My thoughts on…Kitaro

I knew he was famous. I mean, who wouldn’t have heard of Kitaro, the man responsible for bringing new age music onto the world stage? But I wasn’t quite expecting such a huge turn out for his one-night only concert in Singapore. After all, the New Age music scene is already so well-dominated with the likes of Vangelis and Enya.

A good half hour before his grand appearance, the carparks at the Singapore Indoor Stadium were already full. My hubby and I had to park a distance away, join a queue that snaked its way slowly into the concert hall, the atmosphere thick with anticipation.

The stadium was half-filled by the time we got there, the stage set with an elaborate display of synthesisers, the instrument of choice for the man behind such popular tunes as the Silk Road and Matsuri.

As with most bigshot superstars, the concert didn’t start on time. I suppose the waiting was deliberate, to keep everyone waiting on the edge of our seats. I must admit that it was worth the wait though. For me, the sight of Kitaro live in person was a rare treat, much more so since I had the privilege of viewing the concert from five rows away. Up close and personal to the master musician himself. How lucky can one get?

The lights went out, the smoke spewing all over for effect, the master musician still in his legendary long hair took centre- stage and started weaving his magic into a tapestry of electronic sounds punctuated by the pounding of the taiko drums.

I heard a candid remark from two seats away: “He can make music out of anything”. Indeed. That’s why he’s the legend.

Of course there were moments when I thought the music and the drumming were a little out of sync, especially at the start and the end of the concert. It’s probably no fault of his since there was such a huge group of drummers. There was also a Chinese song that stood out like a sore thumb for me but I suppose he was trying to vary his repertoire.

Shrouded in a cloud of mystique and feverish hand-gesturing as though in a trance, he is, on the whole, an excellent entertainer. A master in his own right.

Kitaro Love and Peace Planet Music Tour 2010… were you there? Share your experience with us.