love amplified: the aftermath
By Pat Law • Nov 30th, 2008 • Category: The Social WhoreAlongside with Mrs Law (but of course), I was at the Love Amplified concert yesterday at Fort Canning Park. I shall spare you from a typical Dear Diary entry, for I personally find it too dreary to read. Besides, if you want the concert programme details, go get it from Sistic’s counter or something.
Let me just share with you what you’ve missed instead.
a full house of seated patrons (it's a Government-organised concert after all)
well, if The Cure couldn't get Singaporeans to stand, let alone the Government right?
we singaporeans, we no stand we sit
electrico!!! 100 percent Singaporean and standing!
i really love this shot
when a concert's popular enough, you'll bump into friends
and you get to borrow their mat! ha!
i didn't get what she was singing, but stephanie sun was good
to some extent, i think dim sum dollei saved the otherwise lacklustre mid-point of the concert
amanda ling from electrico. mrs law's reason for attending.
seriously? a poncho for a door gift?!
I truly appreciate the effort undertaken by Health Promotion Board in organising this event. I think it’s a job well done, considering that it’s the first World AIDS Day concert ever organised in Singapore, although I do think there is room for improvement.
My thoughts from attending the concert:
1. Do not let a Singapore Idol tell a joke. Dude, you were so bad, the only part that was remotely funny was when you claimed it was an “intelligent” joke. I bet the organisers were freaking out when he left off that joke.
2. Hire Stephanie Sun‘s superridiculouslyenthusiasticdon’tyouhavealife fan club to be official crowd fluffers. I personally think the atmosphere gets livelier when people are standing, and not seated down. At an open-air concert, no less.
3. Alcohol. Ok, I know it’s a Government initiative and that most of the patrons are underage, but dude, those who do hump like rabbits and not gohomeandwatchkoreandramashow do drink. A lot. Please. Believe me on this. Offer alcohol and bring the right target audience is (that is, if you think we are worthy of savaging).
4. Hire Dim Sum Dollies to plug any otherwise mundane public service message. They were absolutely fanastic. I’d hire them in an instant. Oh gosh, I’m so damn proud that they’re Singaporeans.
5. Hossan Leong was lovely as always, but I suspect his command of the language might be too profound for the Stephanie Sun crowd. The lyrics were funny, but only if you understand it in the first place. Still, a good show there.
6. I love that contemporary dance performance by The Strikeforce (was it them?). You know what would’ve been great? To collaborate with Facebook to deliver the same message – everyone’s connected to each other and it only takes one to be diagnosed with HIV for the rest to be affected. Nah, free idea… please give credit ok?
7. Viral TVCs featured. Anyway we could get our hands on these? They were well produced, some emotional, and thought-provoking. It’d be brilliant if we could share these with people who did not attend the concert. Else, Imma go ask my family in Fly Entertainment.
8. Electrico should go on a little longer. Don’t let the goodness end so soon. Take the time needed from that Singapore Idol and his stupid joke.
9. Red ribbons. I got them in the World AIDS Day parade in London. Paris too. Why didn’t I get it this time at our concert? I actually won’t mind paying for it, but I didn’t seem them around, save for the stage decoration. Why? I mean, we have pink ribbons over the counter of clinics and pharmacies, we have yellow ribbons greeting us outside train stations… so where’s the red one?
10. Condoms. I appreciate the poncho doorgift (which, by the way, was never given to me for some reason… think they ran out) but aren’t condoms a given? I fear AIDS more than I fear the rain. A poncho’s cute, and I’m sure it costs money, but given the context of the event, a condom would’ve been nice. Tie up with agnès b or something. They’re already giving free condoms at their boutique.
Love Amplified was Singapore’s first ever World AIDS Day concert and on the whole, it was good. Will I attend the next? Most definitely. And I think you should too.
Just spare us from that Singapore Idol the next time.
Hey Pat! Thanks for your support!
Guess what? We brought Red Wine there! Eh, this is a HPB event lah… So it is granted that you see products which are of “Healthier Choice” and alcohol is not for sale…
By the way, the poncho is the only wet weather plan… If you have realised, the word “condom” is never mentioned in the script or the videos… Let alone giving one… Only Dim Sum Dollies and Hossan said it off the script at the end of the show!
seat down concert? wahpianggg!
Hey Vic!
Aiya why didn’t I see you? Bring red wine never say! Haha. No, I’m not shy.
Point taken about products of a healthier choice. I guess this is what happens when one’s out on Saturday listening to Electrico. All I could think of was BEEEEER.
Out of curiosity, why isn’t CONDOM mentioned? Are we therefore advocating abstinence than the use of condoms? Or do we then fear people might be dumb enough to think that CONDOMS help prevent AIDS 100%?
iamspidermonkey, what to do? we is boring farts.
condom was mentioned lah. in the videos, in the small talk with the emcees. its even on the t-shirt ‘cover me’, and the programme booklet. and on the ‘being positive or negative booklet’
hehe too many to comment. :p
1) very much agreed on hady’ stupid,careless, insensitive joke (why didnt you name him? u got a policy? in case you have to work with him? bwahahahaha) sorry :p
2) yes condoms was mentioned several times. they even go on to say talk abt ABC etc.
3) i wasnt part of the singaporeans who were sitting. i was lying on my back. enjoying the music, looking at the stars. i only sit up for a couple of times, one to catch the PRESIDENT OF JEAN DANKER FAN CLUB and another to watch the strikeforce.
4) strikeforce is the group that does the percussion, bedtime stories is the group that does the symbolic dance routine choreographed by fabulously attired Gani
RedRibbonsRedRibbonsRedRibbons. You could score a fancy pin by filling in a survey but they survey people were just standing there so no one knew about that.
My pic above with the scrunched up face holding the poncho is ‘cuz we need to stop trying to NOT promote condoms!! SERIOUSLY! Sure, we’ll sell it at 7-11, NTUC, gas station and mama shop counters but we won’t give them away at an AIDS Day concert?! WTF! So please remember to wear your PONCHO the next time you have sex. My sis was more creative. She figured ponchos were a metaphor for “don’t forget your rubber raincoat when you have sex”. Don’t worry about the wet weather plan. It’s Fort Canning. Disclaimer: Rain or shine event. People know what to expect. I was expecting to haul my mat and beer cooler but left the latter behind ‘cuz I was afraid I wouldn’t get let in (even though there’s beer at other family-friendly Fort Canning events too).
I’ve told the Hady story to everyone who’d listen since that day. Not HPB’s fault. Just a silly boy without a clue.
Stef Sun could really have looked a little more enthusiastic about being there. And she could’ve used the opportunity to send a real message out to her hordes of screaming (young) fans instead of saying “There are so many messages so I think I won’t say much else.”
Kudos to all the other performers esp Electrico, Jack and Rai, Dim Sum Dollies, Hossan and your male emcee (I forget his name). They got it right.
RedRibbonsRedRibbonsRedRibbons!
Ok, I vaguely remember now. Condoms were mentioned during the ABC video! Apologies for the mistake…
Oh my god. wot a big picture of us!