Still the queen of rock

MALAYSIA'S rock icon Ella received a standing ovation at the end of her solo concert, A Rock Queen's Journey, with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) in Kuala Lumpur over last weekend.
I had expected Ella to start her concert with a bang. But that was not the case. She appeared nervous on stage, looking like a lost child. Her usual spark was missing, as she sung her first song, Nuri.
But by her third song, Pengemis Cinta, Ella had regained her spark and from that moment on, she was in top form, living up to her title of rock queen.
The concert was not only entertaining but also exciting on many levels. The MPO, under the guidance of conductor Ahmad Muriz Che Rose, brought many new interesting twists to her songs.
Praise must also go to Jenny Chin, Leonard Yeap Lin Soon, Syed Sharir Faisal Syed Hussain, Luqman Abdul Aziz, and, of course, Ahmad Muriz, who all helped craft the new arrangements for Ella's music especially for this concert.
Initially, there were reservations that the new arrangements might mar Ella's classic hits but such fears were soon laid to rest as the concert went on.
Her songs sounded sophisticated, grand, and majestic. One could see that a lot of energy and hard work had been put into changing the tone of her songs to be suitable for an orchestral performance.
One of my favourite tunes of the night was Layar Impian. Chin had beautifully rearranged the sound to be more upbeat than in the original song.
Another favourite was Ella's Bahasa Malaysia rendition of Standing in the Eyes of the World, the official song for the 16th Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Ella also had the crowd going wild when she sung a medley of her hits such as Sepi Sekuntum Mawar Merah, Cinta Selembut Sutera, Tiada Tangis Lagi, Retak, and Demi.
However, while the music was on point, Ella's attire for the concert was a little off-key.
Everything about her first outfit – a grey, checkered pantsuit – was completely unflattering, from its colour to the fit.
Usually, I made a point never to discuss a singer's attire. After all, it is a concert, not some fashion show. However, this particular outfit was so shocking that people could not stop talking about it during the intermission.
Thankfully, her second outfit of the night – a long black dress with one giant ruffle – looked better, and less distracting.
Usually, audiences at the DFP are reserved and well behaved. But the grooving Ella managed to loosen everyone up.
At the halfway point of the show, she kicked off her high heels and continued to entertain her fans barefooted.
The atmosphere in DFP instantly came alive with the audience singing, clapping, laughing and joking along with her.
What more can you ask for in a concert?
She deserved all the applause and ovations given to her that evening.
One fan in the auditorium even shouted at the end of the concert: "Ella, you cannot go home"!
This fan certainly did not want the night to end and most probably, she was not alone in her sentiment.