Satu Hikayat

Taking my seat …

Finally, I got my wish to see M Nasir live in concert. He seldom holds one anymore, and after hearing about this exclusive two-night show, it didn’t take long before I snapped the tickets. It was called “Satu Hikayat”, to celebrate his 40-year journey in music, held at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Starting right on time, with no opening act, the show lasted three hours in two sessions with a short intermission. For a 62-year-old man, he certainly had the stamina, and his voice was great. The highlight, I must say was when he sang the medley of his hits previously recorded by other artists. And, oh boy, can he sing?

The musical arrangements were excellent although it was let down by poor sound projection. The hall was clearly geared up for vocals. Both the low tones and trebles were missing the punch. The high pitches sounded over-modulated and tended to drown the midrange most of the time. The had a couple of LCD screens on stage, but they were poorly utilised.

In his elements

The accompanying band certainly did their part, with emphasis on percussions and bamboo flute. They also had a brass section which unfortunately occupied much of the space and appeared static when they are not called upon.

It would be difficult to pack up all his hits in a single concert. He just had too many of them. A few notable misses were glaring, but I supposed you can’t satisfy everybody. He did sing “Keroncong Untuk Ana”, “Raikan Cinta”, “Sentuhan Listrik” and a few of his hits from Kembara days. If only he invited his Kembara mates to make a surprise appearance, then that would be something ...

Will I attend another concert as soon as he announces it? Of course. Without a doubt! It was a great way to spend a Saturday evening ...