Cliff Richard: A memorable concert

At a memorable Sir Cliff Richard Concert Sir Cliff Richard came on stage. His first song was The Young Ones. It started a spontaneous sing-a-long by 6000 spirited seniors. This song brought back memories of a time when we were "the young ones".  Many years ago, in 2007, I attended a Cliff Richard Concert with my husband and friends at the Arena of Stars in Genting Highlands. The music resonating through the arena was overwhelming. It evoked memories of the good old days. Every time Cliff Richard sang, strumming his guitar at times, the mature audience responded with applause and singalongs. Richard was friendly and jovial on stage appreciating the applause and the many bouquets of flowers that fans continually presented to him. Although he looked older than when we were teenagers, his singing and lithe movements on stage were as appealing and captivating as we remembered. Richard: friendly and jovial on stage Richard sang other melodies that brought back memories of the 1960s like Summer Holiday, Living Doll, When the Girl in your Arms, Constantly, Evergreen Tree and Bachelor Boy.   In the 1960s, Richard was our teenage idol. We listened to his songs on the radio or watched his movies in the cinema. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would one day see him in person, but on that unforgettable night, I was there, completely captivated, with the rest of the audience, - listening to and actually seeing my teenage idol on stage.  As I sat there enjoying the songs, my mind went back to my teenage years. Our generation listened to songs from the radio or from vinyl records played on record players. Later we listened to audio tapes.  The current younger generation listen to music on compact discs or MP3's with music downloaded from the Internet. Many of them watch their singing idols on video compact discs or on television. Youth today is exposed to highly entertaining television programmes like American Idol compared to our simple talentine contests in schools. One of the favourite pastimes of my teenage contemporaries and myself was to slavishly copy the words of songs we loved, often with neat cursive handwriting. We would decorate our songbooks with creative designs and paste photos of our heartthrob next to their songs. That could be the reason why many of us seniors have good handwriting!   Coming back to the present, I looked around me at the full house arena. The fans present were a diverse multiracial group. Most were from the Klang Valley in Malaysia, but some came from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and even Portugal. This was revealed when Richard asked with a show of hands where the audience came from.  Many of the fans were seniors, with some coming in wheelchairs and others with walking sticks. There were a few who were visually impaired. I was touched to see some young adults accompanying their elderly seniors and guiding them deferentially to their seats.    Audience: multiracial group of seniors Richard, in a sparkling white suit, was in his element, belting out number after number for an hour, to an appreciative audience. After a 15-minute break, he was back again, dressed in groovy jeans and springing sprightly on stage.  Richard in a sparkling white suit, belting out our favourite songs “Some people say I’m not cool…because I’m hot!” said Richard, as he sizzled and wiggled his lithe body to fast music for the second half of the concert. Richard is a senior who works hard all his life, continuously doing the things he is good at and enjoying it. While many Malaysians retire at 55-60, this 67-year (at the time of the concert) consummate artiste is not slowing down. He does not want to retire, saying that he would continue to work as long as he is physically able to. Like his song, Move It, Richard moves on. He tries out new ways to spice up his singing. He has produced a compact disc called Two’s Company by inviting famous artistes to sing popular duets with him. Some of these singers are Matt Monro, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, Anne Murray, Lulu and Hank Marvin. That evening, together with some guest artistes, Richard sang some of the songs from his duet album.  Currently, Sir Cliff Richard at age 75, who started his career in the 1950s, is still singing and entertaining young and old fans alike. He has the drive to continue working for as long as he is able to, showing that age is not a barrier if you want to follow your dream.  Attending the concert was a dream come true for me. It was memorable, and every time I listen to Cliff Richard's songs, it reminds me of that nostalgic night. ...................................................................................................................

If you are a Cliff Richard fan, listen to his songs in "The Countdown Concert" Part 1 and Part 11, where the versatile singer sang a variety of popular songs that cover the decades 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.