'November Rain': Guns N' Roses. With A Comment From Fred Ching

"Nothin' lasts forever, 

And we both know hearts can change, 

And it's hard to hold a candle, 

In the cold November rain..."

Guns N' Roses

Source: LyricFind:

Songwriters: Darren A Reed / Duff McKagan / Izzy Stradlin / Matt Sorum / Saul Hudson / W. Axl Rose

November Rain lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group.

Guns N' Roses: November Rain

YouTube: Guns n Roses [Official Video]

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13 CHATS, COMMENTS

Fred Ching says:

Great to hear this track again, Brother Andy! Thank you for posting!😊

I remember bombarding myself with their albums all the way to *Singapore Changi Exhibition Centre in preparation of their concert seven years ago. Having never seen them live before, I was delighted to be attending this event and was really looking forward to the show after a long three-decade wait. Apart from complaints on social media about long wait for food, drinks and transportation, performance-wise, this iconic American band put on a top notch rocking show! 

The setlist was classic, with the bulk of the songs coming from their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, and double release Use Your Illusion 1 and Use Your Illusion 2. Apart from singalong opportunities on their epic ballads, we finally get to hear Slash’s guitar introduction on, Sweet Child O’ Mine and the timeless riff still sounds fresh. 

Although only core members Rose, Slash and McKagan were tight musically, the rest of them did not disappoint and held on despite less spotlight. Still remember, the night was filled with nostalgic memories and reminders of how far Guns N’ Roses has come. 

Brother Andy, these were some of the best days in my life, and I’m still floating high in the air as I listened to some of those landmark albums again today especially this song. Cheers to all. ❤️👍🥰 

Authorship and Collage: 

Fred Ching.

*Guns N' Roses Concert.

25th February, 2017.

Changi Exhibition Centre.

Singapore.

Thanks to Fred Ching too for this awesome collage of the group.

Guns N' Roses: "Sweet Child O' Mine"

[Alternate Version]

YouTube Video: Guns n Roses.

Images: Google.

Singapore 60's Music: Keith Locke [Quests]: 'Don't Play That Song' With Fred Ching

Good friend and author of this article 

Fred Ching with Keith Locke. Check them out.

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20 CHATS, COMMENTS

A bygone golden age of music, stunning musicians, brilliant voices and perfect harmonies, dear Brother Andy! Only the tender mercy of God did I ever get to meet Keith Locke. 

I was attending a concert to watch my childhood idol, Veronica Young at NLB Singapore. I was at this charity event and this dude was seated next to me. I recognised him.. and said ‘wow’ you’re Keith Locke? Blessings. 

We stepped out to take a breather during interval, and I thank him for his contributions to our Singapore music scene with The Quests. I asked him for an autograph and he scribbled it out on a card that I carried around in my wallet until it disintegrated! 

Concert tickets for Keith's show in 2012 Singapore that

Fred attended. Fred has watched 100s of international

pop music performances in Singapore alone...

We had supper together with Veronica and friends after the show. We walked Veronica back to her hotel and I took Keith for a car ride. I blasted some of the Quests songs and it brought tears to his eyes on hearing some of the songs that he wrote. 

What a remarkable man who worked extremely hard for his days with The Quests, probably the biggest Singapore band of all time! Wherever Keith may be.. God bless him.

🙏❤️🙏.. 

By Fred Ching     

Fred Ching has authored

a number of articles for this blog.

Check him out under LABELS below.

Keith Locke, 'Don't Play That Song'.

YouTube Video by: William Chan.

[With Ernesto Valerio, Veronica Young and

the amiable Jimmy Yap.]

With Henry Chua, Quests bassist, 

who went solo with Keith.

Here's socialite Jolly Jimmy Yap [in white], singing  

beside Keith Locke. Everyone calls him Mr. Everywhere. 

He is everywhere. Video has 20,000 plus views.

Images: Google.

Taylor Swift: Her Singapore Concerts Through The Years: By Fred Ching.

Image from:

https://www.wallpaperflare.com/search?wallpaper=taylor+swift

    UP TO 2,500 VIEWS,   

  35 COMMENTS, CHATS  

She's a phenomenon on stage! She has millions of fans! Although this blog is about musicians from the past, we cannot ignore the present ones!

