Big HK names performed in the name of equality.To great anticipation, Concert in the Dark, organised to end discrimination against visually impaired people, delivered what it promised - a concert starring Canto-pop stars in total darkness.
When Jing Wong, one of the musicians, said it would be a "musical you can't see", it was hard to envision the concept coming to life - but the concert was just that, with a loose script giving enough leeway to let the artists add a little flair.
There's no problem with making the song your own, but G.E.M. went a little far - her rendition of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) was unrecognisable ... and not in a good way. It's one thing to flip a song 180 degrees and give it a bubbly feel, but it came off as a poor attempt to show off her range. Plus, sweetly singing "some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused" just doesn't cut it.
That said, G.E.M.'s opener, Over The Rainbow, couldn't have been a better song to sing before the "revolution" that was coming. Slogans were chanted, screams heard and books burned.
Wong's rendition of Another Brick in the Wall was also a nice touch, tying the songs together to emphasise the theme. Having the lines "we don't need no thought control ... leave them kids alone" echo through the hall struck a chord with the audience, especially amid recent debates over national education.
The show was short - a meagre 75 minutes. For HK$480/HK$1,500 a pop, it seems like a steep price to pay for a scent- and sound-filled journey in the dark, but the cost was justifiable for the experience - no words can describe the awe of audience members leaving the concert hall.
For once, at least, your only job was to sit down and enjoy what was being presented to you, without any distractions - and that's when self-dialogue and reflection comes into play; precisely the aim of the show.