Floz Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 What follows is a series of personal accounts and newspaper reports, originally posted on GG............ From Karen Pang on GG 13th Feb 2004,Friday NB This was not actually during his Asian tour - but a showcase in Singapore earlier This's the 1st ever I attended an autograph session.So when a chance to see Gareth Gates again then next day after his showcase to get his autographs again,I thought why not? 1-6pm:Even though the event starts at 6pm,I decided to be real cheesy & reached Suntec City at 1pm to scan the venue & see whether are people are queing up already.To my surprise,there was absoultely no one present at the tropical atrium,which's below Tower Records.After a quick lunch,I quickly went back to the tropical atrium & wow,there was a big stage with the same big billboard of him.I recongised that billboard,it was the same 1 as in yesterday's showcase!It's real cool & I started to be the 1st in line to queue up besides the barriers.Around 2.30pm,the queue started to be more crowded & during this time,I chatted with some fans & they were real nice & friendly.Around 3.30pm,Jiha's younger sister,Aisha,came & man,she's dead excited to see Gareth later on & yup,she really envious of Jiha of what she,*ahem*,did yesterday at the showcase & not to mention,meet & greet! At around 5.30pm,my butt started to go numb for sitting too long on the floor.So much so that I was nearly been paralysed!I talked to some fans & they were surprisely calme & collected over this event & around this time,Jiha finally arrived ,straight after from school! 6-6.45pm:People started to stand up & go near the barriers since the autograph session is supposedly starting like NOW!Oh,we were so wrong!Power 98 DJs JA & Jermery Ratnam,hosts of this event,started to warm up the crowd & yup,gave away stuff like his autographed posters & also er,frisbees & T shirts with the power 98 logo.Everyone in the crowd to fidget & were real annoyed to be waiting for quite some time for Gareth.At 6.30pm,more posters were given off! 6.45-7.35pm:Finally,the moment that everyone had been waiting fro has arrived!Decked in a 2 way light brown & black top,blue jeans & a gorgeous spackling neckalce with a ring pendant around his neck,Gareth took to the stage & man,the crowd went wild!1stly,he belted out an acoustic version of GYOW together with his guitarist.It was smashing!Follow up,he sang AOU with AOU music background that's been played on the speakers!The next few songs he belted out are acoustic versions of enough of me,UM & SITS with his guitarist.It was unbelivable,he got everyone in the crowd to clap,scream & cheer for him!Believe me,the situation was quite chaotic in a good way.Lastly,he belted out SIIS & holy cosmicmuffin!The music of SIIS drowned the whole suntec city mall,with his amazing voice!Even JA & jeremy were blowed over by him!Amazing stuff! 7.35-7.45pm:Before the autograph session start,Gareth as cheeky as always,threw some more posters & also er,bottles of evian water again!,some white towels(with his sweat on his face!)& get this man,1 white bath towel(he naughtily wrapped the towel around Fred!Ahahahhahaa......& not to mention ,use it to wipe his face again!) & off they go into the crowd! The autograph session offically starts at 7.45pm.Everyone queued & lined up in an orderely manner to get him to sign the album sleeves of the asian edition of GYOW.Finally,after a long wait,my turn finally arrived.Gareth,as polite as always everytime,I handled Gareth my album sleeves of GYOW for him to sign.Surprisely,he knew my name & I said to him:"Cool,you remember me,Gareth thanks!" & he replied to me cheekily :"Sure of course Karen.Yesterday at the rouge club,you told me to remember you for today &(naughtily)you forget so soon abt our date?!"I can't stop giggling & yup,he was just kidding!After the album sleeves were signed by him,I shook his hand again & thank him profusely before leaving the stage.Jiha & Aisha waited for me & both of them thank me endlessly to inviting them to experience this great occasion & yes,we 3 enjoyed ourselves tremendously & left for home. My thoughts & feelings:As what I mentioned in my earlier report on his showcase+ meet &greet,this's absoultely flattering & amazing to witness such an event.Gareth is no doubt is a real down to earth,sweet ,friendly guy & what a big voice he has too!,despite his huge success with & after Pop Idol.It's amazing that he's still grounded despite all these incredible events that happened in his life.2 thumbs up for him from me! I wish to make special thanks to BMG S'pore for giving me this great opportunity to meet