in a blue suit sang the melodious God Willing and the pleasant-sounding Emotionally Restrained, as the lights around him dimmed.

And next came Would It Be Possible, a sentimental number with a realistic but computer-generated image of a waterfall.

Dancers dressed in silver traditional costumes, colourful dance lions and a long, silver dragon joined Lau in his boisterous anthem of patriotism titled Chinese.

His fans readily sang along, and were amazed by the sight of calligraphic dragons emerging and disappearing on the screen like strokes of an artist's brush.

 

 TEMPLES

Lau then delivered Ice Rain, a moving and meaningful song with a backdrop of a starry night, and constellations transforming into temples and palaces from ancient China.

The dancers once again pranced across the stage, this time wearing black gowns, and large feathers started floating around the big screen.

Lau returned from backstage to sing The Birds Love, and his fans around the arena almost unanimously waved luminous blue batons.

He then played another game with his guests - telling half of the hall to shout out his name in Mandarin and the other half to do the same in Cantonese.

Thanking them, he sang the familiar and enchanting The Day We Spend Together, as he walked on a high platform with his dancers following closely behind.

 

 JAZZY

The stage was now transformed into a scene from 1930s Hong Kong complete with its bright lights and jazzy nightclubs.

Six female dancers in cheongsam displayed great footwork, as Lau sang Wandering Songstress and Shanghai Bund to the applause of fans.

The same dancers joined Lau in his next number, To Want To Love which had a majestic backdrop that depicted the multi-coloured glass windows of a cathedral.

 AVANT GARDE

Practice, Lau's less-known song, saw him dance along the streets of an avant garde city, with a giant glass of wine spilling its content in the distance.

This was followed by a "blizzard" which filled the big screen with snow, until bright lights marked the return of Lau with his dance partner Wang Zi.

Lau and Wang did some commendable ballroom dancing on a high platform, as he belted out Love You For 10,000 Years and earned a standing ovation.

The dancers then made some acrobatic flips on stage, before Lau joined them alongside three male and three female singers who shined in the acapella song Only Your Heart.

 SAXOPHONIST

Lau introduced saxophonist Shania Chan, who gave fans an instrumental number that heralded the legend's next song Be My Lady.

"Thank you so much Shania, let's all give her and our singers a big hand," said Lau.

He now performed Dear Child, a moving song addressed to his younger self, and Not A Crime For A Man To Cry, a song about male vulnerability that was accompanied by great drumming and a strong piano solo.

 AARON KWOK

Giving the audience the thumbs up, Lau introduced another young musician who excelled in strumming the pipa, before re-emerging on stage with 24 dancers.

This marked his encore for the evening - four energetic numbers while leading the dancers a la Aaron Kwok.

The songs were House Of Flying Daggers, With This, I Hate My Infatuation and 17, and rays of emerald green light illuminated his performance.

Taking a final bow, Lau said: "I've had such a great time tonight. Thank you Malaysia!"

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