Saturday 26th April 2008 8.00pmArena of Stars, Genting Highlands
I am going through a little depression of being apart from my dear sweetheart who has gone to
Hmm... I don’t think anyone is really. Sighhh…
I am glad that it turned out to be a very very enjoyable evening out.
Drove to the Genting Skyway station and took the cable car up to Genting.
500 !!
Eeekss!... Madness!!
So, off we went for coffee and window shopping.
We entered our room at 6.05pm!
Since I was already down, this absolute horror of a wait did not dampen my mood further. See, when you're down, you can't get any lower.
7.45pm we made our way to the Arena of Stars.
The stage Show is supposed to start at 8pm as stated on the ticket but well...
Upon arrival of the King and Queen around 8.30pm, the band started to play and everyone’s attention was focused on the stage.
Then suddenly we hear the saxophone being blown but Kenny does not appear on stage.
The crowd started to shift.
Then the spotlight hit the very back and top of the arena.
There he was playing and making his way slowly down the stairs from the top of the arena down amongst the crowd.
The flashes go mad.
He played and walked and finally stopped in the middle of the floor of the arena.
Kenny amongst the crowdThen he hit a note and kept the note while making his way around the crowd and finally making his way up to the stage.
I think it was a good 5 minutes that he held that note!
Amazing!
In total, it was a six piece band - a pianist, a bass guitarist, a drummer, a percussionist, a guitarist and of course the saxophonist.
Kenny G’s showmanship was able to divert my gloom. He was such a pleasant man and so sweet. Of course his skills with the saxophone was spectacular too.
He also spoke several sentences in Bahasa Malaysia. Several sentences ok. Not the typical quick "Terima kasih" but proper sentences like "Terima kasih atas kehadiran kamu", "Saya berasa gembira kerana ini kali kedua saya di sini", and several more which I cannot remember but it was impressive the Bahasa Malaysia vocabulary he had.
He had a hard time remembering one word and had to take out his notes and made a funny face! That sure made everyone laugh.
The use of stage lights was incredible. It was in perfect harmony and synchronization to the music and set the mood. In fact, the lights actually enhanced some of the pieces being played.
I also liked how the big screens were used to display the name of the song and a little synopsis about the song being played or any other pieces of information about the song, his band members or himself.
During a stage set up moment, Kenny revealed how he was able to play the note for so long during the opening song.
He can breath in and out at the same time. A skill called circular breathing.
He even did a demonstration!
He held a note on his saxophone and put his nose to a microphone so that we can hear when he took a breath while the note went on. While he demonstrated, the big screen revealed that Kenny was able to hold a note at a record 45 minutes.
He can breath in and out at the same time. A skill called circular breathing.
He even did a demonstration!
He held a note on his saxophone and put his nose to a microphone so that we can hear when he took a breath while the note went on. While he demonstrated, the big screen revealed that Kenny was able to hold a note at a record 45 minutes.
Other than Kenny, his percussionist, bass guitarist and pianist had their solo moments and they each did a wonderful job of entertaining us.
Kenny revealed that other than the drummer who has been with them for less than a year, the others have been together with him for the pass 20 over years.
In fact, the pianist and him have been playing together since they were in high school pass 25 years ago. Aah... A couple of geeks at school who made it big! Look who's laughing now!
It was a splendid performance. In fact, I enjoyed this better than Celine Dion who although is a spectacular singer lack showmanship and I felt was rushing to finish the show. With Kenny, he took the time to interact with the crowd which to me is absolutely necessary in a live performance.
