Sammi Cheng Concert, A HK Pop Diva. A Return, and a mesmerizing performance

I went to this concert on Saturday with a friend. (Thanks to her free tic.)

Sammi Cheng, a Hong Kong Pop Diva who’s been resting for a while and now came out with a somewhat comeback show.

I was never a real fan of Sammi Cheng. I’ve heard her songs and saw her perform on shows or TV. Never bought any of her CDs though.

Well the point is that, I have no pre-notion of what I should expect from the show as I was planning on just have some good fun time with my friend. So we went.

While I was watching the show, I was…. Somewhat struck by the fact it is actually a great show. Sammi has been on the scene for more than 2 decade and I am seeing this lady looking perfectly nice on stage dancing her ass off.

All the classics she’d sang and all the awards. Suddenly I realize that a decade before Lady Gaga walk the tour, Hong Kong already has plenty of pop diva that produce shows that’s coming out with outrageous outfits, dance like dynamite, and sang really well. The only thing different is that they are in mandarin and Cantonese. Well, that said as I was watching the show. I find that, Hong Kong Pop Diva, with all the malicious tabloid, they really have been overshadowed on their talent. Here I’m looking at a lady into her 40’s dancing as good as Lady Gaga and as natural and stylish and charming in her own way on stage.

I also thought quite right, Hong Kong been on the heel on Japan for a long time in the entertainment progress. We have pretty much well, past Western pop culture evolution a hundred times. For the reason of less resistance to change and a pretty structured growth, the only thing missing is just like Japan Currency, the money never got too much bigger. Suddenly seeing American entertainment is a bit behind which also brought into perspective that it still have a lot more spaces to grow.

Thinking back, I didn’t remember anyone as diva-ish as Sammi though after her generation of Diva.

Anita Mui, Faye Wang, all are either the same era as hers or before.

The new generation diva, though have the market on their hands, but they never truly felt as naturally charming or stylishly comfortable on stage.

1994 Three Tenors Concert, the Gem of all Musical Concert. We Dun listen to music that way anymore.

Yesterday I was watching an old Concert DVD the 1994 3 Tenors concert. Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras.

It was the time when the Great are still among us. When the 3 pay tribute to Frank Sinatra, Donald O’Connor on stage with the pop stars watching on the Ground, together with former President Bush Sr. and Tom Cruise’s family.

You can feel the ruggedness of a true Spanish tenor in Carreras voice. He is powerful and genuine. As for Domingo, the ever graceful gentlemen in the world of good voice, he is the angel to look at with ever movement of his hand, the taking in of breath and the belting of the note flowing out of his voice. He is the representation of a humanoid music instrument that sang the angel’s song. Pavarotti, oh, Pavarotti, what a fantastic voice he had. People truly are mesmerizes when u truly heard his voice. There is really no compare. Rumor has it, a Diva?!, well if anyone in the world deserves to be one, he deserves to be. That voice should be preserved in any way you can. The softness, the tenderness, the powerful highs and penetrating lows of every notes, it could be felt through your bones. Nessun Dorma, O Sole Mio, Ave Maria, all of which the voice touch, have literally turn to gold now (literally, into gold and platinum Disc. HAHA!) and many singer of our time. What they heard, the version of Nessun Dorma, O Sole Mio, Ave Maria and Caruso are all originated from his version.

After the war, the depression and the evolution of alternative rock into angst filled pop culture. People don’t really listen to any music like this anymore. Sitting in the park really taking in the great improvisation of an artist and the orchestra on a great stage. Every song is the familiar melody, yet every performance is different.

With internet and recorded format, the art have been lost to the fast food pace of divulging new music. The new generation now listen to music for 5 weeks tops and then they all got old and a new one would emerge to takes over. Of course, the recording is the same, the song is the same, and the person performing is the same. The “Song” never even get a chance to evolve or presented in a different light, it’s already dump into a hole called “the out-dated song grave” and there goes another artwork.

I must say, though the condition of our time may not be as innocence than before. That doesn’t mean the art have ever changed. We still can enjoy such small things with the purest pleasure of the beauty, if we all could just quiet down our mind and soul a little bit. Something I find that people today have really lost that patience.