Romance surrounds Lau's first concert in Jakarta
By Rebecca Mowbray
JAKARTA (JP): A romance befitting of Valentine's Day was in the air Friday night at the Jakarta Convention Center as Hong Kong entertainment star Andy Lau made his first-ever Indonesia performance.
A small but devoted band of fans wooed him with flowers, teddy bears, shrieks and kisses. They darted to the stage with their offerings, hoping for a brush of the hands, dreaming of a kiss. In the back, the newest chapter of his fan club kept the energy high, shaking their pom-poms and flashing their light-sticks.
He gracefully accepted their offerings and delighted them with nearly three hours of music and dancing in return.
The Hong Kong pop star is better known for his films and television series. He is in Jakarta for three shows, and announced Thursday that he will emigrate to Singapore when his home reverts to Chinese rule in July.
Most of Lau's 20-plus songs were sentimental ballads sung in both Mandarin and Cantonese, his smooth voice weaving through the crowd like a lullaby. Others were energetic pop tunes with funky interludes.
But Lau's concert was more than just a song recital. It was a full-on stage performance with a video screen, eight musicians and eight dancers clad in creative costumes. Lau changed clothing five times to set the mood.
The show opened with the song Diamond Tears, with the dancers streaking across the stage in shiny black S&M costumes with zippers, studs and fishnet, and Lau in a shiny white jacket tipped in red and a sheer black body-stocking top underneath.
Later, the mood became more intimate as the crowd curled up to two songs from Lau's most recent movie, Shanghai Grand. True to his idol David Bowie, Lau emerged in a dramatic, mysterious pose in a long white coat and a fedora cocked low on his brow. His female dancers performed ballet-like steps in delicate white nightgowns with their male counterparts in elegant kimonos.
The most dramatic moment of the show, however, came with the song Lovebirds' Nest. A dancer tiptoed on stage under soft lights, a long white sheet billowing behind her. She fed the sheet through a pulley and ran delicately through its folds and around Lau. She wrapped the sheet around her arms and hoisted herself up in ice-skater jumps far above stage. Lau sang in a baby blue satin and chiffon dancer's costume which, to the delight of his fans, was fitted enough to highlight his sinewy body.
The tempo picked up again later as Lau offered Macarena lessons, the trendy Latin dance making its second sweep of the globe, leading into an energetic performance of Lau's own Let's Roll the Earth.
Fans became more brazen in their quest for a kiss or a photograph, precipitating a new wave of gifts, some of which were even for his mother. "How about one for my sister?" Lau joked.
Police and security guards stood ready with bamboo sticks in case passion moved the crowd to dive for the stage, but the reverent fans wanted only to be near Lau. By the end of the show fans were sitting around the stage on the floor like children gathered for story hour.
While the fans were enthusiastic, their numbers were noticeably scant in the pavilion that seats 5,000. Concert organizers say that there are three concerts so the crowd appears more sparse than it is; concert-goers groan that ticket prices were high. VIP seats sold for Rp 600,000 (US$252).
As a result, Lau looked out at a largely empty auditorium, as fans were clustered along the wings of the balcony, where tickets sold for Rp 150,000 and Rp 100,000.
Nonetheless, fans said the show was worth whatever the ticket price.
"It's expensive but I think it's worth it. In Singapore you can't shake hands with Andy," said 25-year-old Andy Lau concert veteran Lee Farida of Jakarta.
Fans see themselves as on a first-name basis with the award- winning Hong Kong entertainer, in part because of the care he takes in filling their requests for pictures and autographs. They say part of his appeal is his humility and dedication to his family.
Yvonne Haryadi, 20, of Bogor, who thought her Andy Earth Club membership number (01003) a more primary piece of identification than her age or hometown, was one of the people who brought flowers for Lau and a present for his mother.
Haryadi is impressed by Lau's devotion to his fans. "Andy never disappoints his fans. He is the best in Asia. I like Andy better than Michael Jackson."
Although Lau's fans claim to know him intimately ("He usually swims around 10 o'clock," one said) they were reluctant to disturb him at his hotel. Indeed, the Shangri-La reported that only about 20 fans were at the hotel Friday, and they were well- behaved.
Still, one very important group hopes to get Lau's attention on his visit to Indonesia. The newest chapter of the international Andy Earth Club, assembled together for the first time Friday night, is seeking Lau's personal consent for their organization.
With his permission, they hope to organize an exhibition of Andy Lau photos, T-shirts, CDs, posters, watches, rings, hats and mugs.
But all is well according to Ruth Ung, 22, who took a bus from Malang for the concert, "There is Andy, in Jakarta."