I Miss NZ Part 2

Seems writing about it in my blog didn't help that much, haha!

Secret Garden's concert was really good, though nowhere near the best shows I've ever attended so far ( e.g. Robbie Williams, The Ten Tenors, Michael Jackson ). They definitely sound better on their albums, perhaps because they have the benefit of an actual full orchestra for backup, as opposed to a 6-piece band and some synthesizers on-stage.

The Esplanade Concert Hall was almost fully packed, mostly yuppies and people in their 40s and 50s. Met a fellow ex-clinical group mate and his girlfriend. I think I last saw him about 4 years ago, but he still looks the same. Catching up was nice, and he also asked me about the LOTR tour article in Sensory. Says he will definitely join Wellington Rover when he goes to NZ, hopefully at the end of this year. :)

Anyway, back to the show. The first half was rather slow, as they played songs that aren't familiar to most of us. It only started to pick up near the end of the first hour, when a pixie-faced Irish lass ( I can't spell her name, but it sounded like "Seersha" ) joined them, plucking a harp and wowing us all with her beautiful, surreal voice. She later sang the lead for "Nocturne", and sounds just as wonderful as the CD version, in case you'd like to know exactly what I'm talking about. I especially love the piece "Green Waves", a whimsical and haunting melody about missing home. For me, it brought back such vivid images of NZ, with its awesome mountain ranges and massive lakes. This young lady's vocals have a very ethereal, pure quality to them, and in my opinion, puts Enya to shame. Let HER sing "May It Be" from The Fellowship of the Ring! She'll do a much better job with it!

Fionnuala Sherry, the blonde-curled violinist, kept audiences awake with her skill and mini-jigs, prancing around the stage like a frisky pony ( that's a compliment, by the way. She didn't look young but has a lithe figure and agile moves. :)). She also did most of the talking, giving short intros for certain songs, like "Hymn To Hope", which is dedicated to victims of the Columbine school shooting, and "Nocturne", which clinched them the trophy in the Eurovision contest 10 years ago, catapulting them to international stardom.

The highlight of the evening was obviously "You Raise Me Up", an uplifting song about "a higher power", regardless of your religion. When composer / pianist Rolf Lovland mentioned Josh Groban ( who did a cover version with the pair ), a very audible murmur emanated from the audience, as I'm sure everyone knows who THAT is! :) The piece was done by "Seersha" instead, and a female voice certainly made for an interesting few minutes. Still, YRMU is clearly tailor-made for Josh's rich, deep vocals.

The evening culminated in a thumping finale, thanks to the synthesizers taking centrestage, adding much oomph to an otherwise acoustic sound. "Nocturne" ( one of the encore songs ) sounded breath-taking, and the entire hall reverberated with a full "string section", ie. pre-recorded album cuts that were cleverly incorporated into the live performance. The finale is a piece that I don't know, but again, the sound effects were amazing, and had everyone on their feet. Rolf graciously handed his bouquet of flowers to a lady in the front row ( Fionnuala already had one of her own ), and promptly received a hug and two appreciative kisses on the cheeks.

It was indeed quite a magical night, and I'd just like to mention that the lighting is quite spectacular -- I've never seen rainbow-coloured spotlights before! Secret Garden is a very warm, friendly bunch ( the band members love to shake to the music as well, really cute ), and their message of peace and universal tolerance and love is one that we can aspire to. Bravo!

Maybe it's a coincidence, but there was a feature on Josh Groban in Life! today. Here's the link:

Josh In The Straits Times

Important sentence! -- "Next up is Asia, where he plans to perform around October this year." WOOHOO!!! :D


Clay Aiken On American Idol 3

Please tell me you caught it, or I'll give you a lecture. :P I watched the recording after I got home last night, and all I can say is "Wow, WOW, WOOOOW!" First, he looked really terrific ( turtle-neck sweater, cool suit, super-spiky hair ), was all smiles as always, and nailed Solitaire. And I mean, NAILED IT. Glory note and everything! He has never sounded better!
His The Way / Solitaire CD single has been officially released in Singapore, though I won't be able to collect it till next week. Neil Sedaka must be so proud. :)

As for the AI3 finalists, I've changed my list of favourites. They are currently:

Jon Peter Lewis
George Huff
Diana Demargo
Jasmine Trias
LaToya London

Jon Peter now has an actual nickname, though nothing fancy -- just a simple JPL. He's extremely sweet, and said he originally wanted to be a paediatrician, 'cos he "likes kids a lot". Awwww. His family seems like such a fun-loving, warm-hearted group, and yes, he did a rousing cover of "Drift Away". Simon Cowell even called him "the dark horse to win this competition". I'm rooting for him all the way -- I picked Clay last year and turned out to be right, so let's see what happens this time. :)

George has a lovable persona and a great voice. How great? If he'd been in AI2 and squared off with Clay and Ruben, Ruben wouldn't have made it to the top 2. THAT'S how great. :)

Diana is 16 years old, but has lungs that defy all laws of physics. :D Powerhouse with a capital P. Amy Adams, aka the Celine Dion wannabe, faltered badly and was in the bottom three, but may redeem herself later on. Hard to say at this point, but Diana is one tough cookie to beat.

Jasmine, all of 17, is another major contender. Beautiful smile, gorgeous voice, while LaToya is consistent and classy.

John Stevens has something , but can't seem to find ways to capitalize on it. I think his main drawback is his age and inexperience, which hinder his ability to interprete non-jazz songs and make them sound good. His vocals aren't the problem. I feel that perhaps he's too nervous and shy to really let it all hang out, world be damned, you know? He loosens up so nicely in the group performances, so I hope America will keep him for another few weeks and let him have the chance to shine.

Matt Rogers is a crowd pleaser, but vocals-wise, he needs to choose material that can help show that off a little more. Loved his rendition of "Hard To Handle" though, complete with cheeky winks and lotsa grooooovin'. :D

No, I haven't forgotten Fantasia. She definitely has "it", but I wonder if American Idol is the right place for her. My eyebrows were raised when I found out she's a 19-year-old single mother of a 2-year-old girl. Even stranger is the fact that she's a devout Christian and her grandmother's a pastor. I found that all a bit odd, but far be it from me to judge her lah. People make mistakes. It's only human, though certain mistakes are more forgiveable than others, of course. ;) I just worry that her prominence in this competition will make her a less-than-ideal role model for the youngsters. What if they think single motherhood is okay, just because Fantasia is cool? What will she decide to do with her family situation? Will she play it down and avoid the issue, or speak up and caution others against it? Or worst of all, will she say it's okay to be an unmarried parent? If it's the latter, I won't like it one bit. Call me conservative, but there have got to be limits somewhere.

Anyhow, I'm relieved that Bulgarian wailer Leah has been booted off. I was worried that she'd be another Carmen Rasmussen -- the pretty blondie with the, er, weird voice on AI2. This year's group of finalists is excellent. It's gonna be a close race.

Whoa, long post. :) Shall end off with a short account of a case that came to our ER on Thursday morning. I didn't see him, but my fellow MO and the consultant-on-call did, and it effectively illustrates the term "What a waste".

21-year-old guy, drives a nice car, had more than $3000 in cash in his pocket. Intoxicated yet got behind the wheel, girlfriend in tow. Crashed into a tree, mortally wounded, died shortly after arriving in the ER. Girlfriend survived. Family devastated. Girlfriend sobbing in the minor operating theatre, with only a superficial laceration to the scalp. Both smelled strongly of alcohol.
During such times, I always ask one question: WHY???

Thanks for reading. Have a good weekend!