This year has certainly seen an electrifying mix of international and local lineup play some of the biggest fan-loving hits in the country.
They ranged from major names like Bruno Mars – whose May 9 concert date coincided with another significant day for Malaysians – and the soprano-singing Mariah Carey in October, to fresh faces in the British three-member band New Hope Club, and Lover Boy singer Phum Viphurit at Urbanscapes in November.
This year has played out to be quite an experience for people who enjoy music and catching live shows of their favourite performers.
Local band Bunkface provided another notable moment performing its pop-punk influence that lent a breath of freshness – straying from the typical folksy sound of most songs for the occasion – with Kita Punya Malaysia.
The song, written by lead vocalist Shamsul ‘Sam’ Anuar, was selected as the official theme song performed at this year’s National Day celebrations.
James Blunt and John Legend came to perform their respective concerts in March, each best-known for his romantic (and unforgettable) ‘earworms’ such as Blunt’s You’re Beautiful and Legend’s All of Me.
Meanwhile, the last Saturday of March and first Friday of April featured two awesome nights of music in separate instalments of Heineken Live Your Music.
Deafening screams from the crowd for an encore brought American band LANY (an acronym that symbolises these iconic US West coast and East coast cities) back out to perform two of its greatest hits, Super Far and ILYSB.
Then, DJ and music producer Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd, commanded the stage at KL Live the following week.
The 28-year-old whose songs like Clarity, Beautiful Now, and Stay usually scale Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, showcased his skills to a sold-out venue, as part of his Asia Club Tour 2018.
Meanwhile, young local band Midnight Fusic served as opening act for LANY with its original singles, Heart of May and Lovesick, and Zedd had three homegrown names – BATE, Hypeembeats, and Chuckiess & Whackboi – opening for him.
Another highlight of the year would be British pop darling Dua Lipa, who performed a banging first headliner here in May.
The 22-year-old, responsible for the anthemic girl-gang IDGAF and New Rules, was part of the lineup at Good Vibes festival last year, but returned on May 3 as part of The Self-Titled Tour, in support of her eponymous 2017 debut album.
When she exploded on stage with Blow Your Mind (Mwah), her young fans lost their collective chill, screaming so loud that some of the concert dads accompanying their daughters that night must have thought their children were having a fit!
On the topic of Good Vibes, July was arguably the hottest and most exciting month with an extensive lineup that included top international artistes like SZA, Majid Jordan, Lorde, Vince Staples, The Neighbourhood, and Lois the Child.
The two-day event up in the chilly hills of Genting also saw local acts – Zamaera, Pastel Lite, Lunadira, A-Kid, Senna, Froya, Dangerdisko, plus U Mobile #UnlimitedGrooves Musicmakers Bil Musa and Kyoto Protocol – setting the stage on fire with their sets.
Riding the Korean wave to our shores was mega-boyband EXO, which presented a visually and sonically explosive sold-out performance on July 7 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
The SM Entertainment oppas were in town for its EXO Planet #4 The ElyXiOn, and pulled out all the stops: flames, fireworks, and an undeniable level of dedication.
The boys’ two-and-a-half hours of synchronised choreography fittingly ended with their sweet rendition of Angel, a song from their debut album Mama.
Another K-pop scream-inducing favourite, girl group TWICE, was scheduled to perform the next day in its first show in Malaysia.
However, safety concerns over the venue by label JYP Entertainment prompted the cancellation of the group’s TWICELand Zone 2: Fantasy Park tour stop in the late hours after the girls’ press conference on July 27.
The energy picked up in November when the great Khalid led the musical acts of creative arts festival Urbanscapes: Khalid Live in Malaysia.
Local singer/songwriter Alextbh opened the night with a pride flag draped across his shoulders, and left show-goers in a rather euphoric feeling, before the ‘American Teen’ further amplified the night’s atmosphere with zealous energy and dancers who shared the same performing spirit.
It was evident the singer and his crew were having a blast. And his fans reciprocated the love by singing every lyric to songs like 8TEEN and Location from his 2017 American Teen album.
Rounding up the year with perfect pitch was New Jersey-native Charlie Puth for his Voicenotes Tour stop on Nov 14. The one-night-only show had the 26-year-old performing tracks from his sophomore album Voicenotes – an album he chose to produce himself.
While Puth continues to register chart-topping success such as with the groovy guitar riffs in Voicenotes’ lead single Attention (currently listed as the most popular song on Spotify), his association with Wiz Khalifa’s See You Again seemed inseparable.
The Furious 7 soundtrack remains one of his most recognisable tracks, and was, of course, the encore for the night.
What’s in store for next year you ask?
Singapore’s The Sam Willows will be bringing the band – comprising siblings Benjamin and Narelle Kheng, Jon Chua, and Sandra Riley Tang – on an Asian tour in support of its 2018 studio album, I Know But Where.
The band sprung the surprise announcement on fans during an intimate showcase at the swanky Wicked Club, in W Kuala Lumpur, on Nov 27.
Locations for its tour will include Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, with Kuala Lumpur being one its first stops next March.
Irish rock band Kodaline and English electronic music duo Honne will be coming back to Kuala Lumpur in March 2019 with Good Vibes Presents.
The former will be performing at KL Live on March 3 as part of its Politics of Living Tour, after Honne takes the stage on March 2 for its Love Me/ Love Me Not Asian Tour Part 1.
As the new year approaches, the musical possibilities bound to come our way is looking bright and merry.