Gareth twice in a row & not to mention,for organising his showcase,meet & greet,performance & autograph session.No doubt they were huge success.I felt real blessed & flattered to attend all these great events. Many thanks to everyone in the boards in here,for 'taking care' of me,listening to my nonsense & tolerating my horrible behavior at times!It has been great knowing everyone in here for the past 7 months,ever since I joined here last July.A big hug & thanks to everyone. May god bless you all & let's look forward to more happy & great events in the near future. XxKarenXx 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 Newsletter, originally from GG on the Asian Tour contains loads of news and piccies about the asia tour and interviews and related promotion. http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/snowdr...cles/News45.htm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Malaysian fan Hafizah Hoze Rizal...... I sooo understand how gareth's fans feel... He came to Malaysia recently and boy, was he cute!! At 1st, i wanted to go to the airport and welcome him but he came 2 days earlier..y? he wanted to prove to his Malaysian fans tht he really wanted to visit Malaysia..(awww!) there wasnt supposed to be any autograph session but then, he planned an autograph session a day after he arrived! Sigh happily...i still cant forget abt it. I was the 4th person to go up the stage. the promoter allowed us (fans) to present him only ONE item for him to sign. But i had two; his Cd and a potrait of him (i drew).i couldnt care less so..as i went up the stage, the promoter snatched the potrait and let him signed the CD only. I was mad but the moment i met him face to face...ahhh..only God knows how I felt! Did i cry? yea! as i was saying..while he was signing my CD, I gave him the cookies tht my sisters and I baked for him. "We baked cookies just for you.." and he was like, "thank you." yes, you guessed it, i cried even harder. Then, I asked him, "Can i have a hug?" (tht moment i couldnt care less abt my make up..thank God, i didnt wear mascara!) I dont know whether it was just me, but he looked rather SHOCKED than flattered to see me crying for him. So, he smiled, got up and GAVE ME A HUG!!!! while he did tht, other girls were screaming...lol. Coz i got like the LONGEST hug frm him!!!! well, partly because i was crying my eyes out! Ok,ok..while hugging him, i whispered, "I love you" to his ear. and he smiled back, and replied, "Thank you/I love you too" i couldnt hear wht he was saying because those gals were screaming so loud! but it did not matter..oh, and he smelled soooooo good, btw. ;P OOOHH and here's the BEST PART : After hugging me, he looked at the promoter who took my drawing and said," Gimme that." (AWWWW! SO SWEET!) He got the drawing and signed it for me. After tht, he handed it to me with a heart-melting smile...sigh..he was super nice! His concert? AWESOME!!! but since professional cameras werent allowed..i managed to take only 2 pics during his concert..right now..im begging some local newspapers for pictures and some of my instant friends tht i met during his concert. i'll share with u guys soon, promise. Did my sis take a pic of me hugging Gareth? she DID NOT!!! her reason, " i was to busy admiring him from far.." but not to worry..she did take pictures of him signing autograph for his fans.. I'll develope them ASAP k? Thanks for reading this! means a lot to me! Hafizah Hoze Rizal PS- if u have read the malaysia's second review on his concert, the placard "Blow Me A Kiss"..it was mine! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Smells like teen spirit The fast-rising Pop Idol Gareth Gates and Australian Idol Guy Sebastian recently provided Malaysian teens with a mouth-watering date. IZUAN SHAH shares the Idol experience here. "IT’S so hot in your country! I’m dripping!” said Gareth Gates from the stage as he removed his jacket to the delight and shy squeals from the crowd. Is Gareth Gates Britain's answer to Enrique? Pop Idol runner-up Gates performing for his Malaysian fans in The Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur. Is Gareth Gates Britain's answer to Enrique? Pop Idol runner-up Gates performing for his Malaysian fans in The Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur. Although such stage clichés were expected, the reality was that he was dripping, or oozing, the right combinations to make him a pop star! The charm and banter, needless to say, were spot on. The hype surrounding this former runner-up to British Pop Idol Will Young has certainly not been unwarranted, as Gates certainly showed that he was indeed born with the Idol