Stars Perform at Anita Mui’s 10th Death Anniversary Concert
To mark the 10th death anniversary of Anita Mui (梅艷芳), Hong Kong’s biggest stars gathered together for a memorial concert on December 30. Anita died at the age of 40 due to cervical cancer, but she remained in the hearts of many people. Over 8,000 fans attended the concert at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to celebrate Anita’s contributions to Cantopop music.
The concert was organized by Eric Tsang (曾志偉) and Jacky Cheung (張學友). Artists that appeared on stage include Anita’s close friends: Andy Lau (劉德華), Jackie Chan (成龍), Eason Chan (陳奕迅), Shirley Kwan (關淑怡), Tony Leung (梁朝偉), Carina Lau (劉嘉玲), Aaron Kwok (郭富城), Miriam Yeung (楊千嬅), Denise Ho (何韻詩), Andy Hui (許志安), Sammi Cheng (鄭秀文), A-Mei (張惠妹), Sandy Lam (林憶蓮), George Lam (林子祥), Maggie Cheung Man Yuk (張曼玉), Alex To (杜德偉), Edmond Leung (梁漢文), Grasshopper, Cherie Chung (鍾楚紅) and William So (蘇永康).
Dressed in all black, the artists could not hold back tears as they remembered Anita’s friendship and how her life had inspired them. Eric Tsang said that Anita was an iconic “Daughter of Hong Kong” who influenced her seniors and mentored younger singers. Describing the concert as a surprise party for the late singer, Eric then looked skywards and asked, “Anita, are you ready?”
Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Andy Hui, Sammi Cheng and others took turns on stage, performing and sharing anecdotes of Anita. Carina Lau read the lyrics of “In the Hazy Night” <朦朧夜雨裡>, while husband Tony Leung sang the song in a rare stage performance.
George Lam remembered Anita by wearing the same jacket he wore to their last duet ten years ago, “Who I Love Most <最愛是誰>. He said, “I wore this jacket that night. After that, I never wore it again. I really miss her. I hope everyone will hug your closed ones.”
Cherie Chung remembered a weaker side of the usually strong Anita, “She described the illness as an unbearably painful process. But she would never reveal that to others and have them worry.”
Maggie Cheung recalled how Anita once came to her rescue and drank on her behalf. At other times, they have gotten into pillow fights as close friends. Maggie said, “Anita, I will always respect and admire you.”
Andy Lau tried to hold back his tears. “Thank you everyone for remembering Anita these ten years. There’s a song, her favorite song that she felt was written for her. It depicted her life story. Let’s sing the song with her,” he said. “Sunset Song” <夕陽之歌> was then played and the stars got on stage to sing in unison.
Before the start of the concert, Anita’s mother presented Eric and Jacky a thank you letter written by Anita’s brother, Mui Kai Ming (梅啟明). Due to her old age, she did not stay until the end of the concert, but she thanked everyone for remembering Anita. Among the audience that night were Anita’s former boyfriend, Benjamin Lam (林國斌) and her teacher, Ning Bo Che (寧波車).
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Karen for JayneStars.com.
What do you remember the most about Anita?
She surprised and delighted in her stage performances and was often dubbed as a Chinese Madonna. Loved her fast numbers. Anita, Leslie Cheung, and Alan Tam were the best of the 1980s.
I see flashes of Anita in Sammi Cheng in her ever-changing image, but Anita had more stage dominance.
Well said Jayne. I feel the same way. No one really commands the stage quite like Anita and Leslie. They really are 最佳拍儅.
Yes I agreed with that no one matches their screen presence back in their hey days! I love Leslie and his suicide really disturbed me. Eventhough I was not a great fan of Anita, I do love her for her excellent showmanship and screen presence. HK show biz lost 2 of it’s shining stars on the same year! So so sad
The HK music industry actually lost 3 ‘legends’ in 2003: Anita, Leslie, and also famed lyricist Richard Lam, who died of lymphatic cancer in November of that year (Anita actually paid tribute to him during one of her final concert shows when she invited Sandy Lam on as guest and sang one of the songs he had written).
2003 was a horrible year for the HK entertainment industry — a year that I would like to wipe from my memory if I could (same goes with the year 1993, when we also lost 2 music legends — Danny Chan and Beyond’s Wong Ka Kui).
