My night with the stars of Sunburst (Part 2)

Well, it wasn't really just MY night with the stars. It was probably shared with around 15,000 music fans. 15th March 2008 at Sunburst Music Festival will probably be memorable to many. I know mine was, not only because I had the wonderful company of my friends, but also had a Paparazzi Pass that allowed me to get closer to the stages. And adding more exclusivity to my night, I had a meet and greet with Incubus right before they performed. Now, I'm no groupie but I wouldn't pass off an opportunity like that!

Now...the performances... Incubus was excellent although I did feel that this would be their last performance in Malaysia ever. Why? He went from shirt to singlet, and singlet to topless. Now, now...Malaysia doesn't allow that! I'm pretty sure, the oganisers got that message across to them right? So, I'm thinking they probably just don't give a f**k anymore here. Despite the fact that the entire Sunburst schedule was delayed and they sure didn't look all bright and sunny at the press con right before their performance. I love these guys...but if this really was the case...shame on us for making our guests feel how they did.

Nonetheless, John Legend was a good performance - he grabbed someone up on stage, thankfully without a boner this time. From the local platter, Reza Salleh put on a wonderful performance, introducing himself several times to the crowd (Reza, we know you by now!). Che'nelle ... well... I'm no big fan...but she sings so close like she does on record, one would question if she lip syncs. Meet Uncle Hussein was a crowd pleaser to some, with Era FM announcers giving away free t-shirts right before the performance.


Off stage, I'd say the ambiance was great. The setup of the Tuborg beer garden, the fire juggling performances, and the food by Planet Hollywood, it was all good work.

A shoutout to the horsies who put up with the noise - Thank You!

My night with the stars of Sunburst (Part 1)

Fantastic! Even before the event, it was FANtastic (pun intended). I was privileged to have Tuborg invite me to a pre-event-closed-door party with the artists of Sunburst, a night before the event at the Ritz Carlton KL. It was a little cocktail party for invited guests to meet and greet local celebs and the Sunburst artists, as well as have a sneak peek of what would be in store for us the next day at the music festival itself.

I was so eager to meet Incubus but sadly, only managed to see Dj Chris Killmore and not the rest of the band. George Clinton was recognisable through his cool braids. John Legend was there for a bit (he's not as tall as I expected him to be).

But that night really made me realise that in this time and generation, the Malaysian music scene really has the potential. Two names i give you now, to look out for in the coming years - Reza Salleh and Yuna.

Reza Salleh is no stranger to the local music scene, thanks to his contribution to Laundry Bar's Moonshine music show. But who interests me the most is Yuna. She has sounds so very similar to Corrine Bailey Rae + Frente. I might be setting high expectations here, but this is really one talent to look out for. I had a few minutes with her to find out about her future plans. Sadly, she's not looking to be recording anytime soon due to studies. go check out Yuna's myspace.

All in all, it was a good start for the event of the year and most definitely a memorable experience for me. Here's a shoutout to Siao Ling and Chui Hoon for making all this happen.

Bands of Sunburst KL 08 - Reza Salleh (Part 4)

Those who frequent Laundry Bar should be familiar with the name Reza Salleh. He's the man behind the Moonshine music show here. For those of you who have no idea about this homegrown talent, Reza's got tunes that are somewhat (to me) similar to Matchbox 20/Rob Thomas and Ryan Cabrera.