REVIEW / CONCERT

GRASSHOPPER MUSIC WALKER CONCERT

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Saturday

They might be the Peter Pans of Chinese pop music - child-like, playful, wanting the party to never end.

With boundless energy and youthful looks that seem to defy the ageing process, Hong Kong Cantopop group Grasshopper grooved and sang their hearts out before the 7,000 fans who showed up for their three-hour-long concert.

Made up of Remus Choy, 50, his brother Calvin, 52, and childhood friend Edmond So, 51, the group showed off five sets of outrageous costumes that have become a signature part of their performances.

There was a dazzling kaleidoscopic suit which Remus wore during a dance medley.

There was So's puffy dress-like outfit - with a futuristic screen wrapped around his eyes - that looked like it might have been borrowed from Hong Kong diva Sammi Cheng or Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai's wardrobe.

And while Calvin's furball-resembling "yeti" look might have been a bit of a miss, let's give him some points for effort.

Their group's name is said to have been inspired by parts of their Chinese names, but it is also apt because the trio are so lively and hyperactive, they literally "hop" on the spot at times, even when it is not a dance segment.

During some numbers, they ran around the stage, arms out like an aeroplane. On several occasions, they picked up streamers and pieces of confetti from the floor and threw them into the air again, like children hoping to keep the celebration going.

Having been on the scene since the 1980s, the group have built up a vast catalogue of dance numbers, and they delivered high-octane performances of classics Baby I'm Sorry and Love No Fear.

Varying the pace with a few new arrangements, they sang the opening verses of their 1990 hit Lovelorn in a loungy jazz style, before launching into the fast, bouncy version their fans are familiar with.

From last year's album Music Walker came a few slower numbers such as When God Closes A Door, which was accompanied by a video of lit windows at night, a nice touch which showed the group's pensive side.

The decades, however, have not changed their bright-eyed, arms- wide-open approach to fans. Unwilling to say goodbye as the final songs approached, Remus exclaimed to the audience: "I can't bear to leave you."

Neither can we.