Hello & welcome to my humble cyber abode. I write about many things - My life as an English teacher, finding my path in life, gadgets, travel, friends, food, love...anything & everything! Thanks for visiting, and please don't leave without leaving a message for me!
Last night, the wait was over! At last it was time for Ragas of the Desert...a musical treat of alide guitar, tabla and folk music from Rajasthan.
During the second half of the show, when the musicians from Rajasthan graced the stage, I was instantly drawn to one in particular.
He had the most simple instrument, but he absolutely OWNED the stage with his exhilarating energy and passion for his craft. In my opinion, he stole the show!
Made me think about how we go about our own jobs. It really doesn't matter what you do as a living, or what your title/position is. You need to grab it with both hands using an incredible force... and show the world that you're the best at what you do! That no one can replace you. That people are enthralled in your presence.
On Saturday, July 3 2010 it was all about USHER, baby! The singer was in Seoul for a one-night-only concert.
Truth be told, I've never really been crazy about him, but have appreciated his hits - namely Yeah, Burn, Love in the Club and more recently, OMG.
I was disappointed with our seats (I didn't book the tickets). We were the first row in the upper level which means that there was constant traffic in front of us.
The concert started about 15 minutes late and up to an hour later, people were only just arriving...and not even trying to duck for the people they were blocking.
The concert was sponsored by Hyundai Card Super Concert - same promoters who brought the likes of Beyonce, Craig David and Whitney Houston. Beyonce and Whitney's concerts were great - in terms of stage and production. Whitney's performance, however was downright disappointing.
Usher was accompanied by sexy male and female dancers who I thought could put The Pussycat Dolls to shame.
Dressed in all white throughout the concert (except for the finale), he took off his jacket after a couple of songs leaving him with only a white vest. This, of course, resulted in shrieks of delight. He gave the audience a peak of his washboard abs while giving his signature smile.
Usher singing Burn.
His microphone failed as he was just about to belt out Love in this Club, but picked it up quite nicely.
One of the sexier songs was definitely Hey Daddy.
I was waiting for this....Yeah!
The finale was OMG which got the crowd really pumped.
I was really surprised that there was no encore, though. There's been an encore at every single concert I've been to so far.
In terms of audience interaction, I thought there was very little of it. Granted, the Flo Rida concert I went to in May was on a much smaller scale, and Flo even jumped into the audience a couple of times.
Usher's concert seemed to be strictly choreographed. He came. He did his thing. And he left. Just like that.
After concerts I'm usually so pumped up from the artists performance, but after this one, I felt (to say it in Kong-lish for a lack of a better expression) so-so ^_^*
On Thursday, June 10 2010, South Africa was gearing up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick Off Concert at 8pm that evening. I got home pretty late and at about 02:30 I was ready for bed. Many friends in South Africa were at Orlando Stadium in Soweto (Johannesburg). I wasn't really tired, but had to get to bed when a few friends sent me messages saying "Stay awake!" Others said "It's a once in a lifetime experience" and "It will be worth it". So I did! Watching the live stream on vevo.com, the energy of the crowd was simply infectious.
Artists who performed were: Alicia Keys, Angelique Kidjo, Amadou & Mariam, Black Eyed Peas, Blk Jks, Freshly Ground, Hugh Masekela, John Legend, Juanes, K'Naan, Mzansi Youth Choir, Shakira, Soweto Gospel Choir, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Toure, Vusi Mahlasela.
(All pics are screen shots from the live stream on Vevo)
Jazz icon, Hugh Masekela - affectionately known as "Bra Hugh" on the Twittersphere performed "Grazing in the Grass" followed by the late Miriam Makeba's song, "Pata Pata" featuring the gorgeous multi-award winner, Lira.
FIFA President Sebb Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma walked on stage hand in hand as the crowd cheered.
Sebb Blatter: Football is not only a game. Football connects people.
President Zuma thanked everyone for attending the concert as well as FIFA for giving South Africa the opportunity to hold this special event - for the first time on South African soil.