I agree with Jayne that we shouldn’t feel sad for the past and that there are many talented artists still left, so we should look positively at the future instead…good advice and thank you Jayne for giving it, though of course, sometimes it’s easier said than done…
Actually, Anita Mui died in 2004, not 2003.
Michelle, Anita died 30. December 2003. I will always remember that date because of personal happenings at that time.
It’s sort of hard to describe in only a few words what I remember most about Anita or what kind of an impact she had on us HK entertainment fanatics both during the time she was alive and even after her death. She’s definitely a legend — an extraordinary woman with immense talent and a huge heart who will always remain irreplaceable to those of us whose lives she touched.
I don’t know about you guys, but for me, this past year (2013) has been particularly sentimental and difficult in terms of remembering just how much the HK entertainment industry (especially the music industry) has lost, perhaps because of all the death anniversaries and tributes that took place. Each time one of the tribute/memorial concerts came along, I would feel particularly sad for a period of time and reflect back on the memories of those artists from back in the days….
Hopefully 2014 will be filled with more happiness than sadness….
agreed
llwy12,
Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung were legends that will always be remembered in Hong Kong entertainment history. Although both suffered in their own ways towards the end of their lives, they pursued their passions and left behind rich bodies of music and film work. Although I loved Leslie, I felt he was a better actor than singer. Anita’s stage performances were world class during her era and many will remember her unique dance performances.
I often relive the 80s and 90s by listening to music from those years, which remind me of my childhood. I feel nostalgic each time I listen to those tunes, but rather than feel sad for the past, they serve as reminders of the life I had and where I am now.
We can’t hold things still in time. Instead of mourning for the artists who are no longer with us, there are still many talents left such as Sammi Cheng, Andy Hui, Sandy Lam, Jacky Cheung, and others. While they’re growing old, hopefully the signs of a current turnaround in the Hong Kong entertainment industry will also include the music industry in the near future.
Happy New Year to all and let’s look forward to better Hong Kong entertainment this year!
Yes I agreed. When Leslie died a part of me died too coz I grew up listening to him. I used to follow all those JSG and music program or movies that he appeared in so he was such a permanent presence during my childhood, it was so so sad. Same goes with Anita I felt really sad she died on my birthdate. Can’t believe they have been gone for 10 years now.
you forgot to include Danny Chan. The thing is the four of them are the backbone of the 80’s really.
Is there a video of Anita Mui’s Anniversary remembrance concert somewhere?
梅艷芳。10。思念。音樂。會 playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCjGa99zgRP52mC15wXbLe7tpazByLEOM
Here’s the link to the entire show (complete with 20 minutes of commentary from TVB, though you guys can skip that if you don’t feel like watching, since most of that commentary was just ‘fluff’). Not sure if this is the same as what sakura posted, so if it is, my apologies for the repetition: http://www.56.com/u5…l-17553442.html
Full show on aTV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdin9fGifZQ
The playlist posted earlier only contains songs.
Overall, I feel that this was one of the best tribute concerts put on this year. What I liked best was that the concert was simple (no lavish decorations or showy performances), yet still elegant and the atmosphere light-hearted without being overly sad (though I did tear up several times during the performances, especially during the sharing sessions). It was very obvious that both Jacky and Eric put alot of heart into organizing this memorial… the meticulous details (such as the long flight of red stairs used on the stage, which was an extension from the stairs used during Anita’s final concert in 2003) as well as the ‘special touches’ that some of the artists incorporated into their performances (i.e. Jacky’s hat, George Lam’s jacket, Aaron Kwok’s dance moves that were exactly the same as the way Anita had done them for that particular song) were definitely very heartfelt and appreciated.
Thank you to the organizers and all the artists who participated — whether on stage or behind-the-scenes — for giving us such a great tribute to Anita and helping to keep her memory alive!
in my opinion the best performance is from aaron kwok,his looks,outfit,dance,the catchy music,its very captivating,a perfect tribute to anita.
how silly for them to do so, anita will be in pain everytime someone sings her songs or watch any of her movies
????
i thought aaron had one of the best performances it too. it was great to see tony leung (both of them)! I thought the worse was Eason chan, honestly, it was really hard to sit through that. He sounded bored and out of key.