One of the most comprehensive Singapore write-ups about TAYLOR SWIFT. I'll put it up on the blog to carry it further. The blog is based in the US, so I am sure those guys will love it. Thanks Fred.

💓💓💓💓💓

Thank you Brother Andy. I am extremely grateful to you for giving me this opportunity. Reading your blog have generated positive energy all day. Again, I’m appreciative of your efforts in creating this platform for us to learn more and share. Blessings to you and your family. Cheers.😊🙏❤️

https://www.wallpaperflare.com/taylor-swift-gq-2015-taylor-swift-female-celebrities-music-wallpaper-tzjoe

"Taylor Swift - American singer, songwriter, and 12 times Grammy Award winner, is currently touring across 4 countries and has 29 upcoming concerts. It has been almost 8 years since I last watched her during, the 1989 World Tour at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. I am happy to learn that she'll be heading to the Singapore National Stadium for three shows in March 2024.

In 2011, I attended her “Speak Now” World Tour and she took to the stage wearing a sexy champagne-colored dress. Taylor delivered exactly what the crowd wanted, lots of hits. The staging was strong and the ginormous video monitor directly behind gave an intimacy to the performance that perfectly connected with the fans.

Taylor Swift in Singapore. 

Copyrights Reserved: Fred Ching Image.

I recalled another great concert where the country-pop darling played to a sold-out crowd during “The Red Tour” in 2014. Gosh, the hype speaks for itself, and how she commanded an entire army of fans, 12,000 strong and sent us all into her Red World. The entire show was great. Taylor really knows how to please the audience by reaching out to all levels of seats and making you feel like you are important. The music was fun and everyone enjoyed it.. all ages!

The Red Tour was one night I’ll never forget till The 1989 World Tour tops it. It was even better. What a smashing show! Taylor oozed confidence on stage - non-stop fun, pure and simple. What a joy seeing the singer-songwriter leading a dozen dancers in a rousing medley of songs from this highly anticipated gig like Welcome To New York, The New Romantic and Blank space taken off her fifth album 1989, and the venue was awash in sea of vivid images of Taylor captured by mobile phones.

With those naturally tailored legs, she could sing and move 

sensually in swiftness and style. 

[This quote is original and has been copyrighted.] 🙂 

Today, as I listened to some of her older albums, I can’t believe I am still reminiscing about these concerts in Singapore which was fantastic! 

Looking forward to her Eras Tour 2024 👍😊👍".

The blog welcomes comments from readers.

Taylor Swift Performs, 'Red'

YouTube Video by Taylor Swift.

Nearly 235 Million Viewers Can't Be Wrong.

Image from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP-5u182CVE

Author: Fred Ching

Fred has written other articles on this blog. 

Click his name below to read about 

Celine Dion & The Sandpipers.

Images: Google [specified], Fred Ching FB; YouTube Video: Taylor Swift.

Disclaimer: 

There is no intention to advertise concerts nor post copyrighted images. Do inform blogger under the Comment Page if there are copyright infringements so images or videos can be deleted.

Shangri-La Island Ballroom Singapore - The Sandpipers Live 1973 - Fred Ching Remembers

NEARLY 1,200 READERS

It was 47 years ago, 24 Dec 1973, that The Sandpipers, an American folk group, performed in Singapore Shangri-La Island Ballroom for a Gala Dinner cum Christmas Special Show. Time flies and this post is just a short comment on the concert. Just something for me to remember this event.

I attended this first concert with my neighbour, Richard, and we’re just months away from being drafted into the army. We both arrived on time and were blown away by the Christmas decorations at the ballroom. Being a VIP ticket holder gave us the opportunity to scout out the place. I was happy to discover that we were a mere 10m from the stage.

The show began not long after and looking around, I noticed that most attendees were either my age group or older and indeed it was an honor to be present at this show with several VIPs. The Sandpipers were fabulous. They have such great harmony and every songs Jim Brady, Mike Piano and Richard Shoff sang, brings back fond memories of my growing up years.

The Sandpipers - 'Come Saturday Morning' - Video from YouTube by ultra taro. Thank you.

Absolutely loved this show and these guys sang flawlessly in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Tagalog. Those who didn’t attend, sure missed out. All we can say is GREAT GREAT GREAT!!

