Something's Not Invisible on 2014 Grammy Awards

Not many people know that though I love singing too much, I'm more a movie person than a music person. As simple as I prefer visual than audio. Or the combination of both.

Call me old-fashioned, I find it a bit hard to keep up with music nowadays.  I guess I'm still clinging on to the songs that I grew up with. Well, it doesn't mean I'm not opened for new songs or new artists, but they have to catch me.

Grammy Awards has never been much appealing to me.  I don't know, it kinda annoys me when they're redundant with limited nominees for various award category.  Like one artist/song is nominated for 3-4 categories.  Or I hear the same song or certain artist's name been mentioned over and over again throughout the ceremony .. and WIN again and again (especially when they're unknown to me).  Like there's no other good enough to be considered.  Sometimes I feel there's monopoly ruling.

And usually I don't favour most of the winners.

(Oh wait.  Maybe it's because I have never listened to the winning songs/artists)

I do enjoy the performances though.  As stated above, it's the combination of both, visual and audio.  So it was not that difficult to do, sitting back on The 56th Annual Grammy Awards' performances while chatting on mobile with some friends and nibbling on some chocolates last Monday night.

What could anyone expect me to do while watching Beyonce and whatever she was doing on that chair?  Eeeee-yaaaaw.

Then Lorde went way-above-her-age wicked style in "Royals". This girl .. she's 17. Seven-holy-teen! Tsk.

Then L.L. Cool J. asked me to listen ..

Ok. *still trying to peek on my mobile chats and sneaking in chocolates into my mouth*

.. and this young guy on a piano appeared out of nowhere, playing and singing nice tunes, with inspirational quotes flashing on the background, and he asked me to listen for a minute ..

Trust the one who's been where you are wishing all it was / was sticks and stones / those words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone / and you're not invisible

.. and he went on .. Hear me out ..

SOLD!  I stopped nibbling, chats and chocolates were completely forgotten ..

.. there's so much more to life than what you're feeling now / someday you'll look back on all these days / and all this pain is gonna be invisible

Then the band ascended, the guy stood up and grabbed the mic stand - this was the point where I made my mobile more useful not to chat, but to touch Shazam instead.  Blessed the creator, it showed: 

The 56th Grammy Awards

Hunter Hayes 

INVISIBLE

True, he was kinda lost in the pitch department - it was not the best vocal of the night. But he definitely was not lost on that big stage, in front of his seniors in the audience. His performance had his heart pouring out. He engaged his audience with a powerful anti-bullying message, with his passionate rendition.

You don't need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are.  You are what you are.

~ John Lennon

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

~ Steve Jobs

There really is no difference between the bully and the victim.

~ Lady Gaga

As a teenager I was so insecure.  I was the type of guy that never fit in because he never dared to choose.  I was convinced I had no talent at all.

~ Johnny Depp

I get it Hunter Hayes is not new in the business.  Yet he's one of the obscures for me.  Talking about dare to do something different, this 22-year-old debuted this very brand new song right there .. on Grammy telecast! Yea, he caught me big time. Blew me away.  That was 3+ minutes worth listening, a performance so good it overcame any flaws.  It basically wrapped up the show, I didn't bother putting much effort to watch the rest. 

(Well, I did watch the wonderful duo - Carole King and Sara Bareilles - singing "Beautiful / Brave", two songs which complimented each other and are almost similar with strong messages).

"Invisible" Official Lyric Video was posted on Hayes' YouTube channel on the same day as the Grammy telecast.  He sounds very pleasant in studio track.  I'm currently addicted to it.

[UPDATE] And his official music video:

So here's to you and here's to anyone who's ever felt invisible ..

The Eleventh Year

I'll paint my mood in shades of blue
Paint my soul to be with you
I'll sketch your lips in shaded tones
Draw your mouth to my own

I'll draw your arms around my waist
Then all doubt I shall erase
I'll paint the rain
That softly lands on your wind-blown hair

I'll trace a hand to wipe your tears
A look to calm your fears
A silhouette of dark and light
While we hold each other oh so tight

I'll paint a sun to warm your heart
Swearing that we'll never part
That's the colour of my love
I'll paint the truth, show how I feel
Try to make you completely real
I'll use a brush so light and fine
To draw you close and make you mine

I'll paint a sun to warm your heart
Swearing that we'll never ever part
That's the colour of my love
I'll draw the years all passing by
So much to learn so much to try
And with this ring our lives will start
Swearing that we'll never part
I offer what you cannot buy
Devoted love until we die

~ The Colour of My Love ~

Smashing Songs of SMASH

I'm so grateful for beautiful songs to sing, for the tolerance that comes from my husband, my son and my neighbours .. for I will sing till I have no more voice left in me.

Here's my iPod playlist set on repeat. It's SMASH Season 1 showtime!!


"BEAUTIFUL"
Episode 1 Pilot

Christina Aguilera has done good. But it was Katharine McPhee who brought this song to my home (well, to my TV screen to be exact). I really love the way she sang it on the audition scene, and when she raised her left hand to the air through the bridge .. it was so cool.

Clip: Official Music Video by Christina Aguilera, Katharine McPhee's studio version with lyrics on screen.


"LET ME BE YOUR STAR"
Episode 1 Pilot

It's a duel between a pop singer and a broadway performer. What else could one expect, except for one hell of a masterpiece? How could you choose between Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty? Karen Cartwright or Ivy Lynn to be Marilyn Monroe? This original song lived up to the hype and ended the pilot episode in a bang.

Clips: Studio version, Karaoke version, Megan Hilty Live at New Year's Eve with Carson Daly.

"BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN"
Episode 7 The Workshop

It's light, it's bubbly. It's fun. I always love the music video of Colbie Caillat singing this song. I am just in love with McPhee's crystal-clear voice.

Clips: Official Music Video by Colbie Caillat, Katharine McPhee's studio version.




"RUN"
Episode 12 Publicity

Her voice was heavily-mixed, but I still got the chill listening to it. Because Karen Cartwright was not an understudy, she was a STAR!

Clips: Official Music Video by Snow Patrol, Official Music Video by Leona Lewis, Katharine McPhee's studio version, Karaoke version.

"A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS"
Episode 12 Publicity

Look! It's Bollywood! It's Arabian-wannabe! I didn't know Dev could sing that good (before I learned Raza Jaffrey is indeed a musical theater perfomer) and Katharine McPhee could dance really good. The all-star dream sequence is exuberant and funny. The WOW factor shot to the roof. And the song .. o the song .. I need to know how McPhee and Jaffrey could sing the lyrics without running out of breath. And that Jaffrey's impossible musicality towards the ending. Again, W-O-W!!

Clips: Studio version, Karaoke version, Karaoke version with background vocals.

"SECOND HAND WHITE BABY GRAND"
Episode 12 Publicity

It had been mostly Karen, until Ivy stepped in with this piece - the song that turned an antagonist into a protagonist, and changed my whole different opinion on the character. Everything was exceptional. From the moving music that served nothing but to bring out the best of its vocalist, the meaningful lyrics, the touching inserts, the camera angles .. to Ivy's girly hairstyle, the color of her outfit against her fair skin .. and her graceful poise. Megan Hilty is a great singer, she sang her heart out. The rough edges of her stage voice were replaced by a quiet emotion that put a lump in my throat. She built it into the most beautiful, the most soulful performance ever on this season. I was completely mesmerized, never wanted to take my eyes off her.

