By NASA MARIA ENTABAN
THOUSANDS of young Malaysians came out in the rain to celebrate the Malaysia Day weekend at the Suara Kami Konsert/Karnival 2011 event last Saturday.
Over eight thousand youths spent the evening dancing, singing and headbanging to music by local and international acts at the concert which was held in Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.
Rapper Nelly headlined the show, which was organised by Astro, performing some of his number one hits for the crowd, including Party People and Hot in Herre.
The 36-year-old rapper and singer-songwriter brought out the hit tune Dilemma, rapping his parts over a recording of Kelly Rowland’s vocals from the single.
He ended the set with his latest track Just A Dream, a tune which the audience swayed and sang along to.
The concert had a little something for everyone – from local indie bands, hip-hop outfits and rock legends to international acts from South Korea, India and Hong Kong.
There was even a surprise appearence from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor halfway through the concert.
Najib, who responded to a Twitter invitation from concert organisers addressed the huge crowd of youths briefly, saying he was at the concert because he wanted to be among young Malaysians.
“I want to feel the spirit and energy of the young generation,” said Najib, who was dressed casually in a polo T-shirt and jeans at the concert.
Hosts Aznil Nawawi, Ean, Hui Min and Reenitha warmed the crowd up at the start of the show, introducing the performers in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil.
Indie rock band Hujan kicked off the show with an energetic performance of Rumah Kita, ending the song with lead singer Noh Salleh holding up a Sarawak flag as a (presumably) shout out to his fellow Sarawakians and as a tribute to Malaysia Day, the historic date when Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah came together to form Malaysia.
Sabah also had a representative – singer Stacy (Stracie Angie Anam) put on a smashing show with songs Jahat and Kasanova.
Pop Shuvit wowed the crowd with indie rock anthem Mara Bahaya, and later, “Malaysia’s Superman” Faizal Tahir performed two songs with the band The Royale FT Force, while indie singer-songwriter Yuna entertained the crowd with the pleasant tune Gadis Semasa.
Hip-hop enthusiasts were entertained by the Tamil rap trio Psycho Unit, who put on a spirited performance of Kuku Bee.
Fans of Malaysia’s classic rock scene were given a real treat with a special show by rock legends Man Kidal, Joe Wings, Kit Search and Hillary Ang, who teamed up with vocalist Lan from the band Azlan And The Typewriter to perform Pawana and Ilusi Intonasi.
The rockers showed the young crowd they had no trouble keeping up with the younger acts, shredding and headbanging for a good 15 minutes.
B-boying and modern dance fans also got their fair share of acts, as Malaysian crews Ruffneckz and Soul Krazy performed mash-ups of popular songs.
The second-biggest act of the night came in the form of South Korean girl group RaNia (which stands for Regeneration Networked Idol of Asia). The seven-member group didn’t hold back on their energetic dance moves as they performed Dr Feel Good and Masquerade, followed by a slower number called Stand up for Love.
The crowd also got a taste of the Indian music scene with performances by Naresh Iyer and Chinmayi, whose acts were the most lively and colourful – their gigs featured over 20 dancers in colourful costumes showing their moves on stage.
Fans of Cantopop were treated to two songs by Hong Kong pop star Hins Cheung – My Way and Deadline.
The night ended with a performance of Malaysian Boy (the Malaysian version of Kanye West and Estelle’s American Boy) by Altimet, Point Blanc, Rabbit Mac and DJ Fuzz, a perfect ending to one of the most diverse concerts held in Malaysia in recent years.