I was fortunate enough to have caught Eka Mairina in concert at the Esplanade Recital Studio the friday before last, i.e. 17th November 2006. Whoa! That was like TEN whole days ago!! I know I should have mentioned this so much earlier but...
Well anyway, I was rather disappointed by the lukewarm response to the concert; for a relatively small venue (according to the Esplanade official website, the total seating capacity of the studio is 245), it was only four-fifths occupied and there wasn't a single malay celeb in the audience. Talk about supporting your fellow peers in the industry, huh. However, that didn't really mar my enjoyment of Eka's concert, which was aptly named Eka's Story as she narrated her days as a singer (thru' song of course), from whence she first started participating in talent competitions in her home country, right down to the launch and establishment of her singing career in Singapore. If you could call a mere couple of years in the industry as a "career" that is... Eka herself disclosed that it was her first and final concert in Singapore, owing to future plans to return to Indonesia permanently.
As some discerning readers may remember, I've already waxed lyrical about Eka's singing prowess during my accounts of the 2003 Anugerah competition, in which she emerged the winner. That night was no exception -- Eka was definitely in fine form, belting each and every song with the seasoned air of someone who has been performing in concerts for years. As expected, she performed most/all of the songs from her debut album, Untukmu Selamanya, and the (overplayed & overhyped) Cinta Q anthem, Cipta Kasih.
The real treat was hearing her sing in English, putting her stamp on classics like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Making Love Out Of Nothing at All. However, the most inspiring moments (for me) that evening were her restrained delivery of Ruth Sahanaya's Mengertilah Kasih, the guitars-only version of Kata Hati, and the finale, a heart-wrenching (and almost explosive) take of Why Does It Hurt So Bad, which in my honest opinion, blew the original Whitney's version clear out of the water.
Mayuni Omar provided excellent piano accompaniment and even sang a whole song -- solo! (I couldn't help thinking, however, that he should just stick to what he does best -- composing!) Hazrul Nizam may not have been the likely substitute for Iskandar Ismail on Cinta Abadi, but his smooth vocal stylings was pretty impressive. It's a pity that there wasn't a "live" band though; the minus-one music didn't do justice to Eka's vocals...
On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed myself that night and although Fauzie Laily was scheduled to perform but didn't, his presence was not sorely missed. =)
