Leehom-ed for the WeekendReported by/ Shane (kindly credit all re-posting of article and pictures to HOManiacs Malaysia)
Pictures by/ HOManiacs Malaysia2 May 2005
Almost four months after the release of his latest album, the Malaysian fans finally get a chance to meet the big guy himself as Leehom comes to promote the “Shangri-la” album on our shores – courtesy of Tiger Powerhitz, Sony BMG and Galaxy Production.
Being away from the country for the last couple of years, I have not seen him perform live for almost three years now, and that feels damn long. And for that, I decided to catch all his showcases this time around – in Ipoh, Penang and KL. Something totally absurd (to me), but oh well. There’s always a first time. Haha.
Penang - 23 April 2005Hitching on Joanne’s car, after a 4+ hours drive and some more roaming around the unfamiliar Penang roads for a bit, we finally found the exact location on Upper Penang Road where Leehom’s first showcase was to be held.
Time-check: 6:30pm
Crowds of people were already loitering around the venue, lines and lines of fans were forming, rows and rows of ardent fans were already seated right in front of the stage. Apparently there were already fans queuing up from the morning. Not surprising at all, especially with Leehom’s popularity in Malaysia.
Time-check: 8:00pm
The venue was already filled with people right up to the brim – from the designated space in front of the stage, to the restaurants on both sides of the stage; upstairs downstairs; left and right; front and back – not a single angle/space can escape the determination of the Penang fans who came to catch a glimpse of the superstar himself. As the smell of impatience in the air became more tensed, Leehom finally appeared on stage, but only to further intensify the “heat” and “excitement” among the crowd.
Clad in a blue Ourhome T-shirt and a pair of khaki-colored pants, Leehom belted out “A Simple Song” (Yi Shou Jian Dan De Ge) – leaving all fans totally mesmerized with this captivating song and his vocals. His live performances never fail to take my breath away. Like, totally.
After interacting with the fans for a bit followed by a performance showing what the “chinked-out” style is with the song “Bamboo Forest” (Zhu Lin Shen Chu), 3 fans were selected to go on stage to play a game of song-guessing with Leehom. Our dear HOManiacs member made us proud by winning the game with basically “no fight”. Haha. Good job, girl!
Leehom performed the last song “Forever Love” before taking a minute’s break while the preparation for the autograph session is being done. I guess one can see how popular he is in Malaysia by the amount of people who surrounded him even for that “one” minute break, and for that, I’m referring to people from the crew who had to make sure that he’s “safe” from the fans.
Time-check: 8:45pm
So the good news is that the autograph session has started, but the bad news is I saw dizzy fans being carried to the backstage one by one. Since I was just standing around the stage area not doing much, I helped out by fanning them and offering water. But the one girl that made me worry most was when she basically blacked-out TWICE after being carried to the backstage. That was one hella shocking incident – what more when she complained of heart pains. OMG! As her boyfriend kept calling her name to make sure that she keeps her consciousness, two other girls and I kept fanning her with whatever paper-like stuffs that we found.
I then asked her friends if she had a CD/VCD which she wanted Leehom to sign. With the emcee-DJ Vivian’s help, Leehom was told (discreetly) of the incident and he let out a worried expression, then with the line of other fans waiting, he took a little longer than usual to sign this booklet. Before returning the booklet to the girl, I peeped (oops, haha) into the booklet to see that he has written: Feel Better! - Leehom (with a smiley). Awwwwww. I tell ya, that expression on her face when she saw the booklet was priceless - an instant smile (though a weak one) was sufficient to see how important he meant to her.
Anyways, so there he was signing signing and signing non-stop (poor fella) for about an hour already. Chatted up with his make-up artist (I think) for a bit and we both agreed that it was SO hot, there was hardly any wind, the weather was just plain stuffy that night. Many of the fans who were queuing up to get Leehom’s autograph were dripping-wet by the time they reached the stage (hot weather + pushing + squeezing = not a good thing). Leehom himself was also sweating profusely (as visible from his wet shirt).
Time-check: 10:15pm
Finally. All fans’ CDs/VCDs have been signed, and the Leehom by now was already dead tired. Just imagine the thousands (3000, apparently?) of booklets he had to sign. I guess that is what happens when you only come once a year, Leehom =)
So off he goes, and off we go – for dinner and back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep in preparation for the second part of the trip the next day –> Ipoh.
Ipoh - 24 April 2005Woke up at 11am – went for brunch – only left Penang at 1:30pm.