Quoting Derek Wills: Thank you, Miss Lynn. That was glorious.

Clips: Studio version, Karaoke version.

"DON'T FORGET ME"
Episode 15 Bombshell

And we're back to Katharine McPhee. The weight of the finale was placed on her shoulders. She was effortless. Her voice was so clear, as crisp as it might shatter into thousand pieces of glasses in any second. I hate the dress and the wig, I particularly like the shadows of Marilyn projected to the background, and the lighting that surrounded her and fell onto her figure was stunning. It was a breathtaking performance. Love this song very, very much. I will not forget.

Clips: Studio version, Karaoke version.

I'll Love It for a Thousand Years More

For quite a while, it seemed that almost every day, every time, every radio channels in town played this one song. I didn't catch the artist's name back then, but the lyrics and the melody was so catchy, it's unforgettable.

I have loved you for a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.

When you hear a song playing over and over again, you will kinda not be able to resist. Then either you would get bored of it, or you would love it so much.

So here's what I did.

Browsing the title, knowing the artist, getting the lyrics, surfing on the limitless depth of internet sea to get everything it could offer.

The official music video has instantly hooked me and I decided to love "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri.

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years (Official Music Video)
© 2011 WMG - Directed by: Jay Martin - Song written by: Christina Perri & David Hodges

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath, every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

What's not to love?

Christina looks innocent with her face lit by a candle in her hands. Walking gracefully among 6,500 candles. Stunningly beautiful against the sunset. The video has The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 trailer inserts, that justify the movie as a very romantic drama (liquid-gold eyes aside, there is no sign of vampires and werewolves in this music video. At all). That's how I understand the lyrics as the feeling of a bride walking down the aisle, towards the man she loves. It makes a perfect modern wedding song with its waltz-y rhythm.

It would make a great alternate score for the wedding scene of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen as well. (Click here for the original score when Bella walked down the aisle).

I love the melody so much, I tracked down the music sheet, even though I don't have a piano at home. Then I downloaded a piano apps for my iPad, determined to learn it and play the tunes. On my iPad! (you go ahead and try, it will test your patience with the size of the bars, the size of your fingers, and the limited octaves available on the screen. Kinda fun though). I may better watch the piano playing by itself on YouTube.

When I dig into YouTube, I stumbled upon so many cover versions. And these videos stand out:

"A Thousand Years"
Covered by Jake Coco and Alex G

I like Alex G. She has this sweetness in her vocal tone, and Jake Coco is as good. A duet in a lighter mood makes this cover very interesting.

"A Thousand Years"
Covered by Kurt Hugo Schneider, Aimée Proal and Lindsey Stirling

Excellent lighting. Gorgeous violin section played by Lindsey Stirling.



I have also found many instrumental versions, but the mother of all is this:

Christina Perri - A Thousand years (Piano/Cello Cover) - ThePianoGuys
Arrangement produced by Jon Schmidt
Arrangement written by Al van der Beek, Jon Schmidt & Steven Sharp Nelson

Performed by Jon Schmidt: piano

Steven Sharp Nelson: acoustic cello & cello-percussion
Music recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studio
Video produced by Paul Anderson & Tel Stewart

This is a very soothing video, for the already soothing tunes of "A Thousand Years". Watching it, I can almost feel the breeze on the leaves, the passion and the joy that clearly seen on the pianist and the cellist's face. The arrangement is so rich, coming from only two musical instruments (yeah, and the cello works overtime, it is played in three different ways by Steven). The bridge part, which I love the most in the song, is played two times, in two versions that makes me wanna kiss Jon's fingers. I quote from someone: "Listen to this piece with eyes closed, you can feel yourself floating in the air". Exactly.

I loaded "A Thousand Years", both Christina Perri's and The Piano Guys' into my iPod, set it on repeat. Listening closely to the simplicity of Christina's singing, to the ethereal beauty of Jon and Steven's music.

I can be happy all day long listening to this. I just can't stop singing it ever since.

Notes on Mat:
Because I play and sing this all the time (whenever, wherever .. in the car, in the shower, on the bus, on the bed), one day just happened when Mat suddenly sang along with me with almost clean lyrics. I had never taught him the tunes and the lyrics before, nor does he understand what's the meaning of the song. He learned it by listening to me singing and from my iPod, over and over. Then I kept on singing with him, until he got it better. I put him on my voice recorder, and he sang along the karaoke version of "A Thousand Years". (That. And "Jar of Hearts", another Christina Perri's song).

Yeah. I will love it for a thousand years more.

It's Raining Fireworks!

December 2011 is coming to an end. A blessed month filled with joy, love, warmth, laughters, hugs, kissses, twinkling lights, colors of red-green-golden-white, dancings, carolings, prayers, fireworks, gifts, snow, rain. A perfect month to go on travelling and shopping. A wonderful month to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, marriages, being singles. A memorable month we experienced deaths and births of our loved ones. Let's wrap today with resolution to bring forward all the good things and leave all the misery behind us. And start saving money for the next December. Happy New Year's .. Eve!

I posted on Facebook on last Saturday morning.

Now let me just emphasize on FIREWORKS, SHOPPING, MONEY. December is definitely the season of fireworks, season of midnight sales, that in no doubt can make people bankrupt faster than reindeers taking off to the sky. And it's absolutely becoming strong in trend year by year.

People has left the tradition of staying at home on New Year's Eve. Gathering in a feasty family dinner or barbeque will probably be quite a privilege as people are now more individualists. People tend to look for events held so they can feel the merrier festivity, even if that means they have to celebrate it together with total strangers. In the past, shopping centers and restaurants were closed before evening, so that their employees/storekeepers could spend the new year's eve with family and friends. Now they run all-night-long to accommodate the die-hard shoppers and practical diners, milking the very last profit they can get to close the year.

Am I happy with this? Hell, yeah!

Er .. Sorta.

Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space. ~ Dave Barry

Andri followed this trick to get a parking space at Summarecon Mal Serpong that New Year's Eve. We went there to dine and to catch the firework show.

And to shop? No. It's in my blood that I'm rather immune to sale. I can't find good things on discounted price. I can't afford the ones that appeal to me. So, I just gleefully watched and forever wondered how those tasteless things could attract the midnight shoppers.

I preferred to wait for a table in a famous Chinese restaurant who had dead ducks hanging at their display window. See, my family were with me, and this was one of the rarest opportunity I could drag my dad out of his room to dine outside. I would not let that table go. Ninety minutes later, we were secured inside the restaurant, eating till we dropped.

We saw people keep streaming into the restaurant (and the mall) at 10 pm. Most of them were chasing the two firework blasts that would only start at midnight.