Factor. This was the first (world) tour for the young Bradford-born star, and he certainly had no intentions of letting the eager-to-impress momentum stop in the slightest. This was the Go Your Own Way tour, and with two albums, nearly 10 well-known hits and Guy Sebastian as his support, the 20-year-old Gates was out to claim the hearts of Malaysian fans. For early atmosphere, concertgoers milled in gradually and without much urgency as show time approached. By 8.15pm, the scheduled time for Guy Sebastian’s appearance, nothing much happened save for the occasional unified cheer of seeing candid audience antics captured on the venue’s dual big screens. The Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort indoor arena in Kuala Lumpur has proven itself quite the venue of the moment for international concerts here, and for this twin-idol jaunt it would again be the only place to be to catch the world stars. The audience make-up last Thursday consisted mostly of urban teens, with parents in tow, and the odd middle-aged pop diehard tiptoeing anxiously in the front row. When the plucky Adelaide-based Guy Sebastian appeared, the excitement picked up considerably as teens rushed the stage to vie for a good spot. The singer took everyone by surprise by immediately launching himself with ceaseless audience interaction and unfaltering falsettos. Unsurprisingly, when the Klang-born Idol dropped the mention of his hometown, he was repaid with a roar of glee from the young Malaysian crowd. When he launched into the smouldering Prince classic When Doves Cry, however, the response was more muted. The audience seemed too busy fidgeting with their glow sticks and each other to move along to the Sebastian’s smooth R&B sounds, despite his most elaborate efforts – he grooved, he shimmied and even did a spot of air guitar, but was probably wondering, under his ever present smile, why he couldn’t get the crowd to do the same. Two more songs in, the beaming Climb Every Mountain and the pleading All I Need Is You from his current debut album Just As I Am, quick scour of the venue revealed a mere crowd of less than 2,000 people. Still, Sebastian, clad in the everyman pop star uniform of bleached jeans and snazzy-looking work shirt (to go with his self-chosen “clean” image), tried to up the ante on his finale, the tingly hit Angels Brought Me Here. Injecting even more honey into his already sweetened vocals, and pulling notes higher when he could, Sebastian ended his opening performance as a short and sweet five-song affair and contentedly left it at that. Perhaps the main act would do the trick for the pacified audience, and it was Gates they were waiting for. Seconds after Sebastian walked offstage, the inevitable chanting of “We want Gareth!” began. When Gates calmly appeared on the cue for his tender, sugared version of Unchained Melody, the glow sticks went up in full force and the teen massive began to sway obediently to the ballad, waving placards that read “Blow Me A Kiss” and “Came All The Way From Singapore” with giddy purpose. Of course, they were screaming their lungs out every time Gates pulled a high note or ceremoniously wiped sweat off his brow. The Righteous Brothers classic, which to Gates’ credit had a youthful teen zest to it, worked wonders on the Bukit Kiara crowd. With a full rock band assembled behind him, there was definitely a pop rock bent to his show, which lasted a little over an hour, but Gates tempered the rockier bits masterfully with mushy favourites like Foolish, Bring My Baby and Soul Affection. Looking for the most part like an English Enrique Iglesias (with hints of a young Roy Keane), Gates had the small crowd wrapped around his little finger by the time he swung into the timid Just Say Yes. Judging by the doe-eyed reactions of teenaged audience members, perhaps Gates proved himself as Britain’s answer to the Spanish star (who cancelled his visit here just a week earlier). Like Sebastian earlier in the night, Gates in full swing was disarming stuff. These lads had come a long way from being mere contestants on reality TV programmes and it showed. Perhaps the performance training and the boost of a record contract, albums and opportunities for their own originals to be included on their records had kicked in for this tour. For Pop Idols, they certainly knew how to work a crowd. In between songs, Gates would address the crowd with lengthy bits of info on his tour – “my lifelong stammer” and “music as my release.” He tried some cleverly orchestrated gimmicks; including ordering a pizza onstage and having the crowd scream “no cheese!” (Gates is allergic to cheese, apparently), and “firing” the drummer in front of the live audience so he could show his own drum chops. Later, on the self-penned rocker, Enough Of Me, Gates made up for his stammer by strapping on an electric guitar and laying down some passable heavy metal riffs! The pop star further showcased his multi-instrumental skills by launching into a soft piano medley, which included the achey-breaky That’s When You Know and a soaring bar of the R&B/pop staple It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry. An acoustic rendering of Sentimental set the teenyboppers swaying even more, and with the audience under his spell Gates took the opportunity to introduce members of his band. Comparing Gates own idolatry with consummate pop stars like Robbie Williams and greats like Elvis Presley, his show wasn’t lacking the requisite Elvis hip wiggles and Robbie-esque shuffles. It all came shakin’ down as the climax of All Cried Out, Go Your Own Way, Anyone Of Us and the encore – Spirit In The Sky and Say It Isn’t So – followed briskly. Then like a true Idol, Gates bid goodbye to his small, but loyal Malaysian following with neat send-off: “Look at all of you, you’re beautiful.” 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 June Faith on GG Hey guys... his show was amazing and from the bottom of my heart, it was one of the best nights ever in my life. you can never believe what happened .... but believe it .... LOL so, i went to the venue 5 hours earlier and ofcourse, got great spots, right in front, front row! the show started with Guy singing about 4 songs, he was great!! But ofcourse,the show doesn't start if Gareth doesn't come out ... so after Guy sang, he came out and the crowd went crazy! Everyone was cheering like there was no tomorrow! He sang Unchained Melody and he sang beautifully. I brought roses for him ... I think he was singing Sunshine when I threw him the rose, he looked at me, picked it up and said thank you ... he looked so horny when he said that and i'm not alone! LOL my friends say so too! LOL he put the rose in his mouth and the crowd cheered on but i was really disappointed when he went down on the speakers and he tried to give the rose to another fan, but unfortunately (lol) he couldn't reach her and he gave it to the guards and he gave it back to me LOL how weird hahaha i got it back ... and this morning, i went to school and when i came back ... my mom threw it!!!!!!!! i wasn't mad, because I was tooo happy to be mad ... Picture of Gareth and the rose! After that, he sang a lot of songs but I lost track of which songs comes first lol I assume it's the same as the Korea one. Yes ofcourse he ordered pizza and we had to shout no cheese ... ehehe he was so cute during that period of time. Okay so there was this time during Suspicious Minds where he said "I don't think I'm suppose to do this but...." and then he jumped on the speakers and off the stage, the crowd was crazy! LOL and he said he wants us to join him, so he'll sing the words "I'm caught in a trap, I can't walk out..." and we'll have to sing "Because I love you too much baby." and the he started picking people to sing and he walked pass me and i was like darn LOL but then he walked back and asked if i wanted to sing!! I was like lol but manage to nod or say yes, God knows what did I do LOL and he sang and I sang and his eyes are so beautiful to look at LOL and then, it was shocking coz he didn't do this to any of the girls he picked, he kissed my hands, (suave kiss) ... and the rest was history. And ... this is the most unbelievable part, as you all know, he picks a girl out from the crowd to sing to. And I came 5 hours early to the venue, so to kill time, I got some pen and papers and wrote PICK ME lol incase I get lucky lol ... so he started saying "Let's make this more interesting, I'm going to pick someone out from the crowd to come up here bla bla" whatever he said I was too nervous. I took out the paper and waved it around LOL he passed me once and didn't see it, he then passed me again, saw it and continued walking, I thought all hope was gone so I put down the paper, BUT, he walked back again and he was like, "What? Pick Me? Pick You? Okay I'll pick you!" ... that was when hell brooke loose LOL. He got the guards to carry me out through the barricades and then Kelly led me through the back and up the stairs to the stage. And when I walked out, I felt like the luckiest girl alive, EVER. I walked to him and he embraced me in a hug so tight but i manage to breathe LOL... he then asked for my name, I said June and repeated a few times because it was o noisy and he couldn't hear, I was soft anyways, was nervous LOL. He