Argh! Another 2 hours of driving. Why the hell am I complaining since I’m not the one driving? Haha. Thanks, Joanne!
So there we go yakking and yakking on our journey to Ipoh, and as we were turning out of Penang onto the highway, I asked Joanne: “Say…I thought cars with tinted windows are illegal here?”, as I scanned the multiple of cars zooming pass us. She answers: “There is a certain degree of tinting which is allowed, I guess.” Of what relevance is this is Leehom? Read on and you’ll know.
Utter Embarrassment
About an hour into the drive, as I was gazing out of the window in complete blurness (lack of sleep), we went pass a van with its windows tinted REALLY dark. So the ignorant me stared right into the van for quite a while (OK, a long while, actually), and commented to Joanne: “Hey this one is way too dark eh? I can’t even look at anything inside! Tsk tsk!” in a mister-traffic-police sort of tone.
Approximately 10 seconds later, Joanne hollered: “OMG! That was Leehom’s van!” Oh my…….GOD! I instantly wished that there was a hole for me to climb into. What on earth was I thinking looking into that van? And it sure didn’t help that I stared into it for SO LONG! Please! Make me disappear! NOW! Argh!
I am now still secretly wishing that he didn’t notice that weird girl staring right into the van with a frowned facial expression. I would have looked like such a DORK! Or some psycho fan, for that matter.
Anyway, embarrassment aside, I was also worried when we noticed that there were two other cars which were following his van. I’d describe the following as a “racing mode” – why? They were basically going left right left right on the highway – all in the effort to make sure that they are kept on pace with his van. Girls oh girls, it’s a highway for God’s sake. Safety comes first, yeah?
So throughout the remaining journey, Joanne tried as hard as possible to be ahead of his van (so that we won’t look like we were following him - well in actual fact, we weren't, anyway). Call it being egoistic or whatever you may like to, haha.
Time-check: 3:00pm
Yet again some more roaming around the unfamiliar Ipoh roads – but we did find the venue pretty easily after that. Another 5 hours till the show starts. Great. Now what do we do?
About 30 minutes later (yeah, just about time after checking in to the hotel), Leehom was at the venue for a rehearsal. Oh my oh my! His shirt his shirt! So tight so tight! Haha. Wearing a green shirt, khaki-colored pants (the same as yesterday’s?) and a cap, he sure looks more buffed up now, just look at those biceps! Yummy! Haha.
Anyhow, he looked very serious during rehearsal; I guess that is not one bit surprising – all musicians would want the best to be presented to his audience at the end of the day. Then off he goes again, leaving all the fans to continue waiting for the “real thing” later at night.
Time-check: 8:30pm
Due to some minor area layout problems, the show had to start slightly later. What’s another 30 minutes for those who have waited for more than 10 hours anyway. Though the weather today was much better than Penang’s, the “heat” among the crowd was just as “high”, all waiting to lay their eyes on their ultimate idol and to experience the incomparable Leehom-live-performance.
Leehom finally steps onto the stage, singing the same three songs as the night before – “A Simple Song”, “Bamboo Forest” and “Forever Love”. Of course, the “backup vocals” Leehom gets from the fans every night gets greater and louder – we just never get tired, do we? The song-guessing game tonight was even more difficult as compared to Penang’s, hardly a beat and the three contestants were already raising their hands high up. The power of his music to his fans should never be undermined – I think Leehom himself was also very surprised at how quick the fans’ response were – hell, even I was surprised, I’d better go brush up my “Leehom-skills” a bit more now. Haha.
Time-check: 9:15pm
The start of yet another loooooooong autograph session, it took about an hour plus for him to finish signing ALL the CDs/VCDs – leaving no disappointed fans. Before leaving, he left all Ipoh fans with sweet dreams to reminisce for the night when he said: “You will all be the first to watch the new concert tour because you are all the best (ni men shi zui bang de)!”
Time-check: 10:15pm
End of the show, but the start of yet another few hours of drive back to good ole’ KL. ZzzzZzzzzz.
KL Sunway Surf Beach - 25 April 2005Arriving only at 6:00pm, I walked into the entrance area to find that the place was already PACKED – so packed that I had to look around a bit to find the group of “black shirts”. It being a Monday evening, it sure takes one by surprise on the amount of people who turned up. Now this, yet and again, proves his popularity in Malaysia. Who would have thought that a Monday showcase would see more than 9000+ people coming along together huh?