I'm a sucker for fireworks. I don't exactly know why or how. Maybe because it's still difficult to see firework show around here. It's not something we can easily find without any special occasions. Not even on our Independence Day we can get to see some. Here we haven't had theme parks that can show fireworks every single night. (Believe me or not, the very first firework show I saw was the Hong Kong Disneyland's Disney in the Stars in 2005. It's the only dancing and musical fireworks I've seen live so far). The best ones usually set and widely spread for the New Year' events. And because it's rare (and oftenly not free), firework shows always attract massive number of spectators.

That's what we got in the evening. The mall was so packed in and out by people waiting for the fireworks. One gate was closed for public, they had special performance from local artists, we would not be able to watch the fireworks from closed distance. So we'd been informed to go to the other gate, right outside Starbucks, because from the roof of that cafe, fireworks would be set off. We literally digged our way out to the center of the crowd.

waiting for fireworks show at Summarecon Mal Serpong, with thousand of people who act like never seen any fireworks in their lives before.

We were surrounded by trumpet sounds and all-around fireworks shot to the clear sky by the neighbourhood. Everytime, in every directions we looked up to the sky, it was filled with colorful sprinkles. They became the opening acts of the upcoming celebration.

Then, situation was intensified. There was no countdown. Nothing. But we could feel it's coming .. I got my pocket camera ready ..

.. and late by seconds cause the fireworks appeared with a bang. Right there from the roof of the mall. It was loud, huge, and it was so close we got shell debris raining onto us .. and into our eyes. There was no music but random choreographed fireworks. It was far below London, Dubai, Sydney, Hong Kong, or any other countries that have never failed in setting off the most gorgeous fireworks in the world. But this one was awesome nonetheless. Some were that unique, some were shot so tight, the bigger shells left us breathless with their approaching effects. Almost looked like they were about to touch our hairs. Some had these marvelous patterns and colours, they filled my camera lens up as if seen through a kaleidoscope.

We forgot the fact, it was all money burnt up in the sky.

Here's my recording result, with no zoom lens and no tripod. I put all efforts in holding my camera still above my head without me looking directly toward the flares at some points, and I had to pan to catch the ones bursting from the opposite gate. Pardon the camera shakes. It was a good 10-minute-plus exercise for the arms and neck, by the way.

Editing notes:

• I put Katy Perry's "Firework" as a background song, I just felt it's suitable with that "oh, oh, oh" and "boom, boom, boom".
• I intentionally kept the original audio from the recording with 50% volume off to add some effects coming from the spectators without sounding too noisy.
• I added two footage of Mat's fireworks. Yeah, I wouldn't be as much as a sucker had I not bought our own fireworks. By the time of the recording, there was one biggest shell of 16 continuous shots saved the best for last at home.

"FIREWORK"
Performer: Katy Perry
Writers: Sandy Wilhelm, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Katy Perry & Ester Dean

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin, like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep? Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you? 'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework, come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", as you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework, come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", you're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

You don't have to feel like a waste of space, you're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds, after a hurricane, comes a rainbow
Maybe the reason why all the doors are closed, so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow and when it's time you know
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework, come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", as you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework, come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", you're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom, even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time you let it through-ooh-ooh
'Cause baby, you're a firework, come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", as you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework, come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!", you're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Ryan Seacrest posted this on Facebook on December 30, 2011 1:49am

How are u guys celebrating new year's eve around the world? Where are the biggest parties? Brasil? Indonesia? にほん?

then posted a second message mentioning Indonesia on December 31, 2011 at 11:03pm

Selamat tahun baru! Best wishes in 2012 to all my friends in Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. How are u celebrating?

I replied to his second message:

Selamat Tahun Baru, Ryan. We're celebrating with watching firework show and getting stuck in the parking lot for hours =)

Right. That was how we celebrated the new year's eve. Just like a pessimist staying to make sure the old year had truly left, the mall simply didn't let us go easily.

Been stuck inside SMS parking area for almost 2 hours now. My ancient Blackberry can't handle the network overload, so I'm hurting my thumb texting via the always reliable Nokia phone. Posted a reply to Ryan Seacrest's new year wishes to Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia, written in Indonesian. (or in Malay as the Malaysians claimed). I think this is the first time someone out there recalled Indonesia and forgot Singapore =D.

We spent two and a half hours queueing inside the parking area, squeezing through the bottle-neck situation along hundred of cars. Watching fireworks encore sprinkling from the neighbourhood. Listening to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" over and over and over till it stuck in my head and couldn't get out of there, "We could have had it aaaaaallllllllll .. rolling in the deeeeeeeeeep .."

Trip to home only took 10 minutes.

Happy New Year 2012!

10+2 Duets of a Lifetime

There are thousand of duet songs.  Some of the songs managed to be the greatest. And every now and then, we find some performed live in such perfection, or just simply memorable, that even the singers themselves may find difficulties to top that again in this lifetime.

Presenting my favourites, in random order (O yeah, I happily include duets with boybands too ^_^):

ONE SWEET DAY
Performed by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
Live at Madison Square Garden, New York 1995

This is Mariah at her finest, golden moments in her career.  Look at her!

Others: Official Music Video, Acapella version, Live at Grammy Awards 1996

THE PRAYER ~ OST Quest for Camelot ~
Performed by Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli
Live at the 71st Academy Awards 1999

Though this song lost to "When You Believe" (how could it be? HOW??!), for me it was the highlight of the evening. Won my heart for its simplicity, tenderness and modesty. I was glued in front of my TV watching Celine & Andrea - breath-taken.  One of the best performances ever in all Oscar ceremonies.  "The Prayer" has been rendered by numerous artists ever since then, but none can beat this one yet.

Others: Celine Dion & Josh Groban, Charlotte Church & Josh Groban, Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli Live @Central Park 2011, Katharine McPhee & Andrea Bocelli, OST "Quest for Camelot"

MUSIC OF MY HEART ~ OST Music of the Heart ~
Performed by Gloria Estefan & 'N Sync
Live at CBS Special 2000

Saw this performance on TV, it convinced me that 'N Sync could really sing.  Really good indeed. And Gloria was wonderful, as always.

Others: Official Music Video, movie clip

WHEN YOU BELIEVE ~ OST The Prince of Egypt ~
Performed by Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey
Live on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 1998

Just as Oprah said, I once had an endless argument with my friend on who's better between Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.  Then came this duet, as if someone had enough of us arguing and decided to throw this right at us.  I thought their performance in that Oscar 1999 was not a top-notch and they shouldn't win. Not until later I found they had performed it live for the first time on television, a year before, on The Oprah Show. A winning vocal showdown. It's a dream team. My friend and I finally made peace.

Others: Official Music Video with movie footage, Official Music Video, Live at the 71st Academy Awards 1999, OST "The Prince of Egypt" (A far superior, touching rendition by Michelle Pfeiffer & Sally Dworsky)

CHANGE THE WORLD ~ OST Phenomenon ~
Performed by Babyface & Eric Clapton
Live at MTV Unplugged NYC 1997

Of all Eric Clapton's songs, this one sits on top of my list. I caught this on TV and I enjoyed every seconds of it.  Until now, not a single moment when this song is playing that I don't sing along, moving my head and toes (yeah!!), because it's so groovy. (Updated: Ah, shoot. Just revisited the link and it's now "not available in my country"? I'll keep looking and repost. Meanwhile, the audio is here.

