6 degrees apart

we were part of the 15,000 crowd, bopping and rocking the night away, dancing to the songs that the 'forever-25' man was belting out.

to be frank, i'm not a dedicated fan of his. heck, i don't even know how to sing any of his songs. however, like many other 30+-year-olds, i grew up on a healthy dose of his melodies, playing in the background whilst we go about with our studies.

we went for lacking of something better to fill the nights. the enthusiasm didn't hit me like it did for michael jackson and andy lau's concert. i wasn't exactly climbing over chairs to get a better look at his 50+ wrinkled face. however, i must say, this is the best concert i have been to so far.

when you think of him, perhaps most people will think of his ever-expanding waistline, droopy-with-age face and descriptions such as over-the-hill and ex-superstar. when he starts singing though, all you can think about is how perfect his tunes are and how strong his voice comes across, a far cry from the recent up and coming singers. his music carries you away with him, leaving behind time and age. in a little while, you forget that he is 54 as he brings you into his world.

the real concert began when he was called back by thunderous shouts of 'encore' from spectators that persistently refuse to leave, even after the stage light was shut down. he re-appeared to share with us his love for music. everybody was invited to the front of the stage, people from all grades of tickets, where they began dancing and rocking to his songs. we could feel his passion for the music and he could feel our energy. the moment that the concert was officially over was the moment that the fun started. he could be there to give us a few more songs or he could leave. so could we. we knew that and he knew that. however, all of us wanted to catch hold of the magic for a moment longer. a moment where we forgot everything else in the world, except the fun, the energy...and the music.

even the elusive moon sneaked a peek from his heavenly perch.