It wouldn’t be fair to compare rap group Too Phat’s performance with nu-Metal band Linkin Park’s for obvious reasons, at the recent concert in Stadium Merdeka by the Californians. Many millions of USD worth of reasons, to include support systems of technical and other nature.
Having said that, Too Phat could have sounded better had their sound equipment been closer to par with Linkin Park’s, and had they been able to bring on a back-up band as originally planned.
Performance-wise, it was one of their best. It is not easy taking on 30,000-odd fans who came to see another group, yet make half the sea of maddening crowd in front of the stage respond positively, to the point of echoing of the group’s rapping.
The B-Boys enthralled with highly skilled break-dancing, although being an art form originating from the streets, there was not much by way of orchestration and uniformity.
Having waited close to two hours, parts of the floor audience without seats and jostling chanted for Linkin Park halfway through the opening act. Before that, they already had to contend with amusing themselves.
Somehow the local performers managed to pacify the impatient ones and did their bit of entertaining in their designated half an hour.
After that, the spartan stage was undressed further and band equipment were fine tuned one more round. Lights were also tested here and again.
Twice ad-hoc MCs surfaced on stage to remind the crowd that Linkin Park will be coming on next. But the final lights out heralded the people’s wait. Screams from the crowd became very loud at this point.
There was no million megavolts of light flooding stage or sea of people. Just ample illumination for the band boys to see where to stand and sit. The low-key and understated appearance of Linkin Park was greeted, however, by a crescendo of the roar building up earlier.
Linkin Park was on.
After introducing themselves with some music, band vocalists spoke pleasant and appreciative words to the audience. At times, they appeared condescending with, “you’re such a wonderful audience,” and, “no other city has treated us better,” and, “we know you all came here to see Too Phat.”
Perhaps this was to let out angst at being given very strict codes of performance conduct and dressing by the Malaysian authorities, in which case it was fair retort. Tit for tat and that is all, for the professional musicians did not let ANYTHING get in the way of an incredible night of rip-roaring entertainment for their fans.
Song after song was played, sung, scratched and rapped to the best of the band’s ability, winning worshippers from among the crowd in the stadium. No in-between small talk, no filler antics to waste time, just solid music to electrify.
Packed and powerful, the show would have been too short at about one hour, but for the band answering encore calls after their first attempt to leave the stage. A few more tunes and they were out as quietly as they came in.
The group’s movements and gestures didn’t seem minimal at all, judging from audience response, particularly the 16 to 26 set. If Linkin Park’s stage mannerism is ordinarily rowdier, the Malaysian audience did not seem to have missed it that night.
For that matter, Linkin Park song lyrics contain no profanity in general. This fact alone already signals the band’s level of maturity. A closer study of issues addressed in the songs then reveals deep-thoughts and an individual’s inner reflections of despondency in life.
Given, there were moments when the vocalists would bodily express their screamed-out words, sending themselves into epileptic seizure motions. But no harm came to anyone then, and it is doubtful such actions would induce like behaviour in fans later, after the show.
Never mind some jumping and screaming, there were even fans climbing, standing on and straddling railings separating the various seating sections, whenever music volume reached excitable levels – all in full view and within arms reach of police personnel. While the authorities remained watchful, they were not physically restrictive of audience movements.
In fact, sometime during the wait earlier, the floor audience amused themselves with some crowd volleyball, punching a blow-up beach ball every which way they could. When the ball strayed out of bounds, security staff helped to punch it back in, much to the squealing delight of the players.
The concert was primarily for the young ones. On the field, definitely for the physically strong. For the faint-hearted, yes, if you have seats and stay a little away from the speakers. It can be for parents even, who were rest assured that there were more than enough security staff and uniformed police personnel to keep things in reasonable order.
The beauty of the night was compromise and tolerance from all parties, in the name of good, clean, albeit loud, entertainment.
Wahti Mahidin
New Straits Times