Malaysia's legendary rock band - WINGS returned to ISTANA BUDAYA with National Symphony Orchestra and we excitedly attended the first show as always.
It was a grandeur opening when it opened with this one guy (Mohar) on stage playing the 'seruling' (Malay's traditional flute). Then with grand applause from the audience, the orchestra was lifted up onto the stage, followed with WINGS, each one dressed in suit.
The band then hit the haunting track "Amok" and with no break, continued with "Bujang Senang". We tried hard to guess, as the beginning part of "Bujang Senang" has really transformed into this one gigantic orchestral piece and when AWIE finally hit " ... ketenangan air halus manja ...", we just can't stop cursing ourselve for not able to figure that out. While, the 3rd track "Pengabdian Ku Kekasih" started with this one very 'bluesy' moment, with JOE and AWIE battling one another with the riffing and singing.
AWIE only started to communicate with the crowd after the 3rd song, thanking ISTANA BUDAYA for allowing them to return.
When IAN ANTONO (GOD BLESS - Indonesian veteran rock band) and HILLARY ANG came out for the guitar showcase - "Illusi Intonasi", the following set later turned really heavy especially the mid part of "Dari Tuhan", followed by the fast track "Ameringo" and "Julang Timur Tengah". IAN then left and HILLARY continued on stage until the end.
Our best moment must be when they belted out their rare tracks like "Hikayat Penuh Ranjau" and "Kota Kemusnahan" which you don't really get to hear during most of the usual shows.
Yes, WINGS might have heard us the last time, and "Harapan" was mesmerizing when blended with piano and orchestral strings. With AWIE hitting the high note perfectly, that was simply our climax. Thanks for "Bujang Senang" too.
It was then "Sejati" that wrapped the night up. The guitar intro alone sparked massive screams from the crowds. Everything was brilliant and AWIE (vocal) was simply top notch. It looks that all their hard works really paid off.
We are definitely ready for their next rockestra show if they somehow plan for their 3rd, but only if they promise us "Midnight Blues", "Rantai" and "Dalam Kehadiran Sofiah".
No picture ? Yes, none ! 'Seeing is believing' is crap if you need photo to justify that. By the way, camera is a big no in Istana Budaya. Just be there at ROCKESTRA 2013 instead and WINGS will ensure that you get this one mind blowing experience. Legendary show !
Setlist
1) Amok (Bazooka Penaka)
2) Bujang Senang (Teori Domino)
3) Pengabdian Ku Kekasih (Bazooka Penaka)
4) Suara Kita (Bazooka Penaka)
5) Hikayat Penuh Ranjau (Hukum Karma)
6) Anugerah (Hukum Karma)
7) Sayap Illusi (Naga Kramat)
8) Alam Barzakh (Teori Domino)
9) Awang Thrasher (Jerangkung Dalam Almari)
10) Misteri Mimpi Syakilla (Hukum Karma)
11) Illusi Intonasi (guitar showcase)
(with Joe Wings/Ian Antono/Hillary Ang)
12) Dari Tuhan (Belenggu Irama)
13) Ameringo (Naga Kramat)
14) Julang Timur Tengah (Mr Barbarik)
15) Taman Rashidah Utama (Hukum Karma)
16) Ranjang Mawar (Orang Asing)
17) Kota Kemusnahan (Belenggu Irama)
18) Harapan (Teori Domino)
Encore
19) Opera Hidup (Hukum Karma)
20) Sejati (Teori Donimo)