then asked how old are you, I thought he asked how are you...so i said im good and he was like no,no how old are you? the crowd laughed ... how embarrassing lol and i was like oh im 17 ... and he was like "seventeen?" .... lol don't know what that means ahahhaha so he asked for stools but there were no stools, so he was like okay we'll sit at the stairs, so we sat down below but he then went higher and i followed him. he then "patted" (i dont know what word to use lol) on the stairs, asking me to sit down beside him so i did ... and then he sang to me, it was "Anyone Of Us" ... not a doubt its now on my top list of fave songs lol ... he put his hands around my waist, he is such a gentleman ... and then he asked me to sing along ... so he put the mic in front of me and i sang the chorus, i dont know how i sound lol probably horrible ... and then he (OMG lol) took my left and held it throughout the second verse. we were so close that i was staring right into his eyes and he did the same and it was like...THAT. words can't even describe how i feel and i felt awkwards because he kept looking at me that I sometimes look away or bit my lip or stuck my tongue out.... when the chorus came he stood up and we walked down the stairs...i know this sounds stupid but it felt like it was a wedding LMMFAO!!!!! okay anyways, he asked me to wave to the crowd, and i did and he asked me to blow kisses to the crowd so i did and then he was like, "now pick your nose" and he started demonstrating ... lol it was hilarious i was like laughing so hard and i was like "no way!" and playfully pushed him, i know i was flirting ... eewww but i can't help it LOL. and he was like, "why not?!" and i was just laughing and laughing lol he stopped and held my hands again and sang again... then it ended and he was like, give it up for June and he said thank you and I kinda walked off before he finished ,(wtf was i thinking lol) he then came after me for a hug LOL how dumb was i hahaha and then he hugged me and kissed me!! on the cheeks ofcourse and he turned to the crowd and went, "She's lovely..." I was just too frozen up to react ... Kelly led me down and asked did i enjoy myself and i was like yeah ... she's nice after all, she's so nice! LOL So after that ... he sang a few more songs and ended with Say It Isn't So ... I was in tears but I wasn't crying like two rivers flowing down my cheeks LOL. The night has been AMAZING, I couldn't believe all the things that happen to me. And when I told my friends I hope I get picked, the response I got was, "Out of 8,000 people there, you think you would get picked?" SO yeah, I got picked fellas!!! 8th April - The most amazing night for me ever !! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Report from Charlotte from Singapore Gareth fan Charlotte went to the concert in Kuala Lumpur and described it as “Fantastic and AMAZING!! A really wild night, in fact!” . She loved the electric guitar, drums and songs Grease and Suspicious Minds. “Gareth can hold his own concert really well!!!! He knows how to lead the crowds!!” The audience had to shout NO CHEESE three times for the pizza boy to hear! But the best part was the after concert party, where Charlotte was a contest winner guest, sitting on the next table to Gareth. He popped the champagne and did some cheers! The atmosphere was like a buffet in a normal hotel and they played Gareth's MTVs and the Asia footage. When it was time for a group press photo she got very close indeed. In fact so close she “held his waist”. She gave him a letter, showed him her Gareth folder (which he signed) and he thanked her for supporting him. Her write up taken from GG.... HEY!!! YEAH! i went for Gareth's concert in KL! It's Fantasitc and AMAZING!!! ( only the world's best word can describe it, none other than that.) First, Guy did a performance, he sang two to three songs! Then came Gareth!!!!!!! He rocks!!! Wohhhhhhhoooo!! It's a really wild night!! I was so so HIGH!!! He played the drums and electric guitar! Guess what???! He sang Grease and it's so so amazing!!! moreover, the audience was told by him to change the word of the suspicious minds lyrics! lol! ( it's being changed to "Because I love Gareth too much baby!") lol! I thought he wanted us to guess the title of the song in which he gave the lyrics and I shouted Suspicious minds and he heard it and said no.. lol!! (I felt so sheepish.) ooo.. He did a repeat of the ordering of pizza thing and I shouted NO CHEESE! lol! He called the pizza boy 3 times.. cos I think the audience didn't shout that loud enough?? The last song he performed was Spirits in the Sky... and me and this two other Brits