Henry Chung Esquire

Not an understatement. I just don't know what to say. All I can say is "Wow."

When Lowell invited me to play "Skybird" with him 2 weeks ago, I was like, "I can't ruin your song. That's your most famous song." Nevertheless, Lowell put his utmost trust in me. He didn't ask me any questions. He didn't tell me how to play it. And when I went to the rehearsals last Sunday, he kindly adjusted to my needs. He even accomodated my request to lower the key from E minor to D minor because I told him it would sound better on the harmonica. We practiced the song in the little room. Just me and Lowell. That was unreal.

Unreal. Because this is a guy I used to idolized when I was a kid. I grew up listening to his songs, admiring his talent, and always looking forward to his next concert. After his 1990 concert (I was 13 at the time), I was looking forward to his next one. We all waited for 18 years. 18 years is a good benchmark to measure one's growth. And it turned out that it was well worth the wait.

When Cat Stevens made his comeback album "Another Cup" a couple years ago, I foresaw the comeback of Lowell. But I never thought I would be standing next to him on the stage of HK Coliseum playing a duo number, "Skybird" no less. The feeling was larger than life. To top that off, I played another number "Knocking on Heaven's Door" on the stage with Joey Tang and So Tak Wah, two of my childhood guitar heroes. How much more can a guy like myself ask for?

The band was amazing. The music was amazing. The audience's reaction was spectacular. They were true music lovers. They were there for the music, and something more.

It was all above love. Lowell himself embraces the phenomenon completely. He's full of love and compassion, and his heart is pure. After spending several days with him talking, joking and rehearsing, I can safely say that he's a truly wonderful person. He believes in music and love. He is still hopeful about humanity.

So at this juncture, I'm still breathless and am still in disbelief. There is much more I want to say (I mean, how incredible is that to have extensive backstage conversations with the likes of Jonathan Lee, George Lam, and Paula Tsui?)...

More photos will be posted, and more scattered thoughts will be posted....in bits and pieces....

Labels: Cat Stevens, HK music industry, live music, Lowell Lo

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