Others: Official Music Video

CINTA ~ OST Tentang Dia ~
Performed by Ruth Sahanaya & Titi DJ
Live in Konser 3 Diva, Jakarta 2006
Click here.  Enough said.

Others: Official Music Video with movie footage

YOU RAISE ME UP
Performed by Wang Leehom & Westlife
Live in "Heroes of Earth" Concert, Taipei 2006

I was watching the concert DVD, and when Leehom introduced Westlife, I jumped off my seat and screamed like a teenage schoolgirl meeting her idol in flesh.  Unbelievable. I even considered looking for a map to measure the distance between Ireland and Taiwan.  How could these lads end up performing in Leehom's concert?   It was just way beyond my imagination.  That is one of the reasons why I put this track in here.  The other reasons, are too many to list.

Others: Official Music Video - Westlife, Official Music Video - Josh Groban

MENGHUJAM JANTUNGKU
Performed by Citra & Tompi
Live in Top 3 Spectacular Show, Indonesian Idol 2010

I've never followed Citra or Tompi individually, but this duet looks and sounds very professional singing.  They did everything right.

(Warning! Low audio-video volume)

Others: Official Music Video - Tompi

NO MATTER WHAT
Performed by Westlife & Boyzone
Live at A Tribute to Stephen Gately, 2010

One of my friends tried confusing me by mixing up Westlife's and Boyzone's song.  I would never fall into it.  But right after that, I stumbled into these two groups merged into "Westzone" or "Boyzlife", and I wasn't so sure anymore.  Does Nicky Byrne belong to Boyzone and Ronan Keating belong to Westlife? Or are they both just switchable?

Others: Official Music Video - Boyzone

TELL HIM
Performed by Celine Dion & Barbra Streisand
Official Music Video, 1997

Why can't I find any live performance video for this? I don't think there is any at all. Looks like it's an almost mission: impossible to see these two divas sharing the stage. I love this song very much. And seeing how they did in the music video, I don't have any doubt in my mind they will do excellence in every single live performances.

Others: Making of Video "Tell Him"

Bonus features:
Am not gonna say anything, I just had to post the following in here ..

JAZZ VS. CLASSICPOP
Performed by Michael Buble & Josh Groban
Live in "Caught in the Act" Concert, Los Angeles 2005

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART
Performed by Ellen DeGeneres & Josh Groban
Live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 2009

Now excuse me, I said I wasn't gonna say anything about these last two duets. But I can laugh, right?

Hahaha. Hahahahah.

Westlife Gravity - Drama Epik di Kelas Festival

Begini percakapan antara gue dengan Ema lewat BBM sehari sebelum konser. Ema dan anaknya (Monita) rencana dateng ke Tennis Indoor Senayan jam 4 sore. Padahal konser baru dimulai jam 7-8 malam.

Gue: Kita masuk ga usah rebutan. Tennis Indoor kecil ko.
Ema: Teteup maunya paling depan hehe.
Gue: Kalau festivalnya berdiri, paling depan itu bahaya.
Ema: Oh kenapa bahaya?
Gue: Kejepit! Konser di Indo ga kayak konser di luar. Penontonnya barbar.
Ema: Ga seru ah kalo ga di depan, sama2 kejepit juga.
Gue: Kalo kita berdua sih gpp. Body sekel. Kasian Monita.

Jadi Ema berbicara atas dasar pengalaman nonton konser di luar negeri yang tertib biarpun kejepit. Sedangkan gue berbicara atas dasar pengalaman nonton konser Westlife "Where Dreams Come True" tahun 2001 yang digelar di lapangan sepak bola GOR Soemantri Brojonegoro Kuningan, konser yang dipadati belasan ribu penonton di siang hari yang terik, dimana banyak remaja barisan depan yang sukses tumbang satu per satu. Sampai semburan water jet yang sudah disiapkan oleh para tentara pun ga efektif menolong mereka yang dehidrasinya poll.

Gue sempet heran. Konser East Meets Westlife (2000) di Istora Senayan, banyak yang pingsan. Konser yang kedua di lapangan bola terbuka, lebih banyak lagi yang pingsan. Konser yang ketiga, Face to Face (2006) di Tennis Indoor katanya ga terlalu rame. Apakah karena itu sekarang Westlife konser lagi di tempat yang sama? Apakah dipikir penonton/fans tambah sedikit lagi dibanding lima tahun yang lalu? Tapi kok jauh-jauh hari nyari tiket kelas tribun ga dapet, entah udah sold out ato ga dijual di ticket box. Anyway gue ga khawatir berdiri di kelas festival Tennis Indoor, mengingat terakhir kali gue di sini waktu nonton konser Michael Learns to Rock yang nyaman dan bisa diliat dari sudut manapun.

Ternyata itu semua tinggal teori.

Di hari yang bersejarah itu, dari jam 4 sore BB gue dah ribut berbunyi.

PING!
Ternyata udah rame.. Banyak juga die die fans ahaha.
PING!
U better be here now. Udh ngantri.

Omigod, omigod. Grabak, grubuk, jebret, bziiinggg, zaaaaaappp, woooooooshhh, secepat mungkin gue nyelesain kerjaan ditemani oleh "pinging pinging, BBku berbunyi, pinging pinging, begitu bunyinyaaaaaa .." lalu meluncur ke Senayan.

Memang!! Rame!! Banget!!

Fans berbagai usia dan kalangan numplek blek di luar gerbang stadium. Ya buset dah. Trus pake acara berebutan pula masuk ke lapangan sebelah dalam buat nunggu pintu stadium dibuka. Ngantrinya nih ya, gue kasih tau, kayak yang lagi di dalam metromini abis pada pulang kerja. Merapat, merapat! Ga diatur, ga ada tali ato rantai antrian, seenaknya mau berdiri di mana. Rombongan tentara cuma berdiri petantang-petenteng. Ga keliatan ada security ato panitia yang ngatur. Screening gate di depan cuma ada dua, tapi yang antri mau masuk udah 5-6 jalur. Wow.

Udah gitu lagi tengah-tengah antri, MC sponsor yang dari tadi berkoar-koar melempar game bilang gini: "Yang pegang tiket tribun atau festival yang ada cap Telkomsel/Simpati tidak perlu antri. Bisa langsung masuk lewat sini!" WTF??!! Gue pengguna Telkomsel HALO sejak tahun 1997 (masih inget getoo). How come I didn't get any information of such promo??!! Darimana dan gimana?? Dan seperti mengejek kita yang udah capek nunggu, itu MC berulang-ulang tanpa perasaan empati bikin pengumuman kalo yang punya tiket itu udah pada masuk semua dan GA PAKE ANTRI!!! They had taken the best spots. Padahal kita yang bayar lebih mahal. Grrrraaaaaahhh!!! NEPOTISME!! DIMANA LETAK KEADILAN???!! Teriaklah para pemegang tiket festival yang frustrasi: "BUKA!! BUKA!! BUKA!!!!!"