"I would like specially to thank South Africans for having received our visitors so warmly.
I want to thank you and also ask you to show this warmness for the whole duration of the tournament until they leave South Africa," he said.
Africa is hosting this tournament.
South Africa is a stage
South Africa is rocking. It’s cool.
The Black Eyed Peas disappointed greatly. I still don't know why their opening song was "Where is the Love". Dressed in some kind of military-themed / space cadet costumes, they sounded tired, bored and uninspired as they belted through a medley of their hits, including "Pump It", "Meet me Halfway", "Boom Boom Pow" and "I gotta feeling" which (kind of) got the crowd in the mood for the music talent that set the stage on fire for the rest of the evening. There was a lot of criticism on their performances, especially for Fergie...some bluntly saying that "She can't sing."
Mali's Amadou and Mariam took the stage with "Welcome to Mali" and "Africa".
FIFA is supporting a cause: 1 Goal - Education for All
Angelique Kidjo (feat Soweto Gospel Choir) took my breath away with "Malaika/Africa" She was joined by John Legend who then sang some of his popular numbers.
Out of all the performances, I went crazy for Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was "adorable" personified!
He walked on to stage looking excited like a child on Christmas morning.
"Fantastic. Just fantastic. Can you feel it?" he said.
"You can touch it. Welkom to ons land, Suid Afrika. Ke Nako."
"The Arch" - as he was affectionately called on Twitter, sang the praises of former president Nelson Mandela.
"We have to pay a wonderful tribute to whom we owe all of this. He is in Johannesburg and if we make a loud enough noise, he will hear us and so we say - Halala Nelson Mandela. Viva Madiba."
The Arch was visibly bursting with energy. "I'm dreaming man. I'm dreaming. Wake me up. Oh what a lovely dream. Ya ya ya ya."
"We are the world. We welcome all...for Africa is the cradle of humanity. So we welcome you home. All of you. All of you. Germans, French, every single one of you. We are all Africans."
"...and we want to say to the world: Thank you for helping this ugly ugly ugly worm - caterpillar - which we were to become a beautiful beautiful butterfly. We are a beautiful beautiful butterfly."
Alicia Keys looked beautiful and lit the stage up with her presence as she sang a medley of her hits, including: "You don't know my name", "Sleeping with a broken heart" and "Falling" before she sang "Empire State of Mind (Part 2)"
"Concrete jungle where dreams are made of Hear it for New York. Tonight we're in Jo'burg There's nothing you can't do when you're in Africa. Hear it for World Cup, World Cup, World Cup."
She reminded the audience not to "forget to love each other" before she introduced BLK JKS on stage. The crowd went crazy when the group & Alicia broken into "Too late for mama" - a tribute to the late Brenda Fassie
K'Naan got the audience waving a sea of colourful flags as he sang "Wavin flags"
Big Nuz & Tira gave the global audience a taste of local music with "Umlilo"
The Parlotones also impressed with their performance
The show stopper was definitely Shakira. She opened with "She Wolf", followed by "Hips Don't Lie" before she erupted into the official World Cup song, "This Time for Africa" feat South African group, Freshly Ground - who joined her in the second half of the song. The energy was electrifying and I still get goosebumps watching the video.
The finale was "Everyday People" by all the artists
On Friday, May 21 2010 I went to the Flo Rida Concert in Seoul. It was insane! I almost didn't go and my ticket was only booked two days before.
I had no idea that Flo Rida could set the stage on fire like he did. He performed songs from his two albums, Mail on Sunday & R.O.O.T.S while the group, Git Fresh performed songs from their album, Booty Music.
The concert started a bit late and for about 20-30 minutes in the beginning, there were performances by Korean entertainers.
Flo Rida burst on stage getting people on their feet when he opened with In the Ayer.
He autographed some towels which he threw into the audience.
Elevator
Flo Rida said he came to Korea to find his shawty and proceeded to describe what she looks like - Apple Bottom Jeans, Boots with Fur...yeah, the crowd went crazy!
