The Grammy Award-winning singer got his fans dancing — on stage with him
With haze in the air, beer in hand, and a pulsating thousand-strong crowd, I learnt it’s no easy feat trying to dance my way closer to the stage.
Nonetheless, Pharrell Williams, with his catchy tunes that have graced everything from Despicable Me’s movie soundtrack to Apple’s advertisements, made me and many other concert-goers really “Happy” with the so-named hit.
The Grammy Award-winning music producer and multi-talented singer — accompanied by a band, powerhouse backup singers and dancers — was an infectious burst of sunshine from the moment he took to the stage.
Lucky concert-goers turn backup dancers
Call me lucky for being at the marquee night race event of the year — the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, but surely nothing beats grooving onstage with Pharrell himself.
Handpicked from the audience, the first group was an all-male bunch, ushered onto the Padang stage during the performance of “Spaz”, a single from his band N.E.R.D.
Compared to the men, the ladies who took their turn after fared much better in terms of enthusiasm and dancing. Dedicating N.E.R.D’s “She Wants To Move” to them, the charismatic singer serenaded his female fans up close, leaving one of them teary-eyed with gratitude.
The most heartwarming of all had to be the children who were brought onstage for the finale anthem and encore of
“Freedom”. The singer referred to them as “the future of Singapore”, to the applause of the crowd.
The Baes (almost) stole the show
All decked out in Pharrell’s collaborative fashion line with Adidas Originals, aptly called Dear Baes, four of his backup dancers, — also known as The Baes — were a class act of their own.
As the singer showed off his vocal prowess to upbeat tracks like “Gust Of Wind”, “It Girl” and “Lose Yourself To Dance”, the energy was clearly matched by the stunning dance routines of The Baes.
While Pharrell took a short rest backstage, the limelight was on The Baes as they twerked, popped and gyrated to pop hits co-produced by the singer — “Hollaback Girl” and “Milkshake”.
Dynamic singalong
It was clear that Pharrell knew exactly how to engage his audience, strategically sneaking in crowd favourites in between the slightly lesser known hits.
The Padang arena erupted into thunderous cheers when he started singing “Blurred Lines”, a controversial hit co-produced with Robin Thicke.
Soon, the venue had turned into a sea of gyrating bodies and swaying hands as everyone sang along to crowd-pumping favourites like “Get Lucky”, a song co-written by Pharrell and Daft Punk, and the high-energy “Happy”.
It was an unforgettable night.
By Samantha Francis
Pharrell Williams performed on Sep 18 at the Padang Stage.
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