The show must go on
FOR those of you watching the MTV World Stage 2014 at home, congratulations. You get to enjoy the show without all the false starts, delays, and MTV veejays constantly competing for your attention in clichéd scream-meter tests.
Last weekend, thousands of fans made their way to Surf Beach at Sunway Lagoon in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, for the MTV World Stage. The crowd of enthusiastic and mostly young fans were there to witness the likes of Yuna, Boys Republic and B.o.B in action.
Compared to previous years’ performers like Blurred Lines hitmaker Robin Thicke in 2013 and Justin Bieber in 2012, this year’s lineup didn’t seem so exciting.
Jennifer Hudson, who was supposed to perform here, had pulled out due to a scheduling conflict, so MTV roped in Thai-American hiphop outfit Thaitanium as a last-minute addition to the lineup. As a result, the buzz surrounding this year’s event felt less than palpable. But the show must go on, and fortunately, the artists at the event didn’t disappoint.
As the first act for the night, Thaitanium had the unenviable task of getting the crowd all hyped up for the next three hours. Thankfully, members Khan, Way, Day, Big Calo and Tony Bo kept the crowd entertained throughout their mammoth 11-track set. They also debuted new single Wake Up (Bangkok City), a collaborative effort with American rapper Snoop Dogg, which hopefully would be the group’s breakthrough into the American music market.
It took a while for the next act to take the stage, but K-pop dance group Boys Republic finally emerged on stage with You Are Special. Their well-choreographed performance made the wait worthwhile, especially for the screaming die-hard fans. Members Onejunn, Sunwoo, Sungjun, Minsu, and Suwoong also got the crowd going with an energetic performance of Video Game.
Malaysia’s very own Yuna took the stage later backed by her band The Palauans, and she kicked off her set with Falling. Yuna’s laidback set was a welcome break from the earlier performers’ dance and rap routine. Amidst a visually spectacular backdrop of waterfall pyrotechnics, Yuna also performed Mountains and fan favourite Terukir Di Bintang. At the end of Lelaki – which sends out a message of disillusionment with men – Yuna quipped: “Tapi bukan semua lelaki tak guna ya ... (not all men are useless)”.
The final act of the night, American rapper B.o.B, wasted no time and hyped up the crowd again with Magic. The rapper – who previously performed here in 2012 – seemed to really enjoy his second show here. He was the only performer that got really close to the audience, even managing to use a fan’s smartphone for a selfie while performing (twice!). On Both Of Us – a country/rap collaboration with Taylor Swift released in 2012 – he asked the crowd to hold up their camera phones like lighters, and even crowdsurfed before closing with Still In This.
For the crowd, the depleted line-up probably didn’t even matter, as long as they got to enjoy some live music. Having said that, here’s hoping MTV will reward its fans’ enthusiasm and loyalty with another great show next year.
Catch the premiere of MTV World Stage 2014 on Aug 20 at 8.30pm on MTV (Astro Ch 713).