whom I've met on the spot of the concert were so high!! lol!! (hey, if the two of u are on the boards, u shld know who u are..) The concert started at about 8.30pm instead of 8 pm and it ended quite late say about 10 plus. Okay, this is the best part!! I went for the post concert party for Gareth! wooooohooooooooo and Guess what?? Gareth was sitting on the table just beside mine!!! He popped the champagne and did some cheers! lol! The best part have yet to come!!! We( the contest winners) took a group pic with him! Guess what?!?!? He was standing on my right and beside me!!! I held his waist! lol!!! tt's how close i was to him! This pic is with the press and they're going to send it to me soon, hopefully! Then after, I gave Gareth a letter!! OH GOD!!!! I so happy!!! He talked to me!!!! Thanking me for supporting him and......... I supposed he remembered me????? Cos I have met him 7 times in less than 8 weeks? Then, I went to chase him when he left! lol, cos i wanted to show him my file of him and he said, 'Cool!'.... wohooo.. he signed one of the articles which talks about migrane with love gareth... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Taiwan. Ecstatic arrival: Gareth (plus guitar) was greeted at the airport by fans waving banners and bringing him gifts of chocolate to welcome him. He remembers some Chinese, and says to fans "Ni hao" (How are you?), "Ao shi xiao ge" (I'm Gareth), "Ao ai ni" (I love you) and "Xie xie" (Thank you). It's only the second time he's been Taiwan, but he acts like a tourist guide, introducing Taipei to his crew and recommending them to have a massage. The next day gives a short interview in chatroom of yam.com. Ten lucky fans were picked up in a lucky draw and able to meet him at the studio. He came a little late because he did some practice with his speech therapist. The hostess chooses some questions from the Yam Club and the chatroom, then Gareth answers them one by one. After the meeting, he gives interviews to the other media, giving them details of the speech practice he does each day. In the evening Go Your Own Way, the sell-out concert, starts off to cheers from lots of enthusiastic fans. He blows kisses and says Chinese, "Da jia hao, ao ai ni men" (Hello everybody, I love you all). Some fans scream "Gareth I love you", in return, he say "Xie xie" (Thank you). Gareth sings not only songs from the Asian version album, but some more from UK version one, and some classic oldie songs. Besides, he dances and plays guitar, piano and drums. There is very good audience interaction and everyone is disappointed when the show ends. Gtang gave us her version of events at the concert: “It was hell of a concert! Gareth was great & awesome~~ he even played the guitar, drums, & keyboard, danced while jiggling his butt! It was the same as the Malaysian concert, apart from the fact Gareth didn’t take off his shirt.” She liked Grease, Suspicious Minds, and the parts where the audience had to respond including shouting “No Cheese” on the pizza. ”When he picked a girl from the audience to sing Anyone Of Us, he picked a girl holding a board saying 'Gareth, Gaz marry me'. The girl was very very shy and kept trembling with nerves and excitement.” She just wishes that that night hadn’t ended and hopes that he returns to Taiwan very soon. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 From CutieBonnie on GG The following are photo link and also my report... Photo album link (Folder: Gareth April 2004) http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bonnie_1202/my_photos 9 April Around 8:00pm Gareth finally arrives at Taiwan by Malaysia Aireways, flight MH094. He appears in the airport with his crew. He wears a light blue T-shirt, jeans, sunglasses and walks along with his guitar. Many fans are waiting for him already. They are holding banners to attract his attention and some of them brings Gareth's favourite food - chocolate to welcome him! He's very happy and also concerned with his fans, asking if they work hard for studies. He posts for photos and signs autograph for them. He still remembers some chinese, and says to fans "ni hao" (how are you?), "ao shi xiao ge" (I'm Gareth), "ao ai ni" (I love you) and "xie xie" (thank you). He even keens to ask people around him whether Taipei rains coz he missed chances to do some shopping here when the weather was bad last time. He promises he will pick up one lucky fan to sing with him on stage. It's the second time he's been Taiwan but he acts like a tourist guide, introducing Taipei to his crew and recommending them to have a massage. The concert agent specially offers him a presidential suite in hotel, so that