Aw Cheng Wei
In many ways, attending Eric Moo’s concert is like a gathering of old friends except that he’s someone in the clique who happens to be a very talented singer and enjoys serenading his friends. Being an audience at his concert puts one at total ease. There is a lack of pretentiousness in the air, as if the consummate singer is just someone who had stepped out of a pleasant memory.
There’s the usual inside jokes, catching up and reminiscing of the past, or it could be the personable way he speaks to the audience. For these reasons, it could also be why the concert is titled The good old days.
The natively Malaysian singer was a household name back in Singapore
during the 1980s’. Even till now, some of his signature songs like “Kopi-O” (local colloquial slang for ‘black coffee’) and “Love Puppet” still resonates within the heads of those belonging to that age bracket.
During the concert itself, it was evident that the many years Eric have spent performing overseas did not erode the local community’s fondness or memories of him.
“A year’s memory is too little. There’s nothing much to update. 3 years’ worth would be too long. 2 years is just nice.” Eric smiled, making a reference in Mandarin to the concert he held a couple of years ago in Singapore. “Now, it has gone beyond just a concert, it has become a date and I’m just responding to one.”
And what a date it was! He also brought along Qiu Hai Zhen and Fang Wen Lin, popular singers in their time to add on to the already hyped up atmosphere. Amidst the dancing stage lights and fickle spotlights, the trio caught up with one another and exchanged friendly banter while the audience looked on.
There were lots of cheering and Eric wasn’t the least bit embarrassed when he asked the crowd to sing along with him as the complying crowd did it with much enthusiasm. According to Eric himself, there were also fans that specially came on to our reclaimed shores from neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.
Interestingly, the crowd that turned up wasn’t stereotypical at all. Apart from the expected Gen X crowd who brought along their seemingly willing family members, a smaller Gen Y audience who seemed to have walked in on their own accord also turned up.
On Eric’s side, he put on a good show worthy for all. For the audience’s pleasure, the veteran singer performed around 20 numbers. With at least 2 decades of experience, you can expect nothing short of a good time from Eric.
Missed the show? Don’t worry! Here’s UrbanWire’s exclusive footage of the one and only, Eric Moo.