Here's the review of The Ten Tenors -- official website available here. :)

The evening started off with a little bit of paranoia. My mom and I were greeted at the concert hall entrace by 2 police officers, who stopped anyone carrying a bag for spot checks. They were nice enough to shine a torch instead of asking us to remove items, but the tension was palpable, especially in view of the large number of Caucasians in the audience -- easily 60% or more, from a visual estimate.

However, all thoughts of a possible terror attack dissipated soon after we sat down. The show kickstarted with a crowd favourite, "Funiculi, Funicula", with the tenors looking most impressive as they came out dressed to the nines in black suits, standing in a row at the front of the stage. This was followed by a vocal rendition of the tango from "Scent Of A Woman", which took my breath away!

Following this, memories of American Idol flooded my brain as they launched into a BeeGees medley comprising cool covers of disco hits like "Stayin' Alive", interspersed with the beautiful "How Deep Is Your Love". Of course, none of these songs would've been half as enjoyable without some nifty footwork and hilarious moves, which the tenors were more than happy to provide. Give these guys lots of credit for being the fun-loving bunch they are! They swivelled their hips and twirled their arms, with one tiny fellow even letting his ponytail loose for added effect. The full capacity crowd loved it!

Next came a lovely rendition of "Fly Me To The Moon", as they took turns at the solo, showing off their silky smooth voices. In between, they took time out for some witty banter, telling us how they had learnt, through their extensive travels, how to use the subways in all the major cities of the world. "And today," one of them said in all seriousness, "today, I took the MRT." Loud laughter and appreciative applause filled the hall at that statement! Later, they also mentioned how they picked up various languages along the way, learning, most importantly, how to order beer in 14 different tongues. "Or as you say in Singapore, "Give that man a Tiger!"" More applause. :)

The opera segment, aka "opera without the boring bits", was an absolute hoot. These guys love to play down the "tenor" bit in their act's name, telling us they love what they do only because they can use it to "pick up chicks". They then went on to sing 4 famous pieces, 3 of which, they assured us, were used primarily to ensnare women. These ranged from Verdi to Puccini, ending off with something from "The Barber of Seville" ( if you want to know what it sounds like, just watch the opening scene to "Mrs. Doubtfire", where Robin Williams does a voiceover for a cartoon character ). The Puccini number was especially terrific. One of the tenors, a tall, plumpish blonde with the biggest sense of humour among the lot, has one of the purest voices I've ever heard. When he sang, with only the piano accompanying him, it was absolute heaven. :)

The later part of the show had everything from "Va Pensiero" to Abba's "Dancing Queen" to well-known Australian folk songs ( "Waltzing Matilda", "Clip Goes The Shears" ), some pop ( "Burn For You" by ?Southern Sons ?John Farnham -- sorry, I forget ), and their tour de force, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. The fellow who did the solo on this one, a stocky older-looking tenor with a moustache, sounded exactly like Freddie Mercury, which was extremely surreal. The 10 voices blended seamlessly in perfect harmony, and the 10-minute song gave me goosebumps. They even adlibbed verses from Abba's "Mamma Mia" during the "mamma mia" bits in "Rhapsody", which wasn't missed by the VERY sharp crowd! When the headbanging bit came, the tenors all complied, and when they finished, the hall erupted in rousing cheers. A lot of us in the audience -- myself included :P -- supplied catcalls, while others whistled. It was a pretty wild crowd! :D

After ending the show with another fantastic song -- ie. the theme from "Rawhide" -- the tenors were called back no less than 3 times for encores. The first was "Nessun Dorma", then "Love Is In The Air" ( which can be heard in "Strictly Ballroom", directed by fellow Australian Baz Lurrhman ). The last piece is something I don't recognize, but it was equally high-energy. Almost everyone was standing by this time, and we tried to get a 4th encore. Understandably, they were tired out, though they assured us they'd be "back next year".

I've left out a few other songs because I don't know their titles, but this concert featured loads of pieces from Russell Watson's latest CD, Reprise. So if you want to know what you missed, listen to that.

Waiting with bated breath for their return! This is a show you mustn't miss! Come back soon, guys!