he will have a nice rest before the concert next day. 10 April 1:00-1:20pm He gives a short interview in chatroom of yam.com. 10 lucky fans were picked up in a lucky draw and able to meet him at the studio. It's planned to start at 12:50pm but he doesn't turn up. Everyone is nervous if he won't come. But actually he comes late a little bit coz he did a speech practice with his speech therapist. He doesn't want to stammer again and causes any embarrasment during the interview. The hostess chooses some questions from yam club and the chatroom, then Gareth answers them one by one. (It's lucky that one of my questions is picked up and Gareth answers it). After 1:20pm After the chatroom meeting, he gives interview to the other media. He says he would do a speech practice for one hour every morning, including 15 to 20-minute breathing practice, 20-minute pronunciation practice, then the final one is speaking, how to answer questions. It's really helpful for him and he wants to be a speech therapist in the future to help other stammers overcome their language difficulties. This month, he will do an text for being a speech therapist. He hopes he will pass it, he would like to encourage other stammers by using his personal experiences, it will be the happiest thing for him. Being asked about David Beckham's scandal (he's rumoured to have an affair with a girl in Spain), Gareth says it may happene after he left UK, so he doesn't know anything of it. He thinks everyone has their private lives, so that he has no comment on that news, whatever the rumour is real or not. But he's sure that he won't do that if he's got married. 8:00pm Go your own way concert starts off (it's a sold-out concert, 2500 audience). Some fans wear clothes of their fan clubs and lift up the banners. Some are just little kids, attending the concert with their parents. Some have the "spike hair", lovely! Gareth turns up on the stage after the fans keep screaming, "Gareth, Gareth, Gareth..." for a while. He blows kisses and says Chinese, "da jia hao, ao ai ni men" (Hello everybody, I love you all). Some fans scream "Gareth I love you", in return, he say "xie xie" (thank you). The guitar Gareth uses is specially exported from Hong Kong coz that kind of guitar isn't sold in Taiwan. Gareth sings not only songs in Asia verion album, but some more from UK version one and some classic oldie songs. Besides, he dances and plays guitar, piano and drums. The fans screams crazily whatever he does, even he just walks, waves his hands, blows kisses or only opens his arms. He also throws towels to the fans. When he is singing "Sunshine" and dancing some sexy steps, there's a fan from the first row throwing an underwear ([censored] labelled) to the stage. Gareth blushes and says Taiwan fans know which brand of underwear he likes. He speaks a lot at the concert and calls for a pizza by a mobile phone. After he says all the ingredient he wants, then all the fans say, "but, no cheese!". He plays piano at the acoustic set, singing some oldie songs. Some fans cry and sing with Gareth in "What my heart wants to say". Then, he plays drums and other songs. The final song is "Anyone of us". He suddenly picks up one lucky fan to the stage, singing Anyone of us to her. He hugged her and jokely taught her to wave hands, blow kiss and pick nose. The other fans can't help laughing. Then Gareth leaves the stage but all the fans ask for encore. So he turns up again and sings two more songs "Spirit in the sky" and "Say it isn't so". Almost every fans stand up and dance when Gareth's singing Spirit in the sky (some're even standing on chairs). After the show, some fans still stay there for half an hour, some are waiting for him at the back of the venue but he's arranged to leave through the other exit (sorry for those fans...) Concert set list: 1. Unchained Melody 2. Foolish 3. Freak my Baby 4. Soul Affection 5. Just say Yes 6. Enough of Me 7. Sentimental 8. Sunshine 9. Acoustic Set ? That's when you know ? Hard to say I'm Sorry ? Overjoyed ? What my heart wants to say 10. Suspicious Minds 11. Club Hoppin' 12. Groove with Me 13. Grease 14. All Cried Out 15. Go Your Own Way 16. Unchained Melody 17. Any one of Us Finish Encore 18. Spirit in the Sky 19. Say it isn't So Play Off 11 April 12:20pm Gareth goes aboard Cathay Pacific, flight CX421 to leave Taiwan (change the plane in Hong Kong, then directly fly to UK) The end of Asian tour 2004, enjoy! