Singer Chit Thu Wai performs at a concert in Pathein. Pic: Christopher Davy

IN a rare event for Pathein the city played host to some of Myanmar’s biggest musical names at a concert held on November 7.

Sponsored and organised by Pyae Soan Win Naing Co., Ltd, the concert featured ten artists including hip hop star Sai Sai Kham Leng, not to mention Phyo Gyi, Sone Thin Par and Chit Thu Wai who all performed with The Trees Band.

The organising company, which imports Sakura, Orchid and Panasonic brand electronics, handed out tickets to the concert to customers who bought products at their Pathein sales event, which ran from November 5 to 7.

For those who weren’t in the market for a new TV or air-conditioning unit, there was ample space at the school next to the Ayeyar Shwewar Hall compound, where the event was being held, to sneak a peek of the musicians. Arguably, this may well have been a better place to watch the concert from as the view was uninhibited by the barricades behind the VIP seating and marginally less crowded than the compound, which was crammed full of people.

One suspects the concert may have been so popular because for the people living in Pathein, events featuring such big name stars don’t happen very often, if ever.

“I’d never watched a concert of famous singers so this is the first time for me,” said Ma Cho Lwin, 24, a fan of Sai Sai. Carrying her one and a half year old child, she tried to find a place among the throng to watch the show.

“We only see the singers on VCD and TV. At times, there are some small karaoke concerts by local people in Pagoda festivals or other traditional events but it’s rare to see a famous singer off the TV. So whenever there is a concert almost all the people from Pathein go and enjoy it,” she said with excitement.
Like Ma Cho Lwin, everyone had a strong desire to watch the show with regular chants of ‘Sai Sai’ sounding in the compound.

The concert started a bit late with the performance of new singer Lein Maw Thee (Orange). After she rocked with three songs, another new singer Sit Thwe sang songs from his upcoming album. Then, the quartet dance group led by K Me Ko captured the attention of the crowd with their captivating dancing and strange costumes.

But the eager fans shouted the names of their favourite singers very often and stopped only when Chit Thu Wai was on stage. Next up was Phyo Gyi who seemed pretty keen for the crowd to sing most of his songs for him, much to their delight.

When Sai Sai rapped with his greatest hits like Tawgawli (fashion-conscious villager) and Hnaparthwar (romantic dance by a male and a female dancer), the crowd reached a peak of excitement.

Still, the audience wanted more with the show finally finishing around midnight with a performance by Sone Thin Par.