I really dislike Casino concerts, although having done a Casino show myself
in the past, I understand their appeal for the artist. The Casino obviously
has cash to bring in and pamper the artist and can ensure the venue gets
filled with its own patrons. Above this, the sound system is usually quite
good. The down side however, is that many of the guests who show up have
little idea of who they're listening to as they are generally more concerned
about the slot machines than the music.
When my mom called me to tell me that she had tickets to see Asian pop icon
Sandy Lam at Casino Rama, I just couldn't refuse. I grew up listening to
Sandy Lam and I consider her still to be in a league of her own vocally and
artistically. In fact, she was one of the main reasons I ever started
listening to Chinese music because her sound was accessible to me as a
foreign-raised Chinese kid. Lam's music brought me closer to my roots at a
time in my life where I didn't know who I was. It made me want to learn more
about my mother tongue. To speak it, to read it, to sing in it. I idolized
Lam so much that I had the privilege of studying under one of her vocal
coaches.
To illustrate just how accomplished Sandy Lam is, she was invited by Andrew
Lloyd Weber to perform at his "Masterpiece" concert in Beijing back in 2001.
She remains one of the top-selling Chinese female artists ever, having
recorded in Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Japanese. The elfin-featured
diva has starred in films and one of Hong Kong's most noted original
musicals "Snow Wolf Lake". She is a true star.
Through the early '90s Lam had a string of hit Cantonese albums focused on
the dance floor. After much negative media publicity surrounding her
relationship with married Taiwanese producer Jonathan Li, Lam decided to
focus on expanding her career in Taiwan and the rest of Mandarin-speaking
Asia. It was under Li's wings that Lam had produced a series of massively
successful albums, most notably "Love, Sandy", which had a decidedly adult
contemporary sound.
After having gone through a marriage and subsequent divorce to Li, plus a
temporary relocation to Vancouver in the late '90s, Lam is once again on the
comeback trail. Creatively she has hit a wall, thus emphasis is being placed
on her back catalogue when she tours.
Teaming with long-time friend/producer Anthony Lun as her musical director,
Lam's two hour-long show at Casino Rama yielded some hits and misses; the
latter which included an '80s medley of Tears for Fears, Frankie Goes to
Hollywood, Cyndi Lauper and Depeche Mode.
A picture of health and youthfulness, Lam graced the stage with genuine
humility to her audience. Vocally, Lam still sounds wonderful, however some
of the heavier rock re-arrangements of Lam's older tracks simply fell flat.
One of Lam's defining characteristics is her sensual femininity and perhaps
this should have been emphasized more. It is for this reason Lam has been
established as a gay icon in Asia.
Above this, I have seen some of Lam's Asia shows on DVD with big production
and costumes. Seeing this very scaled-back version of the show tonight
before an audience that was non-responsive overall, was disheartening. Sandy
Lam is a legend and it is a great injustice that she is not given the
treatment of one.
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