As predicted by NST, the evening belonged to Aizat. He captured hearts with Pergi, a song composed by Pete Teo, and translated by Amran Omar.
Accompanied by a classical Indian singer and an erhu player, the boy wonder did no wrong in a farewell serenade to famed director, Yasmin Ahmad, who passed away last year. Aizat’s song also reveres other Malaysian legends including political figures Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Tan Cheng Lock Tan Sri P. Ramlee and Datuk Sudirman Arshad.
The 21-year-old from Johor continued to work his magic with an adorable performance of his self-composed Kau Aku. The singer relived his childhood days and even had a mini version of himself strumming the guitar on the stage surrounded by schoolchildren.
Faizal Tahir will always be Faizal Tahir, even with crutches. Bercinta was the singer’s third entry in AJL. The 31-year-old did not let his futsal injury hamper his performance. He brought drama, as usual, by “stumbling off” the stage at the end of his show. Sadly, his vocals were not as powerful. Still, kudos to the chap for going against doctor’s orders and giving us solid entertainment.
Yuna proved that you don’t need to hit the high notes in order to have impact. Dan Sebenarnya was soothing and she also sparkled on the guitar.
Misha Omar and Alyah were her close contenders. Without a doubt both sang well. Misha’s performance in Cinta Adam dan Hawa looked a strong candidate in bagging Best Vocal, yet sadly things didn’t fall through as winner of reality show Mentor’s Black nabbed it with his insanely high vocals in Aku Rindu Sayang Kamu.
Bands Bunkface and Hujan were also memorable.
Honestly, there weren’t any high expectations of Bunkface to bag any award but its performance of Situasi was indeed entertaining. Two children went on stage to accompany Sam, the lead singer of the band, for the youth anthem of 2009. In fact, the entire stadium was singing along to the chorus.
Hujan pushed the envelope further than usual, with a jazzy interpretation of Aku Skandal that slowly morphed into their usual rock style.
Despite Noh’s hardly there vocals, Hujan’s mosh-pitters became the core of the performance.
The mosh-pit was well choreographed. From their Mexican wave to the head bangings, they did their bit for Hujan’s memorable entry to AJL.
Forgettable performances were inevitable at this year’s AJL too. Hafiz’s Masih Jelas was such a disappointment. Many had high hopes that the lad from Kuching would deliver his finest. The singer was short on creativity and hardly blew anyone away with his vocals.
Akim’s Bengang was a downer. The so-called dark horse of the show became a theatrical act a la a modern rock version of Phantom of the Opera. He even looked like an anime character.
What about Tomok? The reliving of Bollywood’s Mohabbatein with a special appearance by actress Diana Danielle was so yesterday. It was a self-indulgent performance and the once frontman of New Boyz hardly did anything spectacular. As far as guest artistes were concerned, the opening act was a classic.
Datuk Siti Nurhaliza sang AJL 23rd's winning composition, Lagu Untukmu with Lan, ex-frontman of Meet Uncle Hussain. There were goosebumps all over when both singers sang the high notes. As for the hosts, Cheryl Samad and Ally Iskandar did fairly well but Faizal Ismail was a bit too bitter throughout with his sarcastic remarks. Were those really in the script? The night also saw a strong jury headed by famed composer Fauzi Marzuki.
He was assisted by Siti, Zainal Abidin, Hazami, Dr Wan Zawawi, Dr Syed Ahmad Faizal Al Attas, Fatimah Abu Bakar and Group Chief Executive Officer of Media Prima’s Television Networks Datuk Seri Farid Ridzuan. The theme Music Unfolds captured the transmission of music in the industry.
From good old Pop Yeh Yeh of Jefrydin to disco fever with Jay Jay, the concept was executed almost perfectly. Sadly, there were some technical glitches during Jefrydin’s performance.
As Search took the stage with Pawana and Fantasia Bulan Madu, the audience went crazy.
Amy donned a long wig that strongly resembled the days when he used to have one. The strong performance had everyone on their feet.
Overall, was the RM2 million spent worth it? Yes. Brilliant lighting, great visual aids, an impressive elevated stage and great props all point to a job well done by AJL production team headed by Ahmad Shaifullnizam.
What about the new no-category concept? It worked well as performers were given the creative freedom to rearrange their songs outside of their original genres. It gave more colour and variety to their performances and AJL ought to give the format another shot in the coming year.
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