He called some girls onto stage to dance with him as he sang the song that is arguably his claim to fame, Low.
Things started to heat up and there were shrieks of joy when he removed his t-shirt!
Sugar
Right Round (Spin)
Available (Single Man)
Flo Rida was joined by his official DJ, DJ Entice as well as Git Fresh.
Git Fresh - She be like
The audience interaction was incredible and he even jumped off stage a few times.
Last week, on Thursday, April 1 2010 R&B singer, Brian McKnight was in town for a concert titled McKnight at Night. My tickets were booked only a week before the show and the excitement built up also knowing that Korean heart-throb, Tae-Yang of Big Bang fame was going to open the show for Brian.
So after work, my friend YK and I endured a stuffy subway to get to Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. The first stop was to get our tickets before grabbing some grub. I recognized the venue as it was the same place where Big Bang had their concert back in 2008.
The only thing I was a bit bummed about was that we were sitting in full view of staff who were stopping people from taking pics. I took this one just before the concert started.
Tae-Yang performed Where you At and Wedding Dress. I tried to get a video, but only succeeded with 7 seconds. I saw tons of other people taking pics and vids, but I guess my luminous green camera stands out in a crowd - I don't know! Anyways... I missed his solo concert a while back, so I was pleased that I got to see him on stage again.
Tae-Yang performing Wedding Dress.
Here's a tiny clip:
At this point, I have to mention (and confess) that I didn't know many of Brian McKnight's songs. Although, my favourite number is Back at One. Apart from this song and a couple of others, don't ask me about titles!
After Tae-Yang's performance, two guys opened up on bass guitars. I elbowed my friend saying, "Hey, those are the guys from Burger King!" About an hour before the concert, YK and I had a mini gourmet dinner of fries and coffee (!) in the ice cold as the place (Burger King) was jam-packed.
A group of guys caught my attention because... well - foreigners in Korea stand out and one of them had dreadlocks with a beanie, something I'm sure I hadn't seen since I was in South Africa. They were wearing yellow waistcoats with STAFF written across the back. I thought they were just that...only to realize that the were Brian's sons - Brian Junior (BJ) and Niko who were on tour with their dad.
When Brian appeared on stage (a better view was to watch the big screens for extreme close ups!) I fell in love immediately. I don't know what it was - his smooth voice, his smile, the way he talks with his eyes, his half-unbuttoned shirt or his gyrating movements that left me wanting more even after the encore!
Here's a short clip of Brian singing Back at One
Brian called Tae-Yang back for a duet My Kind of Girl which rocked the crowd.
Note > This video is not mine.
Brian's sons, BJ & Niko performed for a short while, and even though they've probably done this plenty of times, I couldn't help but think how proud he (Brian) must be as a dad to share the stage with his two sons. Here's a pic of BJ - who, by the way has a killer voice.
Brian also called a lady from the audience onto the stage. Her name was Joon and I know for a fact that every single woman in the audience were squealing and squirming in their seats as Brian grazed his finger over her cheek while he sang to her. I know this, because YK and I were doing just that! I don't blame Joon if she didn't sleep that night!
Part of whether I enjoy a concert or not is how much interaction and chemistry exists between the performer and the audience. Brian has performed in Korea before and I actually didn't know how popular he was here till recently. I felt that he had a good connection with the crowd which made me like him even more.
I think what makes this singer so sexy is that he doesn't even try. Sexiness seems to ooze so naturally when he sings and moves to the music.
Usually after a concert, I leave as soon as it's over to avoid the stampede to the subway station. I even missed Whitney Houston's encore to get out of the stadium quickly. But this concert... for this concert, I sat tight waiting for the encore. Even after it, I sat - just in case he came back!
Here's a clip of the encore:
Of course I know I shouldn't do it, but I really couldn't help but compare this concert to the previous one I'd been to. In February, Whitney Houston kicked off her world tour in Korea. And it fell flat. She failed miserably to entertain and impress the Korean crowd and other reports claim that she was a flop in other countries too. Of course, she was performing after a decade, but still - was it an excuse for her to just sound plain stale and tired?
