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Phil is saved
by a Miracle July 17, 2001
Miracle saves Phil Chang's Singapore concert from falling flat. By
Elisa Chia (Click
on pictures for larger image)
  For
a good half hour, a 5,000-strong crowd -- who occupied
about 65% of the Singapore Indoor Stadium last Friday -- appeared to be uninterested
in the acts on stage.
Ouch… This couldn't get any worse.
There was no fanatic cheering; no "I love you!". Only
polite claps.   And
we're talking about the concert of Phil Chang -- the
Taiwanese singer-songwriter (better known as Zhang
Yu) who had repeatedly brought the house down at his Miracle World Tour 2001
concerts across Taiwan, China and Malaysia.
The confident
man's ego must have been shattered. His
elusive lyricist-wife, Shi Yi Lang, who was sitting among the
audience members, must have also felt anxious for him. Disappointed
at the chill response, he mocked, "I almost thought
that I'm at the wrong venue. "Hey, this is not like
a concert. More like you are listening to a classical performance. "Someone
please pass me a chair and a violin. I'm going to do a Bach." Ha
ha. The amused audience broke into gentle laughter.
 But
a few songs and some banter later, a Miracle happened… for he seemed to be in
control of the crowd.
"No one sits during my concerts,"
he snapped like a commander.
"I won't perform till every single audience members is up on their feet."
The order was obeyed. And soon the "hypnotised" crowd
was jiving along with his 8 leggy female dancers and pointing their fingers in
the air ala John Travolta in Grease.   Never
mind that the Mandopop crooner did a horrendous impersonation
of Coco Lee's Di Da Di - bobbing his head and jiggling his flabby body a little.
The Bengs and aunties (many non-Singaporeans
were present, I noticed) still lapped it all up with pride, although I wished
he had spared himself the embarrassment. It would be
more than gratifying if he had done away with his tacky zebra-print gear (and
the dancers' clownish costume) too. We know he had Yong
Xin Liang Ku (his Mandarin hit title) or dedicated himself wholeheartedly
for the 2-hour concert. But all we want are his signature
heart-wrenching ballads, such as Yi Yan Nan Jin and Qian Jin Nan Mai,
which to his credits, were indeed worthy of the highest ticket price at $121.
So save your footwork, Phil. Rock
us with your powerful throaty vocals instead. | 
