From the nickname of world-renowned producer and songwriter David Foster alone, attendees knew what to expect at the "Hitman David Foster And Friends Asia Tour 2016" that took place on Wednesday at the Impact Arena. Even those paying 10,000 baht for a ticket had to agree that the concert was worth every satang spent. When you had Foster himself, Melanie C (Spice Girls), Natalie Imbruglia, Peter Cetera (Chicago), Richard Marx and newcomer Gerphil Flores taking the stage together, everything else faded in comparison.
The first guest Foster invited out was none other than Mel C. Donning a black sporty ensemble with heels, and showing tattoos on her muscular arms, the former Sporty Spice seemed a little lonely without her girls. Still, she made use of all the empty space by dancing around the stage by herself while Foster sat at the piano. "It's hard being five people at once," she said after performing Spice Girls' classics like 2 Become 1 and Wannabe. Unbelievably, this marked her first performance in Thailand -- how did we get to 2016 without a Spice Girls concert in Bangkok? We have no idea, either.
After Mel C, we welcomed the German-Filipina starlet Gerphil Flores on stage. Flores, who placed third on the 2015 Asia's Got Talent, seemed a stranger to us at first. But the moment she let that first note escape her lips, she became our new best friend. In her green dress, the soprano soared high with the voice of a perfect Disney princess. Her rendition of The Impossible Dream and The Prayer (a duet with Kittinan Chinsamran from The Voice Thailand Season 2) was flawless and enchanting.
At first, we wondered how Flores would stand against all the international stars Foster had brought along. It turned out she flourished, even outshining the big names with her pitch and range. At 25, she has a long career ahead of her. Asia's Golden Girl is definitely here to stay.
Next was Peter Cetera, of the rock band Chicago, performing all the classic hits we've loved through the years like Glory Of Love, You're The Inspiration, If You Leave Me Now, Hard To Say I'm Sorry and 25 Or 6 To 4. Is he truly 71 years old? We can barely tell. The man's still got his voice. And the crowd definitely loved him. Everyone was singing along to all the hits -- a nice change after we were left speechless by Flores' performance. Cetera's charming and soulful voice left a warm imprint on us long after the concert was over.
Natalie Imbruglia claimed the mic after Cetera. Like Mel C, Imbruglia said the concert was her first performance in Thailand. She took us on a journey with Instant Crush, Celine Dion's classic Because You Loved Me and the worldwide hit Torn. It seemed everybody knew Torn. Judging from the amount of smartphones raised to film the performance, it was one of the songs the crowd had been waiting for. Her time on stage ended too soon.
The backing band then got a bit of a rest after Richard Marx took to the stage with his guitar. He began his act with his 1988 hit Endless Summer Nights -- a great fit for Bangkok's temperature. It was followed by an acoustic rendition of Now And Forever and an upbeat Should've Known Better. Then the crowd broke out their lights for Right Here Waiting, which was performed acoustically. The sea of waving lights suited the performance perfectly. And Marx's romantic songs got everyone -- singles and couples -- swaying in their seats.
Michael Jackson's Earth Song was the show's finale. When all the stars reappeared onstage together, it seemed the entire hall was overwhelmed by their presence, collectively moved by their interpretation of the late artist's ballad before everyone bid the audience farewell. Only the Hitman himself returned for an encore, in which he gave a piano solo as a parting gift.