The following day, Brian and his team went over to Japan where they performed in Osaka and Tokyo.
Diva, Whitney Houston kicks off world tour in Seoul
by Sheetal Makhan
America’s Comeback Diva, Whitney Houston kicked off her Nothing but Love World Tour right here in Seoul on Saturday evening, February 6 2010. This is the singer’s first international tour after ten years and screaming fans didn’t have to wait long before she appeared on stage. It was also the first time she performed in the country.
Dressed in all black, she opened with a track from her latest album, I Look to You. The crowd went crazy when in her husky voice, she said, ‘Gam-sa-ham-ni-da’ (Thank You in Korean). She complimented her band and backup singers on how good they were looking and then spoke briefly about the late Michael Jackson, who ‘gave’ her two of his backup dancers who were performing with her on stage.
Before singing My Love is Your Love, she told the audience that the song was written by Wyclef Jean, whose family has been affected by the Haiti earthquake disaster. She asked everyone to keep those in Haiti in their prayers.
“Ya’ll got soul,” she said – playing on the city’s name (Seoul) and a few times when someone yelled, “I love you, Whitney”, she replied, “I love you much more”.
Halfway during the show, she needed a costume change and said, “I’m wet. It’s cool up here, I need to change so that I don’t catch a cold.” For the next ten minutes, the audience watched a montage of clips from her music videos dating back to the ‘80s, with big hair, pink lips and neon clothes with shoulder pads.
Her return on stage for the second half of the show was nothing spectacular. She stood waiting patiently for the props to be organized on stage and said, “Those guys are doing a lot of work out there.”
This time, dressed in a long white coat under a black pants and top, Whitney took her seat on a high chair and said, “I want to sing with you, be intimate with you, take my time and sing songs that go back 25 years ago.”
Said to be the reigning Queen of the pop and R&B genre, Whitney made her comeback last year with her latest album, I Look to You which commemorates 25 years since her debut album.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this, but it’s been 30 years since I’ve been in this industry”.
“It seems like just yesterday,” she crooned and went on to remember her friends who’ve passed on over the years, notably the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.
Whitney sat perched on her chair as she sang a few of her hit numbers from over the years including Greatest Love of All and Exhale from the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale which she starred in opposite Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine.
The entire mood of the show took a 360 degree turn when Whitney said, “I wanna dance” before she lit the stage on fire with her hit number, I Wanna Dance with Somebody from the 1987 album, Whitney.
For me, the show took another surprising turn when she said, “I don’t know if you know this, but I love the Lord” as she sang a gospel song walking from each side of the stage to the other flailing her arms in the air and throwing her head down. I didn’t know that growing up, Whitney was a member of the Junior Gospel Choir at her church.
She made mention again about the breeze moving across the stage and said, “Whitney doesn’t like to sing in the cold, but I’ll stay here for you.” This was just before she broke into her second dance number for the night, Step by Step from the 1996 film, The Preacher’s Wife which she starred in opposite Denzel Washington. This got the crowd on their feet and some even gave her a standing ovation.
There were a few times when she coughed during her songs. One could tell this was her first concert after a decade and she can’t be blamed for feeling nervous about this, right? There were no particular choreographed moves or dances. Many times, she just walked across the stage waving her arms at the audience as she relied on her backup singers and dancers to carry some tunes.
For the show’s finale, Whitney belted out her famous number, I Will Always Love You from her film debut, The Body Guard – a romantic thriller starring Kevin Costner. As the show ended, she got on one knee with her hands clasped together and head bowed down.
She said that even though Korea was cold (weather wise), she appreciated the warmth of the people.
After a few minutes, she came back with an encore of Million Dollar Bill.
Whitney will give another performance on Sunday evening, February 7 2010 in Seoul before moving to Japan for next leg of her tour.
