The verdict by celebs and fans

A dash of showy pyrotechnics, a pinch of touching declarations, a pint of talent, mixed well with a lot of spontaneous deposition. Now, is that the recipe to a successful concert? We asked the star-spangled audience about Fann's solo gig.

By Wong Siew Ying & Angelene Wong

<Eastciti.com, June 26>
Vincent Ng
"I think she did very well tonight; the styling and singing was good. I enjoyed myself. She gets full marks from me since this is a first."

Jeff Wang
"I can tell she worked very hard on the preparations. The costumes were of a considerably high standard; she did well in terms of the dance choreography, too."

Chen Hui Hui
"Fann was better than what I expected, after all this is her first. Furthermore, she is the first local artiste to stage a 2-hour concert. Previously, I hosted some of her mini concerts and autograph sessions, and I do feel she sings better 'live' than on her CDs. I feel happy for her." Hui Hui has this to say about Fann's showmanship and dance, "I was focusing on her throughout the entire concert tonight. Fann did not engage in dazzling lighting effects or snazzy dance steps; it was a very earnest show. It's really based on her strengths. I give her 85 marks for this inaugural performance."

Nick Shen
"I have been very excited about this concert, because compared to overseas artistes, this is the first time a local artiste has done it. Her vocals have improved and it's obvious she has devoted a lot of time and effort. My favourite part is the one with all the period swordplay, the dancers suspended on cables and all. Actually, I think if Fann gets hoisted up too, it would be even better.

"It's quite spectacular, the beginning does not have impact, but I thought it was pretty good once the period drama part came on, the way Fann emerged from the centre is great. The songs were rather impressive, I thought the part where (Ng) King Kang sang My Friend, My Classmate with her, was very meaningful. The treatment of the whole concert was quite touching, having the other artistes narrate her stories, but I feel if she had asked some friends or family members to tell 'her story', that would have been good. I give her 70 marks; that's an 'A' isn't it?"

Cynthia Koh
"I feel that Fann's performance is good, given the fact that this is her first concert. I think Fann has demonstrated herself as a multi-talented artiste in so many ways. It's tough to sing and dance at the same time, so I think she managed that quite well; she has a good handle over the slower songs, too. The unplugged version is excellent and she was very emotional toward the end. I rate the concert 8 over 10, hoping she'll grab the other 2 marks in her next performance, making it a perfect 10." So, how was her duet with Fann? She laughs. "I trembled. I used to sing in the past, but work has caught up and besides, songs these days are not easy to sing." On whether she would love to have a solo concert, Cynthia said, "Hmm… I don't think I will want a solo concert, perhaps one featuring 6 to 10 artistes. So, there'll be a variety of fans. And as a consumer, a ticket for a show featuring many artistes is value for money. It is also a valuable opportunity to develop the varying talents of our artistes."

Christopher Lee
"For a singer to have a first concert like Fann's, I think she did very well. She fulfilled a very crucial factor on stage: spontaneity. Oh, her costumes were very nice; I like her costumes. About dancing, well, her background is not in that area, but she's done quite all right tonight. But it still boils down to her singing and her stage presence. She had a good chemistry going with the audience, too. For this first solo concert, I give her 80 marks."

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