Concert Review: Al McKay & Gang Evoke 70s Music Magic At Arena Of Stars

It’s the eve of Christmas, and there’s no place we would rather be than Resort World Genting. Why? Well apart from being one of Malaysia’s premier tourist destinations, it’s also the place where legendary Al McKay of the iconic trio, Earth Wind And Fire (EWF) performed along with his All-star band in the Arena Of Stars.

Filling up the seats of the arena, the crowd was briefed with all the safety measures of the venue. After that, the screen quickly shifted to a different tone, when the crowd was greeted by a fury of Merry Christmas wishes from a plethora of famous artist from iconic Hong Kong stars, Taiwanese singers and even some local celebrities.

Before the main act make their way on stage, fans were greeted by the opening of the Yuletide carollers, who flew all the way from New York City to add some festive cheers into the arena. Singing some of the most iconic music that Christmas has to offer, the trio manage to fill the entire venue with a sense of homeliness and comfort that only Christmas can bring.

It should be noted that due to some circumstances, the show was officially delayed for half an hour. However, it was all worth the wait when the entire crew of McKay and the gang made it all on stage to play their opening act of an EWF’s classic “Serpentine Fire”. The spectacular performance managed to liven up the whole crowd and also lit up the stage with energy and grooviness.

Taking a moment to address the crowd, the band revealed that they have traveled a long way in order to get to Genting, with them having to stop by Los Angeles and Hamburg before getting here. However, it was all worth it as they invited the audience to come join in on the fun, as they got their grooved back on with “Got To Get You Into My Life”.

Feeling themselves tonight, the singers invited the crowd to raise their hands up in the air, which many were happy to oblige. Wanting to get the crowd more involve with the show, the singers also invited the crowd to stand up and move to the beat as they soldier on with their next song, “Saturday Nite”.

Unsatisfied with the situation, the band’s vocalist, Tim Owens, once again implored the crowd to stand up and let loose. He even gave an inspiring speech on how music was one of the last remaining voice that people have when speaking about unity and spreading love. That being said, he told each and everyone member of the audience that were present that night that they were a shining star. This was one of the smoothest segway to their next song, “Shining Star”.

After a few songs, Owens took a minute to give a few words of appreciation to the original EWF member, Al McKay, who not only produced all the timeless classics we heard that night, but also for spreading the message of love to the entire world. Another person that also received a shout out was pianist Ben Dowling, who then played a beautiful solo piano piece to reciprocate the love shown to him.

Continuing on with “Reasons”, the next few songs passed by like a breeze as all the members on stage looked like they were having the time of their lives, and it showed in their music. Getting the crowd on their feet, the performers decided to end the night with a bang. The entertainers delivered a barrage of grooves as they performed, arguably, the 3 most iconic songs of EWF – “September”, “Boogie Wonderland” and “Let’s Groove”.

Approaching midnight, the show had a countdown to the special day. When the clock finally hit 12 midnight, Merry Christmas wishes were exchanged. The band decided to start off the jolliest time of the year with the only way they know how – with music of course.

Slowing things down, they sang a couple of Christmas melodies to truly bring the feeling of Christmas home. After all the songs were done, the crew members gathered in front of the stage to give one last bow and end the show with a big thank you.

All in all, we’re truly blessed to have such music legends to perform on our shores, and we wish that they would considered coming back here again in the foreseeable future.