‘MTV World’ show a pleasant surprise, even with less star power

THIS year’s main act, rapper B.o.B, takes a selfie with fans during his 16-song set. photo: MTV Asia & Aloysius Lim

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia—The show didn’t begin with the usual rip-roaring collision of screams, lights and sounds, but rather, with a minute of reverent hush.

Standing before an audience of about 10,000 here at Surf Beach inside the Sunway Lagoon amusement park, VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer—hosts of this year’s “MTV World Stage: Live in Malaysia”— asked for the moment of silence to commemorate the victims of the tragedies that had befallen Malaysia Airlines and left the entire nation shaken.

“Even in the face of adversity, the spirit of Malaysia stays strong. We know that you all have the heart to carry on,” VJ Alan then said, prompting the appreciative crowd to now erupt, as expected, in resounding cheers and applause.

Right away, the atmosphere bristled with energy in anticipation of the featured artists: Thai-American hip-hop group Thaitanium, Korean pop band Boys Republic, indie singer-songwriter Yuna and rapper-record producer B.o.B.

THAITANIUM fuses Thai and American music sensibilities. photo: MTV Asia & Aloysius Lim

“MTV World Stage,” whose first edition was mounted in 2009, is a global series that brings multi-genre talents together on one stage, and is telecast in 154 countries.

Old-school sounds

The group Thaitanium—Khan, Way, Day, Big Calo and Tony B—took the stage and immediately held the fans captive with its fusion of Thai and American sensibilities.

The energetic performers flailed about and waved their arms like windshield wipers, as they embarked on an 11-song set. The opening song, “Dangerous,” was a mishmash of old-school hip-hop sounds and electronic dance music.

The thumping bass lines of “Put Your Hands Up” turned the concert grounds—a drained wave pool—into a sprawling dance hall of moshing concertgoers. The bars were spat out in Thai, but the sound still prompted foreign listeners to move their bodies.

BOYS REPUBLIC’s dance moves are unrestrained. photo: MTV Asia & Kristian Dowling

Thaitanium also performed “Wake Up (Bangkok City),” a collaboration with rap icon Snoop Dogg. The catchy and raunchy hit was made more relatable to the local audience when the group altered “Bangkok City” to “K.L. (Kuala Lumpur) City.”

Shrieking, bawling

Welcoming Boys Republic was a swarm of shrieking, bawling fan girls. This hysterical reception wasn’t surprising; the previous day, while roaming the nearby Sunway Pyramid Mall, we chanced upon the group being mobbed by fans during an autograph-signing session.

The group turned up the heat, literally, with the help of blazing stage fire machines that accompanied its compelling song-and-dance numbers.

In an interview prior to the show, Boys Republic, which debuted just last year, told the Inquirer that what sets it apart from other boy bands is that its music “combines Korean and Western influences and is very relatable.”

SOFT-SPOKEN Yuna is elegant, sophisticated and entrancing. photo: MTV Asia & Aloysius Lim

Boys Republic’s dance moves at times bordered on the peculiar, but nonetheless conveyed a certain sense of freedom peppered with cutesy antics and calculated winks. Up close, the boys, especially Suwoong and Minsu, looked almost doll-like—impeccably-styled hair, eyes enhanced by “guyliners” and dewy skin.

Gliding, floating

Yuna, like her music, was entrancing, elegant, sophisticated. The Malaysian singer-songwriter, who recently penetrated the US music scene, didn’t walk as much as she glided around the stage in a sparkly, silver headwrap and a flimsy, flowing white robe.

The soft-spoken artist opened her set with “Falling”—carrier single from her latest album, “Nocturnal.” The track has a folksy and unmistakable indie vibe, accentuated by the subtle-sounding Malaysian percussion instruments playing in the background.

Yuna, a former law student, performed a mix of English and Malaysian songs. Her tone was sweet and whimsical, quite malleable. She deftly handled both sensual crooning and jazzy runs.

On her foray into the American market, Yuna said during a press con, “I try not to think too much of it. It’s important to stay true to oneself, to stay on top of things.”

MTV VJs Alan and Hanli hosted the show. photo: MTV Asia & Kristian Dowling

Main man

Raising the energy once more was the concert’s de facto main act, Bobby Ray Simmons more popularly known as B.o.B. Quite the firecracker, he powered through 16 tracks culled from his three studio albums.

Against a backdrop of searing orange lights, B.o.B., a red guitar slung across his shoulder, kicked off his set with the hit, “Don’t Let Me Fall.”

A B.o.B show wouldn’t be complete without his hit pop-rap collaborations like “Nothin’ on You,” “Both of Us” and “Price Tag.” And since Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Jessie J were not around to perform with B.o.B., the massive audience was more than willing to take over their parts.

THE CONCERT was held at Sunway Lagoon’s Surf Beach area. photo: MTV Asia & Lucas Lau

Perhaps the best aspect of B.o.B’s set was his showmanship and interactions with the stoked crowd: He danced himself silly, punched the air, gave high fives and waded through the throng. He took selfies with them, and crowd-surfed—or at least he tried more than twice.

Toward the show’s end, he dedicated one of his biggest hits, “Airplanes” to those who lost loved ones in the aviation disasters. Everyone sang along.

There was no definitive crowd-drawer as Robin Thicke was in 2013, and Katy Perry and Justin Bieber in the years prior. But this relative lack of star power didn’t make this year’s concert any less enjoyable. We watched the event prepared to be pleasantly surprised… and we were.

(“MTV World Stage: Live in Malaysia 2014” airs on MTV Pinoy Friday, 10 p.m.; Saturday, 7 p.m.; on Sept. 1, 12 a.m.; Sept. 5, 3 p.m.; and Sept. 7 at 2 p.m.)

(E-mail [email protected])