Catch Richie’s one-night-only concert in Genting Highlands’ Arena of Stars on Nov 8.

FOLLOWING a successful Christmas Eve showcase in 2005, Taiwanese singer and actor Richie Jen will be back in Kuala Lumpur.

Noted for his down-to-earth, jovial personality and great voice, Richie will be having a one-night-only concert in Genting Highlands’ Arena of Stars on Nov 8 at 8pm.

For those who wish to meet Richie, there will be a meet-the-fans session today at 2.30pm in Times Square, First World Plaza, Genting Highlands and 7.30pm in Forecourt, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Bukit Bintang.

His fans are in for lots of fun-filled games and an autograph session. Tickets for the concert will also be on sale with special discounted rates at Pavilion.

Richie’s concert titled Love and Beloved Richie Jen Live in Genting is organised by Genting - City of Entertainment. Its sponsors include Cathay Pacific, ntv7, MyFM, Mountain Entertainment, Be A Star Karaoke and Genting WorldCard.
In the concert, Richie will perform his major hits such as Xin Tai Ruan, Lang Hua Yi Duo Duo and Shan Xin Tai Pin Yang.

Richie, 42, has released more than 50 singles in his 15-year singing career. He is also a popular film star and has starred alongside Candy Lo, Eason Chan, Sammi Cheng and Malaysia’s queen of the Hollywood screen Datuk Michelle Yeoh.

His famous films include Assassins, Contract Lover, Seoul Raiders, Elixir of Love, Fly Me to Polaris, Summer I Love You, Silverhawk, Honesty, Gorgeous, Life Express, Marry A Rich Man and A Beautiful New World.

He has also starred in the television series The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung, Huang Fei Hung, Master Huang, Unforgettable and Taipei Love Story.

In his concert, Richie will be joined by singer and composer Ivana, who has produced numerous popular songs such as Wo Zheng De Shou Shang Le, Lian Shan Ni De Chuan, Shang Shen and Hua Sha, and has also won a few music awards.

Tickets for Richie’s concert are priced at RM80, RM130, RM220, RM300 and RM380.

The first 1,000 early birds will have a 20 per cent discount (for all tickets except VIP tickets).

No admission for infants and children below three years. Children aged three and above need to buy tickets. Call 03-2718-1118.

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New Straits Times

TEL AVIV: Sir Paul McCartney wowed the 50,000 strong crowd in Israel Thursday night at his “Friendship First” concert, his first in the Jewish state.

The former Beatle welcomed the crowd at the outdoor concert with “Shalom Tel Aviv”, followed by greetings in Hebrew and Arabic before doing a rendition of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”.

The 66-year-old finally had a chance to sing to his Israeli fans at Hayarkon Park, 43 years after The Beatles were forced to cancel a concert for fear that it would corrupt youths.

Despite death threats from an Islamic cleric and calls from pro-Palestinian groups for him to boycott the concert over Israel’s occupation of the West Bank since 1967, the legendary musician went ahead with his “Magical Mystery Tour”, fulfilling the dreams of Israeli fans.

Some in the audience were seen crying, and the responsive crowd waved their arms in the air during the two-hour concert.

McCartney was not worried about the death threats, saying, “You have to realise that any high-profile event brings with it some worries.”

“I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come,” he went on about the calls to boycott Israel. “I do what I think, and I have many friends who support Israel.”

One of the surviving Beatles along with Ringo Starr, McCartney hoped his “Friendship First” concert will spread a message of peace. “It often does happen you know, you’ll go to a place and it can affect the audience.”

McCartney made a surprise trip to the West Bank town of Bethlehem just outside of Jerusalem, where he lit a candle at the Church of the Nativity, built on the traditional site of Jesus’s birth.

He also paid a visit to the Edward Said Music Conservatory there, where he watched a rehearsal by young Palestinian students.

Earlier this year, Israel’s ambassador to Britain Ron Proser apologised for the could-have-been concert 43 years ago, calling it “a great missed opportunity” in a letter to the band’s surviving members.

The Beatles is one of the most commercially successful bands in the history of music, selling over a billion records worldwide.

- CNA/sl

Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE : The discotheque-inspired set-up on the stage set of Japanese R&B singer Misia’s “Discotheque Asia” concert was a good hint to fans who turned up at the Singapore Expo on Saturday that they would be in for a rocking good time.

Even if there was no shimmering disco ball, flashy laser beams, deafening dance tracks and disc jockey, the hugely talented singer would’ve wowed fans with her night of excellent music and exuberant performance.

The 30-year-old kicked off the show with an energetic medley including “Royal Chocolate Flush”, Groovin”, “Back Blocks” and “Ishin Denshin”. That was enough to get the crowd on their feet and grooving along.

Those who think Singapore concert-goers are reticent haven’t met Misia’s fans who didn’t seem to mind in the least that the Singapore “Discotheque Asia” gig was a scaled down version of her shows in Japan.

Backed by a handful of on-stage dancers and a four-piece band in this top-notch one-night only performance, Misia went from high-energy to a string of love songs accompanied only by her keyboardist.

While she mesmerized the audience with her soulful rendition of tunes like “Yes Forever” and “Its Just Love”, it was her signature tune “Everything” that brought the house down.

Misia’s incredibly beautiful rendition of the classic tune brought the concert into its retrospective moment with fans being treated to the chart-toppers that marked her 10-year career, including “Hi No Ataru Basho” and “Tsutsumikomu Yoni”. How could one forget that the Asian tour is to commemorate her 10th year in the music industry.

The concert in Singapore is the only Southeast Asian stop on the concert tour which included stops in cities like Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai. And the 5,000-strong crowd were appreciative of the attention from Misia who made an effort to engage the crowd, from tossing giant beach balls into the audience, to playing ice-breakers with fans in the midst of a song.

The crowd gamely sang and danced along with Misia who encouraged them in both Japanese and English. But they just couldn’t hold themselves back during the encore, and those seated at the back of the hall came rushing forward buoyed by the banging club tracks expertly remixed into each encore piece.

It was hard for anyone to stay still with the infectiously catchy tunes of “Yakusoku No Tsubasa”, “Luv Parade” and “Into The Night”. After partying with the J-pop singer in disco style, the frenetic fans refused to quit even after the lights dimmed out. The relentless encore chants saw Misia return to the stage for one last song to close the two-and-half-hour concert.

If the reception at Misia’s outing is anything to go by, it’s clear there is significant interest in J-pop in Singapore. It’s a point concert organizers should note, given that the last time Singapore ever saw a J-pop concert was probably Kazumasa Oda’s gig at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2003.

Would it be wishful thinking that Singapore J-pop lovers could someday catch acts like Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, or the insanely popular boybands such as NEWS, Arashi and W-inds on Singapore’s shores?

As for Misia’s classy yet exuberant act - let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years to see her back in Singapore for another live performance. - CNA

Channel News Asia