It was a heady mix of experiences at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani, where Shawn Mendes' Illuminate World Tour made its Bangkok stop on Monday.
For one thing, you tend to feel a bit old. And lost, too. To be surrounded by thousands of teenage fangirls that seemed ready to combust with ear-splitting shrills did take some time to get used to. And a quick stop at the ladies' room outside the concert hall felt as though we'd ventured into a secondary school's secret society. Young girls were putting make-up on one another, adding a final touch before going out to see their ultimate crush.
Mendes, the 19-year-old Canadian heartthrob, was the complete package. Tousled hair. Pretty face. Gorgeous smile. But what's the best aspect of it all? He can really sing. And for roughly 90 minutes, he took his audience -- the young, the restless, the slightly out-of-place and more -- through a set list featuring pop tracks and acoustic numbers from his two studio albums, plus some catchy covers. It was a nice ode to his beginnings as an online cover singer.
Now, as an international star, he definitely has something great lying before him.
The Illuminate World Tour is Mendes' third international outing, and his first time performing in Thailand. His Bangkok concert may not have been sold out, but at least the official merchandise took that honour 45 minutes before the show even started.
As we waited for the singer to appear onstage, the crowd sang along to Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars tracks that were played inside the hall. People were screaming randomly. Tons of photos were taken. The crowd's energy was definitely lively. And some young fans attended the concert with their parents, making it a family night out. The parents seemed to enjoy themselves a lot.
When Mendes walked onstage with his acoustic guitar, it was the first time that night I'd had to cover my ears. The hall shuddered with thunderous screams, and neither the singer nor the crowd lost that level of energy throughout. Fans sang along to hit after hit from his 2015 debut album Handwritten and last year's Illuminate.
The night kicked off with There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back, an upbeat single from his second album. The songs that followed included Stitches, Bad Reputation, Life Of The Party, Mercy and Treat You Better.
Aside from his own tracks, Mendes also did a short cover of Ed Sheeran's Castle On The Hill and Kings of Leon's Use Somebody. He focused a lot on serving up his music, both singing and playing guitar and piano. While I don't question his musicality, I think he could've played and talked with the crowd a little more than he did.
Production-wise, the concert did live up to its concept of "Illuminate". The lighting was impressive. The overhead giant ring light looked like a portal ready to warp Mendes up and out of the world. The light cascading down to encircle his spot on the stage gave a sci-fi vibe, as if emitted from a UFO.
A big sphere was hung high above the crowd, and it morphed into a Full Moon, with a large screen behind Mendes displaying a lit-up forest at night time, and then the Northern Lights. When the crowd put their phones up, waving lights all around, it was as if we were floating in space among the moon and shining stars. The lit-up ball put a nice touch to the whole effect.
Fans hold up their phones during the concert. BEC Tero
