'Thank you so much for going through all the trouble to be here!" said Pu Pongsit Kampee to a sea of enthusiastic fans packed inside Muang Thong's Impact Arena last Sunday night. "The concert organisers were about to kill themselves!"
In the last couple of months leading up to "Kampee Ai Suea Buk" -- his giant arena concert, Thai veteran rock star Pongsit Kampee had seemed to have hit a rough patch. From cancelling his 50th Birthday Concert for security reasons to making the news for beating up a particularly obnoxious fan, things didn't look so good for him.
As one of the biggest icons of pleng pua cheewit (songs for life) -- a genre of Thai folk-rock focused on the hardships of the working class -- it was a rare occasion that his concert didn't sell out within the first week of its announcement. Nevertheless, a few empty seats at the event just provided more space for passionate (and very drunk) fans to dance and sing to their heart's content.
Improving from last year's sold-out concert (which had numerous complaints due to its lack of organisation and strange stage set-up), "Kampee Ai Suea Buk" was a huge success with the setlist, pyrotechnics and graphics managed to perfection. Organisers even went into the small details, providing song lyrics on large screens so everyone can sing along and feel included.
Pongsit, now in his 50s, performed over 30 hits for three full hours -- providing audiences with non-stop headbanging fun. The majority of his setlist consisted of fast-paced songs like Oh...Yeh, Kae Puan Chan (You're My Friend) and Raeng Yung Mee (Persistence), peppered with heartbreaking ballads like Sud Jai (To The Depths Of My Heart) and Kae Nun (That's It).
The multiple LED screens, which last time focused on audience reactions, now displayed beautiful and socially critical artworks. While performing Sam Neuk (Conscience), on the screen was a baby wearing a white military uniform donning too many watches on his arms; a grotesque fat pig carrying a rifle with bullet holes in his head; and at one point, a giant stone panther with tears flowing from its eyes. If Pongsit's truthful and empathy-filled lyrics didn't say enough already, the graphics added so much more weight to their meaning.
After playing a dozen songs Pongsit, as usual, brought in few guests to join him on stage. The audience became ecstatic as stars Tom, Mon and Wan Yai from Room39 appeared on stage, performing an energy-fuelled rendition of Mue Puen (Assassin) and Samer (Always). Hip-hop group Fug-kling Hero also joined in later, rapping along with Gu Pen Nak Seuk Saa (I'm A F*cking Student) and Od Thon Wai (Persevere) to the awe of fans. Near the end of the concert, metal singer Pong Pathompong and guitarist Pop from The Sun also made an appearance playing Yah Yood Yung (Do Not Stop) and Yod Chai (Top Man). On paper, none of these pairings would seem to work, but somehow they did. Tom's smooth R&B vocals balanced out Pongsit's deep and guttural voice, while the energetic rapping from Fug-kling Hero hyped up the crowd even further.
Despite the many mishaps over the past few months, Pongsit gave it his all this time. Singing his final song Samer (Always), he walked around the whole arena shaking hands with the crowd, and making sure that everyone felt included, loved and confident that he won't disappoint fans ever again.
