From Madras India - Arnold George Dorsey

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK 2010 LEGACY OF LOVE WORLD TOUR

Mr Arnold George Dorsey couldn't be any better. For two solid hours on Thursday evening 24th June 2010, this 60s music superman, who's got a ton of greatest hits to his name, shimmied, rocked, joked, sang and entertained his audience at the Kallang Indoor Stadium, Singapore, without providing an interval to allow seniors in the audience to visit the washroom.

When good, old friend Billy Yap told me he had two tickets for the Engelbert Humperdinck show I was surprised. "Son bought them as a present," he said, "Shall we?" I relented. To save my own conscience, I treated Billy to a simple dinner at one of the classier restaurants surrounding the Stadium (no choice for a simpler food-court meal) but the dinner tag didn't really make up for the exorbitant ticket price (image) his son Michael paid.

We had a direct view of the performance but the elevated seats were so far away, Mr Humperdinck was like a floating white shroud amidst a sea of glittering, coloured, stage lights. However, the two giant television screens fronting the audience helped save our failing eyesight. Did we enjoy the show?

The man sang his string of evergreens, like The Last Waltz, Quando, Quando, A Man Without Love, Les Bicyclettes De Belsize and other monster hits, together with a few samplers from his latest album - his 81st - if I heard him correctly. Then when it was time to croon his international number one, he introduced it as, "The miracle from heaven... the song that turned my life around... Ladies and gentlemen, Release Me."

With his strong and powerhouse vocals, Humperdinck is not only a suave balladeer; he teased a lady on stage and cracked jokes like a veteran stand-up, "The dental surgeon told his hefty patient that the root-canal treatment would need a Viagra for the process. When the patient asked why a Viagra, the surgeon replied, 'Well, you will need something to hold on to when the pain hits...'" The crowd roared.

He also paid tribute to Bryan Adams with, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman (1995) and James Blunt's, Goodbye My Lover (2005); both songs are on his new album. The younger ones in the audience cheered with the older ones bewildered. Then when he said his final goodbye the thunderous encore that followed My Way (Paul Anka - 1969) was so loud the Stadium reverberated with approval. (Watch UTube).

In the milieu outside we couldn't find our car... Did you attend the concert?

Image/Original article: Andy Lim Collection - CD Cover from Decca Records 820 777-2.