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 A selection of other Asian Tour pics. Thanks to the fans who posted them on GG and to Gareth'sHotChick for bringing them over here for safety Photo's Courtesy Of PePp3rMiNT (Michelle) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 and some little tiny ones .....Photo's Courtesy Of Charlotte Poon On ggates 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 19, 2005 Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 Heres one that I don't think we have seen before, found by Janice. 04.04.2004 » Go Your Own Way Tour '04 » Seoul, Korea by Mikayla I woke up at 6 am, coz you know I needed the entire 4 hours to get ready. Doors opened for floor tickets at 6 p.m. so I had to get there early. I left my house at 10 a.m. and met my 2 friends that I was going with, we ate some food really quickly and headed down to Olympic Park. It took us about 30 minutes to find the actual stadium coz we ended up going around in circles for quite a while. As soon as we got to the east entrance we could see the HUGE Gareth banner hanging from the stadium. We ran over, but unfortunately, we weren't alone. There was already a kind of large line. We ran up to the front and asked where the R2 seats were to wait. We found our line and picked up the tickets. We waited for about 5 hours until we decided that we were thirsty. Me and my friend Sunny went up to ask security where a vending machine was, while Tara saved our places in line. The security guy said that the closest vending machine was at the west entrance! I didn't want to walk across the entire park, so even though I don't speak Korean very well I stepped up and asked if there was any way we could pop into the venue and use that machine. As soon as he looked down at me and saw that I was western, he said something to Sunny, who smiled and let us in. The way the venue was set up was the vending machines were on a wall, then there was a hall going backstage, then the bathrooms were opposite the vending machines, I put my money in and got my drink, I bent over to pick it up and heard my friend making a quit kind of scream so I looked up, and who was standing there by the bathroom, GARETH GATES! I was in shock but managed to choke out 'hi' he smiled and said 'hello, how are you' I said 'im ok, thanks' (still in shock) and he said 'well I hope you enjoy the show' and walked into the bathroom as another guy came out. We went back out and waited the hour to get in, as soon as they lifted the barrier I ran up and got the best seat, front center, Gareth's manager came on stage and everyone screamed, the Tei (a Korean singer came out)lots of girls screamed coz they thought it was Gareth, but a girl behind me, who I talked to while we waited when I first got in, just said 'oh, that isn't Gareth' then, he finally came on. I forget what song he sang, but I know it was amazing, he came out in a black blazer and Jeans. He smiled and waved at everyone, then he went to change, he came back out in a jean jacket, jeans, and a white shirt with orange paint splotches on it, he did 'Grease is the Word' there were pyrotechnics that blew fire into the air, which just made him HOTTER! His dancing to that song was amazing as well. I don't remember the other songs he did in that time, but he kept waving and smiling at everyone. Then he came out in a white outfit and had his keyboard brought out. He kept telling everyone to make noise for the band, but I don't think they understood him, so I was one of the only ones left screaming, which he noticed and smiled at me . He played All Cried Out, Say it Isn't So, and another song. Somewhere in the show he played guitar as well, but I don't remember which part. He then told us that it was hard for him to talk on the phone so he needed our help to order a pizza, he told us to scream 'but no cheese' coz he's allergic to it. We did and a lot of people thought it was rather silly, but I thought it was cute. When he wiped his head with a towel and threw it out, some girls got in a big fight and one passed out. The last song he did was 'Stupid Mistake' and he brought a girl on stage, the poor thing was shaking!! He gave her a big hug, then a kiss on the cheek and sent her back to the side. He went around letting people sing parts of the chorus. My favourite song of the night was Club Hoppin, it was just really amazing, After he went offstage, we all started chanting "encore, encore, encore" and he FINALLY came back out, he sang spirit in the sky and one other song. At the end they shot ribbons, balloons, and fireworks up above the crowd. There were only about 20 posters on the walls (which you couldn't buy) and I rused out and got one. Over all it was the best concert ever. Words & Photos: Mikayla / April 2004 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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