Sweet goodbye as The Wynners toast to 50-year career
The Wynners: Farewell With Love Live In Singapore
Sands Grand Ballroom
Dec 17
It was more a celebration than farewell party at the Sands Grand Ballroom where Hong Kong pop band The Wynners played to a full-house crowd of 6,200 fans.
Perhaps a line from the opening chorus in Never Change sums it best – “you and I don’t meet but the greetings we send are warmer”.
That dose of warmth, lots of humour and a list of nearly 50 songs (medleys included) closed the 12-year gap when Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, Bennett Pang, Danny Yip and Anthony Chan last performed in Singapore.
Lead vocalist Tam, 73, said: “We hope everyone can cherish and enjoy every minute of the show as much as we do.”
“I see that everyone is in a good mood today, may every friend here enjoy the result of our 50th anniversary,” added lead vocalist Bee, 70.
After their current 50th anniversary concert tour, the band will disband.
Other than classics that included Listen To The Music, This Song, Just Play and Face The Reality, they also performed Five Black-haired Teenagers that was released this year.
“We went from five black-haired to four, and one white-haired,” Bee joked, referring to 73-year-old bassist Yip.
The band members were also given their “solo” moments with drummer Chan displaying a perfect sense of rhythm and dynamics.
Before playing Sound, lead guitarist Pang, 74, said it was important to complement his cool image with a pair of sunglasses.
Tam shared how his father shaped his love for music: “He told me that I must sing with my heart.
“He also introduced me to English songs from American singers Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong.”
And with that, he gave a soulful rendition of Mona Lisa.
As Bee introduced his daughter on stage, he said: “We rarely have special guests on our shows, but the one I want to bring on now is not a guest, she is my family.”
Blythe, 19, is no stranger to The Wynners’ concerts, he added, as clips of her previous appearances were shown – when she was two, six and 13.
The father and daughter performed Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, before Blythe took over.
He told her: “As 90 per cent of the audience here are your ‘elders’, you need to pick an older song that will resonate with them.”
Her choice was Cut Love by Taiwanese singer A-mei, one that was met with resounding approval from the fans.
Bee said after: “I’m feeling a little proud. That was the most nervous part of tonight’s show.”
As the concert drew to an end, The Wynners toasted the audience with glasses of champagne – which felt more like a celebration of the music they have brought to their fans.
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