Antrian semakin merapat. Aliran oksigen di antara kita semua mulai kerasa terhambat. Hih. Sempat tercetus kekhawatiran gue, jangan sampe di dalam sana over-kapasitas. Terdesak di ruangan terbuka masih bisa dapet udara, tapi terdesak di ruangan tertutup .. bisa mateeee kita niiiii .. Gue sama Ema udah kasih petunjuk ke Monita. Kalo sampe ada yang dorong or menjepit, sikut aja. Injek aja kakinya. Jangan ragu-ragu. Daripada kita yang kejepit or kedorong, mendingan kita yang duluan nyikut.

(Kids, do not try this at home without adult's supervision, ok?)

Pintu akhirnya dibuka, dan kita masuk sekelompok-kelompok lewat mulut botol - if you know what I mean. Kita bertiga sampe mundur ke barisan yang paling belakang karena ga guna didesak dari arah depan dan belakang. Eh malah disuruh ikut merapat ke depan sama satu sekuriti karena katanya bentar lagi kelompok yang di belakang udah mau maju. Heh! Lo ga liat apa di depan itu masih bertumpuk?? And it was sooooooo slooooowwww .. Pas giliran gue di-screening, saking keselnya, gue iseng nanya ke yang robek tiket gue: "Tiketnya dirobek, ada door prizenya ga?" Sukses dijawab hanya dengan senyum simpul. Mungkin dipikir gue salah beli tiket kale, ini mau nonton Westlife ato nonton acara tujuhbelasan, pake door prize segala. (Tujuhbelasan aja kalo mau dapet hadiah mesti ikut lomba balap karung dulu, bukan yak?).

Masuk ke dalam stadium .. Wuih legaaaaa. Adeeem!! Gue perhatiin situasi festival depan panggung udah padat. Mereka menempati area dalam dua barikade, yang satu dipasang untuk membatasi area panggung dengan area penonton, yang satu lagi dipasang untuk membatasi penonton di barisan depan dengan .. er .. Not really sure. Buat apa sih dipasang barikade di tengah-tengah?

I assumed the people occupying the front rows, were mostly the promo-ticket holders. *shrug*.

But standing there, in between two barricades, inside a small stadium, to watch a boyband concert, whose members were absolutely gorgeous .. Really, guys?? It's like joining in the death row. Kalo terjadi sesuatu di area situ .. bisa pada minggir kemanaaaaa????

Tidakkah ada yang cukup pintar untuk belajar dari pengalaman-pengalaman sebelumnya? Panitia? Penonton? Security?? Helllooooo???

Belum lagi ditambah adanya indikasi penonton yang terlalu antusias, ada yang lari memasuki kelas festival, mungkin takut keabisan spot bagus padahal hall bagian tengah ke belakang masih lengang .. dan .. GEDEBUG!! Jatuh!! Entah kesandung atau kepeleset .. but that was a nasty fall. She laid down on the floor for some minutes, kita udah takut tangan or kakinya ada yang patah, or gegar otak gitu .. untung akhirnya dia bisa bangun dan jalan pelan-pelan nyari tempat.

Jadi .. kita bertiga berdiri jauh-jauh agak ke belakang. Begini layout-nya.

Nunggu konser dimulai sambil duduk-duduk di lantai stadium, menghemat tenaga. (Kayaknya seru juga nonton konser kalo semua penontonnya duduk di bawah, kayak anak-anak di mal yang lagi nonton Barney show .. hihihihi .. Tar Westlife bingung, ini kok penontonnya lesehan .. apakah ini trend baru penonton di Indonesia?). Ngukur-ngukur jarak pandang ke panggung. Mengawasi kelakuan penghuni stadium. Ada banner bertuliskan "Garuda di Dadaku dan Westlife di Hatiku". Ada pula cewek yang pegang banner bertuliskan "Pick Me Up. I'm Beautiful Tonight."

Dipotret dan memotret .. aaaa, crap .. gue ga bawa kamera .. I'd go old-school then.

Jam 7.30 lampu-lampu mendadak dimatikan. Yang duduk langsung berdiri, yang berdiri langsung merangsek lebih ke depan. Ternyata yang muncul sebagai pembuka adalah XO-IX, boyband lokal yang beranggotakan 9 orang. Terus terang, mereka ini berani mati tampil di hadapan ribuan fans setia Westlife. Diteriakin "BOOOOO!! TURUN!!" dan diacungin jempol ke bawah .. Kejam! Tapi XO-IX nyanyi terus pantang mundur. Di lagu mereka yang pertama suasana masih penuh aura skeptis dan praduga, lagunya gue ga tau. Lalu mereka menyanyikan lagu Cinta 'kan Membawamu, nah kalo yang ini mah gue tauuuu. Baru kedengeran jelas kalo vokal mereka itu not bad lhoo. Cuma gayanya aja yang gak nahan. Korea bangeeeeett!! Penonton mulai terbawa. Apalagi dilanjutkan dengan medley lagu-lagu Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block (i.e. I Want It That Way, Larger than Life, I'll Never Break Your Heart, The Right Stuff, Please Don't Go Girl, etc.) .. mm .. was there any Boyzone n N'Sync? Ga tau lagi deh. All I could say, they made a very smart choices. Most of us grew up with those boybands and songs. Oh, dan satu lagi: Lightingnya cantik! I loved it. Loved it.

Selesai pembuka, masih ada jeda beberapa waktu. Festival area tengah ke belakang juga mulai padat. Ternyata aliran penonton masih banyak yang masuk dan menempati setiap celah. Ga kebayang situasi penonton di depan sana. Gue liat ke arah tribun, lho, malah masih banyak tempat duduk yang kosong. Ga imbang banget. Tsk.

(Note: To my surprise, gue nemuin beberapa clips rekaman konser Gravity di Jakarta di YouTube dengan kualitas yang bagus. Yang lainnya gue ambil dari berbagai sumber. I put it for bookmarking purposes. You may open at your own risk ^_^. Credits to all video owners/uploaders. Thank you so much).

Jam 8 lewat dikit .. jreng .. Fosfor sticks dan lampu headpieces menyala. Berbagai jenis gadget mengacung di udara. You name it, we had it: pocket/professional cameras, video cameras, mobile phones, Blackberrys, iPhones, Samsung Galaxy Tabs .. and it was just a matter of time before I really caught an iPad in action. Semuanya bersinar dalam kegelapan hall. Pemandangan yang spektakuler. Seandainya gue seorang fotografer yang canggih *sigh*.

Dan Shane, Mark, Kian dan Nicky muncul, menghentak dengan When You're Looking Like That ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} dari album "Coast to Coast (2000)". This was the opening song, I really couldn't put that in words. So I just had to insert all the videos I could find .. and you got the picture, right? Penonton festival-nya .. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I got goosebumps all the way hearing that.

(This song is one of Mat's favorite. I usually sing this while he's jumping along with a microphone in his hands. This time, it was Westlife who sang, and I was the one who jumped along. No microphone in my hands. I couldn't even hear my own voice. The crowd was INSANE!!).