I agree that Aaron gave one of the best performances of the night (even moreso when I heard that he was actually injured but still went ahead and gave 110% in his performance). And with the way he did the dance moves, it’s obvious that he had ‘studied’ the moves and made sure they matched as closely as possible to Anita’s original version. Definitely appreciate his professionalism as well as his effort!
And yes, totally agree that it was great to see both Tony Leungs there (though too bad that big Tony’s flight got delayed and so he wasn’t able to make it back in time for his sharing segment…but he still insisted on participating in the group song at the end, which was wonderful to see!)….and of course, with small Tony not singing much anymore, it was great to hear him do it for Anita!
I also enjoyed the segment with Anita’s apprentice students + her former colleagues from Capital Artists — all of them performed their songs well and they definitely livened up the atmosphere, especially when they sang “Stand By Me” together….I’m sure Anita would have been very proud of their performances!
Disagree. Aaron Kwok was painful to watch. He gave new meaning to “overdoing it”.
Cherie Chung’s segment was the most touching.
Anyone have the link to just Cherrie’s segment?
I didn’t really grow up listening to her music since she isn’t really my era, but she had some great songs that still stand up today. I knew her more from The Heroic Trio- I love that movie!
Agree that her tribute concert is very well done, very meaningful, sincere and touching to watch. Aaron performance was awesome and cool. Eason look like he is having a hangover.
Although Anita had left us for 10 years, it is as tho she is still with us and her legacy lives on forever. She will be proud to see the achievement for her disciples she mentored esp Grasshopper, they are the best of the bunch.
She was a great performer, a great singer that NO ONE today can ever be. The best thing was she could really sing with such emotion and you know that’s Anita singing. Nowadays everyone sings like kittenish sound or trying too hard to be cool or be someone or about some issues when with Anita, it was always about her music and that her image came from that itself. Her death was sadly avoidable, not a good example but I could understand why she feared her illness and treatment. She wasn’t brave, she was human. Much like Leslie Cheung.
Anyway can anyone tell me the issue about her old mother? Apparently Anita left her properties to her friends on trust and cheated the old lady? I can’t believe that as true so any info will be much appreciated. Hopefully all has been resolved.
@Funn: if you would like to know the history on Anita’s mother and brother, you should read this: http://llsmusings.blogspot.com/2011/04/book-review-cong-ling-kai-shi-post.html
There’s a book?! Thanks for the link. Am reading now!
So much drama! Wow! Sounds like a very dysfunctional family!
llwy12, you wrote the article in 2011 right? So since there is a memorial concert now, and the mother even participated so to speak, I suppose all is ok?
@Funn: There are actually 3 books that covers about 30 of the HK entertainment industry’s biggest stars from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. They were published in different years (2008, 2009, 2011), though each one follows a similar format: a compilation of previous interviews that veteran Mingpao reporter Wong Lai Ling had with those stars plus her own personal anecdotes about those stars based on her friendship with them. Of course, the books aren’t all inclusive and only cover particular aspects that the author chose to focus on (career for some, personal life for others, etc.). I like how the books consist of previous interviews, so we get to hear from the artists themselves rather than entirely from the person writing the book. Definitely fascinating reads overall though, so I definitely recommend this particular set of books to those who are interested in HK entertainment.
@Funn: Nah, I don’t necessarily think that things are ‘ok’ per se…I think that reason why Mrs. Mui has stopped making a big fuss is because 1) she is old and probably knows she will be in her grave very soon (I think she’s in her 90s now?), so probably no point in fighting so hard anymore, and 2) ever since the courts handed down the FINAL verdict that she had lost the inheritance battle (I had read that she actually threw her shoe at her own attorney during that last court session), she probably decided to lay low for awhile…after all, she was already millions of dollars in debt from all the legal fees.
Basically, I feel that Mrs. Mui is trying to ‘be nice’ now because she probably knows that there isn’t much else she can do…might as well try to salvage her image now when she still can before her time runs out.
Oh and I also read that her good for nothing son (Mui Kai Ming…the one mentioned in the book)finally got a steady job recently (he probably knew he couldn’t sponge off his mother anymore, since the courts already handed down their final ruling).