Two years ago, I shared this little post on my favourite trio, who made an indelible mark on the music industry that even rock & roll combined with time cannot erase. A good friend then commented that after the concert ended, the Sandpipers proceeded to a midnight mass @The Novena Church, Thomson Road, and sang part of the Mass Order in Latin and the event was unannounced. It was a surprise wonderful Christmas present for the attendees. Till today, the Sandpipers performance still hold a special place in my heart.

I was lucky enough to be in the front row of the rear orchestra section and the trio walked by me, about one foot away, and went down the center aisle to the stage. Gosh, how I was blown away...   

The Sandpipers with 'Today' - YouTube Video by 65Seasons. Thank You.

By Fred Ching.

Thank you Fred so much for allowing your article to be posted on this blog. You can read another article about the Celine Dion concert Fred attended by clicking the connection below.

NB

Original members The Sandpipers.

Michael Piano died on December 29, 2014 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Jim Brady died on May 5, 2019 in Durango, Colorado.

Fire destroyed Sandpipers music materials at Universal Studios in 2008.

Images from Fred Ching - copyrights reserved.

Fred Ching has written many articles about his attendance of pop concerts in Singapore and in other countries. You can find him on Facebook. Just click his name...

Thanks so much Fred for being so obliging and sharing your concert stories on this blog.

Celine Dione Marina Bay Sands SG: Fred Ching

[Spend some time in prayers for Celine Dion because we understand she isn't well. - March 2023.]

It was catching world-renowned singer Celine Dion when she performed in Singapore for the first time ever at Marina Bay Sands® as part of the Sands Live concert series. 

Her tour started on 26 June in Tokyo and saw her return to cities she hasn’t performed in over 10 years, including Tokyo and Macao, and cities she will perform in for the first time ever, including Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Manila and Bangkok. 

Celine Dion In Concert Singapore July 2018:

Some of you may have missed seeing her in Singapore last week, and according to many who have seen her show, she was stupendous.  

Fred Ching (image above) is a Facebook friend and I've yet to meet him, but when I asked if he could allow me to reproduce his Celine Dion Concert experience for this blog, together with the exquisite photos of the lady, he immediately obliged. 

So here's a write-up by Fred himself, published in the same order as it was written, with the excitement that only a loving fan could describe. He is a veteran musician and one who has seen so many 'live' shows of international stars. Celine Dion is only one of them.

Thank you very much Fred.

"Watching Celine Dion’s new music video today, just 4 days after seeing her 'live'. I can’t believe how blessed I am. To be able to see my favourite singer with her awesome band in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to watch her live on stage is better than striking the lottery and means so so much. 

One of the most recognised and iconic singers in pop music history, Dion has sold almost 250 million albums during her career spanning over 30 years and earned five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards and seven American Music Awards. 

I think my buddy booking experience went considerably smooth as both dates sold out in like an hour I was told. 

The 49-year-old Canadian, known for her powerhouse vocals, rocked the house on her debut in the Lion City and Dion sounded super awesome. I miss them already. Come back soon, please.

I can’t describe how lucky I feel because I have had the opportunity of a lifetime: Seeing and hearing pop diva Celine Dion made her debut in the Lion City on July 3. 

Dion was amazing. She sang so many of her hits and nailed every note, spot on. The opening act was The Power of Love and That's the Way it is.  The other songs performed included crowd-pleasing classics, during her ballad queen era during the nineties, like, To Love You More and It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Fans were cheering and singing along the entire time.  Her band was made up of very talented musicians. 

She teased the crowd and made us laugh; love her sense of humour.  She told the audience not to ask why it took her so long to come to Singapore and jokingly said that now she wanted to move to our sunny shores as she realised it was so beautiful.

She also showed her vulnerable side as her husband Rene Angelil and her brother Daniel both died within days of each other in 2016 of cancer with a heartfelt song, Recovering, written by pop star Pink.

The concert ended with River Deep, Mountain High and she returned to the stage with, My Heart Will Go On...

Known for her powerhouse vocals and the voice behind smash hits like, My Heart... and Because You Loved Me, she wowed a full-house crowd at MBS Grand Ballroom. 

This morning as I hold the album, Celine Dion and listen to it again with my car stereo, and when Oscar Winning Song, Beauty And The Beast came on... Oh, my gosh... It was a hair-raising and pop phenomenon; Celine Dion left me gasping for breath once again. 

Truly mindblowing and awesome. Always a pleasure to hear her bring back such good memories of a time gone by."