Lanjut dengan World of Our Own ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} dari album "World of Our Own (2001)". SING IT, INDONESIA!! We got a little world of our own, I'll tell you things that no one else knows, I let you in where no one else goes, what am I doing without you ..

Dan aliran penonton kelas festival terus bertambah. Di sekitar gue banyak yang berseliweran sampe gue kesel, sebentar lewat di depan gue, sebentar lewat di belakang gue. Ini orang-orang pada mau ngapain sih .. couldn't they just stand still and watch the concert??

I thought Westlife did their homework from their previous concerts. And they knew their Indonesian fans quite well since the beginning.

@KianEganWL

Indonesia here we come!!! It's one of Westlife's favourite places to play a concert! Fan's are the craziest in the world! Bring it on!!!

Indonesia tonight. Can't wait. It's normally the highlight of the Asia tour. Crazy crazy fans!!!!

@nickybyrneoffic

Indonesia welcome at airport as crazy as always ... Mental !

Nicky pula yang pertama kali menghimbau penonton supaya ga saling mendorong.

Lalu Westlife menenangkan suasana dengan What Makes a Man ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "Coast to Coast (2000)" dan Safe ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "Gravity (2010)". Di antara lagu, kembali mereka bergantian untuk mengingatkan penonton supaya mundur sedikit dan ga mendesak yang di depan.

But it's in our nature to try to get closer to our idols, right? Gue rasa penonton di depan juga ga murni saling mendorong. They're having fun, they're too excited, they forgot to watch their distance. Mereka terus bergerak, diperburuk dengan ruang yang sempit, ditambah dengan stamina yang sudah habis karena mengantri masuk stadium sejak siang harinya. Dan ga boleh bawa masuk minuman pula. Jadilah yang kurang tanggap mengantisipasi hal-hal ini pada tumbang.

Westlife melanjutkan dengan Home ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "Back Home (2007)". Lagu ini aslinya ditulis dan dipopulerkan oleh Michael Bublé. Setelah lagu selesai, Mark meminta satu panitia untuk naik ke atas panggung dan meminta penonton mendengarkan apa yang hendak disampaikan oleh si panitia.

Uh-oh. Not good.

Bener aja. Si panitia meminta penonton yang di kelas festival buat mundur dua langkah. Semuanya. Karena kalo ga pada mau mundur, Westlife akan menghentikan konser.

Mari, Pak, Bu, Mbak, Mas .. sini gue kasih gambarannya.

Kita mau disuruh mundur kemana lagi?? Terutama yang menempati danger zone di depan. Sampe ada cewek yang naik ke atas barikade tengah dan melempar protes keras ke arah panggung. Udah sama sekali ga ada jalan keluar. Akhirnya disuruh menyebar ke samping. Ke samping mana?? Seriously, guys. Yang di tengah udah mundur-mundur, sampe kita yang di barisan belakang pun mendadak jadi sulit bergerak. Satu baris lagi posisi gue pasti mentok ke box tempat operator sound system dan lighting. Ga mau sampe gue yang kejepit di sana dooooongg!!! Udah gitu dengan bodohnya, atau saking ga tau lagi mesti digimanain, kita semua yang di kelas festival disuruh duduk dulu. Yeeeee .. kalo suasananya lengang seperti waktu konser belom dimulai sih oke aja. Lah, sekarang? Berdiri aja sempit, mau duduk lagi? Kakinya mau dilipet di mana coba? Gue coba duduk ga bisa, cuma dapet jongkok setengah kaki. Er .. ya, begitulah .. Akhirnya gue berdiri lagi.

Beberapa penonton dari arah depan dengan susah payah mencari jalan keluar. Mereka udah basah kuyup oleh keringat dan mukanya pucat-pucat. Ada yang bilang, "Aduh, udah ga kuat lagi deh. Mau pindah ke tribun aja. Bisa ga ya? Lewat mana dong?" Kita yang di belakang juga udah ngomel-ngomel ga karuan. "Panitia goblok! Promotor tolol! Makanya jangan maruk jualan tiket festival! Mana sekuritinya?? Manaaa?? Itu kelas tribun masih kosong, atur dong sebagian buat pindah ke atas!!" Rugi, rugi deh, daripada Westlife beneran ga mau nyanyi lagi.

Panitia di atas panggung masih terus meminta penonton buat mundur ato minggir. Kesannya penonton festival keras kepala ga mau bergerak. Mungkin yang duduk di kelas tribun atau media atau siapapun yang ga berada di bawah sini berpikiran seperti itu. Coba, nyemplung lah ke festival dan rasakan sendiri situasinya. Tennis Indoor berkapasitas 4500 orang, dan denger-denger penonton yang memadati stadium sejumlah 6000 orang. Namanya over kapasitas, disuruh minggir kemana juga ga bakalan muat. Hmmmfff!! Di samping gue ada kameramen dan reporter TV One. Di belakang gue ada beberapa crew radio Oz. Tanyakanlah kepada mereka kita ngoceh apa aja di belakang.

Crew/staff Westlife pun masuk ke panggung dengan membawa beberapa kardus air minum dalam botol ukuran 600ml. Dilempar satu per satu ke arah penonton. Gue hargai pertolongannya, tapi .. kasian ya yang kena lempar botol, itu kan lumayan berat =D.

Di belakang Ema ada pasangan cewek orang Indonesia dan cowoknya orang bule. Nah si bule ini kocak lho. Begitu liat botol-botol minuman dilempar di depan, dia teriak dalam bahasa Indonesia, "Saya juga haus dooong!! Saya mau pingsan!!" Kita yang dari kesel sampe ngikik-ngikik dengernya. Terus Ema ngelanjutin teriak, "Saya mau minuman yang berwarna!!" Gue ikutan juga, "Saya minta Coca-Cola doooongg!! Ato Pocari, Pocari!!" Ga bakalan kedengeran sih, tapi lumayan lah daripada gondok karena konser terhenti cukup lama tanpa ada solusi.

Terus Westlife pun muncul kembali ke panggung. Mereka juga keliatannya nyoba bantuin cari cara buat ngurangi kepadatan massa. Dan akhirnya .. taraaaa .. disuruh pindah ke tribun!! Sambil berulangkali bilang kalo mereka itu cuma ga mau ada yang terluka. Gue rasa kalo ada kejadian kenapa-napa, Westlife juga ga mau sampe dituntut. Dah gitu, Nicky masih sempet-sempetnya merekam situasi ini dengan kamera sakunya. Halaaaah ..

Berbondong-bondong deh sebagian penonton naik ke tribun. See? Nurut kan? Kita bertiga sih karena sejak tadi memang udah mentok posisinya, masih bertahan sambil liat situasi. Ratusan penonton mulai memenuhi area tribun. Dan ternyata .. masih ga muat jugaaaa! Kyaaaaa!! Si cewek Indonesia pasangan bule itu sampe balik badan ke arah box operator sound system sambil menuding, "Mana panitianya? Kamu ya??" Terus menuding ke arah crew radio Oz, "Kamu panitianya bukan?" Langsung yang dituding geleng-geleng kepala, "Bukan, bukan saya!" Si cewek ga gentar, "Tapi kamu semua nih, yang pake kaos seragam, pasti kenal panitianya kan? Ngaku ga kalo kalian semua jualan tiket terlalu banyak? Ayo ngaku!" *lol*.

