POP Queen Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza can now call herself a Malaysian legend.
Possessing the best qualities any entertainer can have, she will mark three decades in show business next year, and last Saturday she marked the occasion with a splendid concert at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
The two-and-a-half-hour concert titled 'Konsert Sebuah Epitome: Saya Siti Nurhaliza' was produced by her own humanitarian foundation Yayasan Nurjiwa in aid of the suffering people of Gaza, Palestine, and was attended by a whopping 10,000 fans.
SILVER AND BLUE
Looking and sounding picture-perfect from the word 'go', Siti or Tok Ti to her fans delivered 25 flawless songs and medleys, and also had entertaining duets with Syamel Fodzly of Malaysia and Judika of Indonesia.
The concert kicked off at 8.30pm with a silver-and-blue-dressed Siti standing majestically on a lift platform and waving to the roaring applause of the crowd.
She started her show with the first of its four segments which featured power-packed and easy-listening pop songs with ample sing-along opportunities.
RAPPING SKILLS
Siti's first song was 'Lebih Indah', a hopeful tune that motivated Malaysians to think positively and work hard to achieve their dreams, and this was followed by a medley of the cautionary tale of managing success, '7 Nasihat', and the song about valuing one's friends 'Ganti'.
In this medley, Siti displayed her superb dancing skills and also impressed her guests with her ability to rap.
Many in the crowd became ecstatic the moment she switched from pop to hip-hop.
PORTUGUESE FAN
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm so happy to see all of you tonight. Do sing along with me, for we are all going to have a great two hours or more," said Siti.
She then delivered the sing-along medley of 'Purnama Merindu' and 'Kesilapanku Keegoanmu', and revealed that one of her fans from Portugal came all the way to KL just to watch her in action.
PRIME MINISTER'S BIOPIC
Siti then sang two songs containing the word "matahari" (sun) namely 'Sehebat Matahari', her Women's Day anthem dedicated to all women of the world, and 'Menjaga Cintamu', the theme song of 'Anwar: The Untold Story', last year's biopic of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Siti's second segment featured more adult contemporary material, namely songs that reflected more profound topics such as humanitarian causes, lost love and picking oneself up.
This segment was heralded by sounds of a thunderstorm, and scenes of Palestinians rebuilding their lives following days of Israeli aggression in Gaza.
Siti re-appeared on stage in a sombre black dress to song 'Oda Di Bumi Anbiya', specially dedicated to the children of Palestine.
Its profound lyrics included hard-hitting statements which said that the world appeared to have closed its eyes and tied its hands and allowed the Palestinians to suffer.
JAPANESE TUNE
Her next song had a beautiful Japanese-sounding tune which was made possible by traditional Chinese drums and string instruments. Titled 'Kurniaan Dalam Samaran', it was from her self-titled debut album in 1996, and spoke of the hardships couples had to face in making their marriages work.
HARDSHIP
Siti once again had the crowd singing along to her upbeat numbers 'Salju Kasihnya' about always looking ahead and 'Basyirah' about the need for individuals to endure hardship in order to grow.
She ended this segment with a sweet-sounding medley combining her major hits 'Bukan Cinta Biasa', 'Biarlah Rahsia' and 'Aku Bidadari Syurgamu', which were followed by the release of thousands of Siti-autographed cards for the audience, that literally rained down from the ceiling.
CUCKOO SONG
Now wearing a regal, ruby-red dress, Siti reappeared on stage singing 'Sama-Sama' the catchy jingle for household appliances brand Cuckoo which was the concert's main sponsor.
She then sang two fast-paced medleys, comprising 'Debaran Cinta' and 'Siapa Tak Mahu', and Usah Diragui' and 'Azimat Cinta'.
The audience continued to sing entire choruses with their idol, and a few of them were seen waving placards which read "God Save The Queen Siti".
INDONESIAN CROONER
Next up was Siti's first guest artiste for the evening, 'Indonesian Idol' Judika who admitted that Siti had always been his inspiration.
Dressed in a ruby-red suit that matched Siti's dress, Judika sang two melodious duets with Siti namely the medley of 'Dirgahayu' and 'Seluruh Cinta', and the profound 'Kisah Ku Inginkan'.
"I'm a big fan of you too, Judika, and you'll always be welcome in KL," said Siti to the applause of the crowd.
Judika then greeted his Malaysian fans and treated them to his popular song 'Mama Papa Larang', a story of forbidden love.
ISTANA BUDAYA
Joined by Istana Budaya dancers and backed by the National Symphony Orchestra as well as music maestro Aubrey Suwito on the keyboards, Siti now re-emerged dressed like a warrior princess.
She sang a medley of 'Mahligai Permata' and 'Cindai', her best known 'Lagu Asli', and introduced music director Suwito to the crowd.
Popular reality show graduate and 'Anugerah Juara Lagu' past winner Syamel Fodzly then joined Siti in 'Kalau Berkasih', which Siti originally recorded with Datuk Awie of Wings.
"Since you're taking the place of Datuk Awie, I can now call you Datuk Syawie!" said Siti to Syamel.
ASLI ENDING
Before she called it a night, Siti chose to end her concert with a bang, singing four boisterous Asli songs in her final segment.
Her Asli medley comprised 'Joget Senyum Memikat', 'Nirmala', 'Magis, Kurik Kundi' and' Menyapa Dunia', and many of her fans began to stand up and dance the night away.
"Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen. You've made my the happiest singer tonight," said Siti as her fans roared "We love you Tok Ti".
Judging by the turnout at her first concert for 2024, Malaysia's pop queen will easily achieve her "dream" of having a concert as big as Coldplay's someday.