Time-check: 7:30pm
After making sure that all our club members got their tickets to get into the venue, the rest of the committee members and I strolled into the place. Turns out that the stroll took a tad bit too long, it was a good 10 minutes to reach inside the venue – oh gee, that sure was tiring.
And it got worse when we couldn’t find the entrance into the VIP area where all the rest of our club members were. How ironic eh? The committees not knowing how to get into the place where the rest of the members are. Haha. Turns out that it was because the non-VIP audiences were hovering around the VIP entrance area, blocking us out from what is already a very weirdly-located VIP entrance position. Pushing and squeezing through the hundreds of sweaty people in search of the VIP entrance was so not funny.
ANYWAY, emcee-DJ Vivian was yet again there to hype up the pre-show period. Definitely have to say that she’s done a great job for all the three nights – having to talk non-stop for hours and to keep the atmosphere alive as Leehom signs for hours throughout the autograph session.
Time-check: 8:30pm
Finally, Leehom steps up onto the stage and what was the first thing that we noticed? Leehom was wearing our HOManiacs club T-shirt!!! I don’t know what got into me, but all I remember was myself jumping up and down hysterically at this time. I guess only the rest of the committee members can understand the feeling then, I was honestly touched, so touched. After all the years of tough determination, I’d have to say – Thanks, Leehom, for the reassurance and acknowledgement of how we have gone through all the good and bad times together. You are the man!
The joke of the night was when the three song-guessing contestants went on stage, Leehom pointed at one of them, who coincidentally is our club member (who was obviously wearing the same club T-shirt as well), and said: “Hey! You stole the shirt from my luggage!” and then jokingly explained: “No…that’s the fanclub T-shirt, the HOManiacs!” That sure was the club’s ‘Highlight of the Night’. Haha.
As per the previous shows, he sang the same three songs, but somehow, I could just “feel” how different he was feeling tonight as compared to the last two shows. He was (I felt) in a super duper good mood, probably getting high on seeing the amount of audience who attended, and also not forgetting the great interaction the KL fans provided the whole show with. It was simply spectacular, or in his words – “This feels like a concert!” And honestly, it really did feel like so.
The autograph session started not too long after, and with the amount of people wanting to get his autograph, needless to say that it took him TWO WHOLE HOURS to finish signing off all of them. That must have left him being a temporarily-disabled-leftie for an hour or two. Haha.
Time-check: 11:00pm
As our club members and the other fans from the public continued singing to his music while he was busy signing on stage, Leehom commented on how good we sing (compared to you? No way…) and how patient we were (the CD was played more than three times throughout the autograph session – and the fans just kept singing to whatever that was played). I figure that Leehom thinks that we like to sing a lot, especially since we’ve always sung for him whenever we get the chance to for the past years. As if one birthday song wasn’t enough, we even sang TWO versions of it – one in English and the other in Cantonese! If my memory didn’t fail me, I recall Leehom once saying (couple of years back): “I like to come perform in Malaysia, because I always get to hear you all sing for me as well”. How sweet.
Right before leaving, he made all fans promise that we’ll meet again in July for his upcoming concert at Genting.
You’re damn sure we will be there, Leehom.
After ThoughtsThat sure was one whirlwind of a weekend following Leehom to all his Penang, Ipoh and KL showcases. As mentioned above, it is still “absurd” to me, but yet, definitely an experience for myself.
Though, I will have to admit that I still enjoyed myself the most during the KL showcase. You know like how when you-enjoy and I-enjoy, everyone enjoys and things just get better and better, and better, from there. It’s always a two-way interaction in relationships, and in this matter, even for a singer-fans relationship. And may I just add that not all groups of fans have that “chemistry” with their idols, but I think I can be safe in saying that Leehom definitely has that “chemistry” with his Malaysian fans.
It’s been three years since I last saw Leehom. Somehow, I feel that he now exerts a different “feel” as compared to the Leehom from…say, the Forever’s First Day period. The Leehom before was a star which we could still look up in the sky and still admire in a reachable and comfortable distance. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), he now seems to me like almost an unreachable-star shooting way too high up in the skies. Of course, I pray and pray everyday that his music will bring him to an even greater extend all over the world in conveying the messages that he wishes to relay – but, I don’t know how good this is gonna do him, as he seems more and more detached from the fans (on a personal level) as days go by.
I think I shan’t be thinking too much about that, but just focus on supporting Leehom and his great music by buying his original albums and attending his concerts. That – to me, is the most comfortable and most accessible way to tell Leehom that: “You are a truly great musician”.
(kindly credit all re-posting of article and pictures to HOManiacs Malaysia)