Gerakan penonton yang berjalan menaiki tribun pun ga luput dari sasaran kamera TV One di sebelah gue. Sementara karena diliat kelas festival masih penuh aja, kita masih tetap diancam dengan pemberhentian konser. Shit. Ga ketahan gue teriak minta refund ticket, "BALIKIN!! BALIKIN!!" Biarin deh Westlife batal konser, biar lagu Home beneran menjadi lagu penutup .. let me go hoooooome .. Beberapa orang, termasuk Ema juga ikutan, "BALIKIN!! BALIKIN!! BALIKIN!!". Jangan disangka gue suka jadi provokator ya. Tapi ini gila lhoo .. mereka ga liat apa kalo kita udah ngalah. Udah ada yang rela pindah ke tribun yang notabene harga tiketnya lebih murah, udah kejepit-jepit, masih juga diancam dan dipersalahkan?? Udah ga ada lagi yang bisa diperbuat. Di satu titik kerasa banget kalo kita semua tuh (baik yang di atas panggung dan yang di bawah panggung) udah bener-bener frustrasi. Sampe akhirnya entah siapa yang mulai, teriakan "INDONESIA!!" pun membahana berulang-ulang memenuhi stadium. Ini serasa lagi nonton pertandingan tenis Indonesia melawan Irlandia. Geram, tapi seru eyyyy.

Gue masih nyumpah-nyumpah, 20 menit terbuang begitu aja. Dan gue nengok ke arah kameramen TV One, "Panitia goblok!! Catet ya, Mas. CATET!" Si Mas Kameramen nunjuk ke arah lensa kameranya, "Udah kok, kita udah catet lewat kamera." Hahaha.

Akhirnya Westlife, melalui panitia, bilang mereka mau trial satu lagu sambil liat kondisi. Kalo kita-kita bisa tertib, konser akan diteruskan. Kalo ga, ya mereka pulang. Oceeeh! Dan My Love ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "Coast to Coast (2000)" pun mengalun.

Siapa yang bisa mengalahkan fans Indonesia dalam hal menyanyi bareng idola? Siapa?? Lepas dari tertib atau tidak, this was really a-w-e-s-o-m-e. I bet with all my heart, Westlife wouldn't want to leave us in the middle of this concert.

Setelah lagu ini, panggung kembali kosong selama beberapa saat. Ngkali di belakang sana Westlife dan panitia lagi ngadain voting, mau terus ato cukup sudah.

And .. we had joy, we had fun .. on and off. Pastinya .. lanjut terus, Mang! Seasons in the Sun ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "Westlife (1999)" dilempar. Lagu ini kalo ditelurusi sejarahnya sudah terkenal sejak jamannya ortu gue. Dan gue yang biasanya kalem (kaya lembu) kalo nonton konser, masih menyimpan sedikit dendam gara-gara pemogokan sementara tadi .. jadi begitu Kian mulai nyanyi, gue teriakin, "KIAAAAAN!!!", sampe penonton yang di depan gue nengok ke gue sambil senyum-senyum. Terus, "NICCKKKYYY!!" Terus, "SHANEEEE!!!" Terus, "MAAARKKKK, I LOVE YOUUUU!!!" Sambil ditingkahi sahutan ribut ala Indian. Heh. Pecahkan saja gelasnya sekalian biar ramai.

(For the record, sebenernya Shane-lah andalan gue. But anyway. It did sound so good to shout that "I love you" after Mark's name).

Paduan suara nasional berlanjut mengikuti You Raise Me Up ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "Face to Face (2005)". Awalnya lagu ini diciptakan dalam bentuk instrumentalia dengan ciri musik tradisional Irlandia, lalu disadur dan terkenal baik sebagai lagu gospel, maupun pop ballad. Amazing. Sumpah gue terharu. It was so cool. And the choir was so surreal.

Lalu Westlife memperkenalkan I'm Already There ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} dari album "Back Home (2007)". Lagu ini aslinya ditulis dan dipopulerkan oleh kelompok band asal Amerika, Lonestar, yang menceritakan kerinduan seorang pria terhadap anak istrinya. Ini lagu bagus banget, liriknya menyentuh. Sayang gue ga apal. Shane's vocal was great at this piece. I'm already there, take a look around .. I'm the sunshine in your hair .. I'm the shadow on the ground .. I'm the whisper in the wind .. I'm your imaginary friend .. And I know I'm in your prayers .. Oh I'm already there .. and I'm meltiiiiingggg ..

Dilanjutkan dengan I Will Reach You ^{[1] [2]} dari album "Gravity (2010)". Psst. Did you know that Mark was one of the writers? Pantesan canggih ya nyanyinya.

Dan satu lagu yang ga boleh ketinggalan di setiap konser Westlife, lagu kebangsaan mereka .. admit it, who couldn't identify Flying Without Wings ^{[1] [2]} from album "Westlife (1999)"? Nicky membawa bendera Irlandia ke atas panggung, dan dia sibuk merekam penonton dengan kameranya. Raaa .. Nicky .. stop recording and start singing, will ya? Mengingat sebelumnya Nicky bilang ke penonton kalo dia mau upload video yang dia ambil malam ini, dan kita diminta buat follow official twitternya Westlife .. Ema nyeletuk, "Nicky bawa BB ya? Boleh bagi PIN-nya gaaaa?" Wakaaakakakak. Needless to say, semua penonton nyanyi dari awal sampe akhir, termasuk si cowok bule kocak yang nyaris pingsan tadi itu. Best fans in the world, yeaaaahh!

Selesai lagu ini, Westlife pamit. Lho kok, lho kok? Gue lirik jam, udah hampir jam 10 sih. Tapi ga rela kalo konser udahan. Pasti ada encore. Pasti. Dua lagu lagi. Gue ga tau kenapa, feeling gue semalaman itu hampir semua terbukti. Dan gue masih nunggu kemunculan lagu-lagu favorit gue .. yang rasanya ga mungkin ga dinyanyiin ..

Westlife muncul lagi dengan mengenakan jas formal, membawakan What About Now ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} dari album "Where We Are (2009)". Lagu ini dipopulerkan oleh kelompok band Daughtry - dengan pentolannya Chris Daughtry yang merupakan jebolan American Idol Season 5. Yay. One down.

Disusul Uptown Girl ^{[1] [2] [3]} dari album "World of Our Own (2001)", lagu yang aslinya ditulis dan dipopulerkan oleh Billy Joel, tapi Westlife yang membuatnya tambah meledak dan menjangkau lompatan generasi. Gayanya Westlife kalo nyanyi lagu ini selalu lucu. Two down.

(Another Mat's favorite. So he got the opening song and the closing song).

Akhirnya konser beneran berakhir. Jam 10 malam. That's it. Is that it?? 13 lagu keliatannya terlalu singkat buat sebuah konser. Ema membandingkan dengan konser lain yang menampilkan 28 lagu. But yeah. Sempet curiga juga, karena waktu di awal konser katanya ini akan memakan waktu dua jam. Lah, tadi kepotong 20 menit .. ga diganti ya?

Not until later I knew they cancelled 5 songs from the list:
Beautiful Tonight ^{[1] [2]} dari album "Gravity (2010)".
Viva La Vida ^{[1] [2]} yang dipopulerkan oleh kelompok band Coldplay.
Only Girl (In the World) yang dipopulerkan oleh Rihanna
Time of My Life / Bad Romance yang dipopulerkan oleh The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga.

Beautiful Tonight? Mereka membatalkan lagu Beautiful Tonight??? NOOOOOOO!!!

Lewat BBM:

Gue: You're right. It should be a longer concert. They cancelled 5 songs. And one of the songs, is my favourite =(.
Ema: Mestinya gue minta balikin duit gue.

Buat kita, 5 lagu itu sangat berharga.

Belum lagi ditambah ngebaca pemberitaan media yang menyudutkan penonton di kelas festival. Plus tuduhan-tuduhan ga lucu lainnya, yang gue yakin banget berasal dari orang-orang yang ga ikutan nonton konser. Tapi ada beberapa pula komentar pedas yang datang dari penonton kelas tribun.

So I put this on my Facebook status right away:
From my point of view, who stood at the back of festival class amoung thousands, the 20-minute chaos happened was not our fault, nor was Westlife's fault. It was the promoter's fault. So, people sitting at tribune class, who got most of the tickets free of charge, who didn't know the exact situation, STOP JUDGING US!!!

Penonton/fans Indonesia memang terkenal ganas, dan kadang-kadang ada yang ga berpikir panjang. Tapi yang terjadi di Tennis Indoor Senayan malam itu bukanlah dipicu oleh kelakuan barbar dari penonton. Semuanya terjadi karena sikon yang memang sudah ga memadai sejak awal. Kurang kontrol, kurang pengamanan, kurang antisipasi, kurang tanggap. Bzzzzttt!

Tweets dari Westlife berbunyi:

@nickybyrneoffic
Video from show,Which we had to stop for 30mins tonite due to overcrowding, Scary but everyone ok we're informed.. http://twitvid.com/KRCBB

@KianEganWL

We had to stop our show in Indonesia for 30 min for the safety of out fans. We feared some one would die. Thankfully no one did.

Westlife will never give up on our Indonesia fans. Sorry the concert was dangerous. We will come back. Thank you for all your love. Xxx

Sorry Indonesia fans for what happened. We couldn't perform the medley for safety reasons. Next time we will make sure it dose not happen xx

@MarkusFeehily

The the fans in Jakarta,miss u already you guys were so amazing and full of energy.Don't worry we will always love you,big kiss xxxxx

(after he thanked all countries for the tour, except Indonesia, and one fan sent a protest to him) Haha Jakarta Indonesia u deserve a massive THANK YOU too!! I typed it out but must have deleted by mistake,you guys were awesome as usual! X

@ShaneFilan79

Love to all the Indonesian fans .. Thankyou and see u next time!!

Dan tweets dari promotor berbunyi:

@marygopsstudios

Untuk semua pengunjung #westlifeJKT, kami mohon maaf atas segala kesalahan yg terjadi dan semua ketidak nyamanan selama konser @WestlifeIndo

Sekali lagi kami mohon maaf atas kekecewaan yang dirasakan penonton #westlifeJKT kami harap dapat memeberikan lebih baik untuk nantinya

*sigh*

Epic drama. Epic evening. Epic Westlife!! Ga sia-sia dulu gue sampe berbusa-busa membela Westlife yang disebut hanya sebagai boyband yang jual tampang. Yang di konser pertamanya nyanyi masih pada fals sana-sini. Yang disangka ga bakalan bertahan lama karena cuma ngikutin trend boyband semata. You see, it's been 12 years since they launched their first album. Sewaktu gue mengutarakan mau nonton konser "Gravity" pun, satu dua temen gue masih membelalakkan matanya, "Ya ampun, Jul! Westlife?? Masih??"

Yeap. Pembelaan gue singkat aja. "They're not just a boyband anymore. They're already beyond that". Dan seperti itulah yang gue liat. Mereka sudah dewasa, vokalnya sangat mantap, gayanya classy, lagu-lagunya everlasting. And they still care for us, their fans.

Sopir taksi yang mengantar kita bertiga pulang sempat bertanya, "Westlife itu, yang disuka karena apanya? Tampangnya? Suaranya? Lagunya?". Jawaban kita sama, "Ya tampangnya, ya suaranya, ya lagunya. Semuanya."

You lads rock! Totally! I miss y'all already too.

*add
After begging, pushing, forcing, bombarding Ema through Blogger and Facebook, her review's finally up on her blog .. here.

Versions of "CINTA"

I heard this song the first time from Krisdayanti's 1530 Birthday concert in Jakarta 2005. I was among the unlucky people who couldn't get the ticket, who could only catch it on TV, and we lived in a country where there was never a local concert fully-recorded and released into commercial DVDs ever =(.

This duet was kinda odd at first. Melly Goeslaw and Krisdayanti wore strange costumes that resembled a warrior and a princess of an unknown-era. But the way they rendered the song, man, it was so close, so engaging till the very end.

(This music video can't capture the perfect emotion as on the live version, but you get the picture ..)

Then in 2006, there was Konser 3 Diva - Semua Jadi Satu with Titi DJ, Ruth Sahanaya and Krisdayanti. This was where those outstanding singers singing hit songs belong to each other except their own. And again, the cursing for the unavailable ticket and full DVD continued ..

It's not a difficult task for Titi and Ruth to sing this song. Effortless. And the new arrangement from Andi Rianto escalated it into a beautiful-beyond-words piece.

(This time, I got the live version on YouTube ..)

.. and .. not so long ago in April 2011, I caught Titi and Ruth reprising their duet in one event dedicated to the women of Indonesia. It's a whole new version of "Cinta".

Menatap jalan yg menjauh, tentukan arah yg ku mau
Tempatkan aku pada satu peristiwa yang membuat hati lara
Di dekat engkau aku tenang, sendu matamu penuh tanya
Misteri hidup akankah menghilang dan bahagia di akhir cerita

Reff:
Cinta, tegarkan hatiku, tak mau sesuatu merenggut engkau
Naluriku berkata, tak ingin terulang lagi
Kehilangan cinta, hati bagai raga tak bernyawa
Aku junjung petuahmu, cintai dia yg mencintaiku
Hati yang dulu berlayar, kini telah menepi
Bukankah hidup kita akhirnya harus bahagia

Di dekat engkau aku tenang, sendu matamu penuh tanya
Misteri hidup akankah menghilang dan bahagia di akhir cerita

(Repeat reff)

(Cinta biar saja ada, yang terjadi biar saja terjadi)
Bagaimana pun hidup hanya cerita
Cerita tentang meninggalkan dan yang ditinggalkan
Cinta ..

My favorite version .. is definitely .. 2006's.

.. and the original 2005's. The writer's singing the song .. you can't go wrong with that.