As it was my first time attending a Hafiz Hamidun show, forgive me if I pour too much praise on such a wonderful night in the next few paragraphs. It so happened that I somehow managed to secure two passes to the 24th December show at Istana Budaya.
Having arrived there early, the build-up and anticipation was the purest form of pleasure. The show began at 8.30 pm and went on for around two hours that evening. Among the attendees were Ahmad Fedtri Yahya (who penned the lyrics of one of the songs that Hafiz performed that night), Suhaimi Saad, formerly of Inteam, Izwan Malik, ex Selangor FM DJ, and perhaps the surprise guest of the night, Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi along with his wife who I assume from her theatrics was more of a fan compared to her husband.
Hafiz’s playlist for the evening, as evident in the title of the event comes mostly from his brainchild, the Zikir Terapi series. In between belting out songs or zikir, one could say that he is a natural on the stage, the way he playfully interacts with the crowd and almost at will turning the moment into a more serious tone moving to the next hit. The first half of the performance was filled with melodies and zikir full of praises to Allah while in the second half was more of remembering our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Hafiz spoke of his friendship with Abdul Rahman Muhammad before singing the singer songwriter’s hit single, Law Kaana Bainana. All of it seem fitting as the show fell on date of birth of the Prophet s.a.w.
There was a special appearance mid-show. Lah Ahmad made a short guest appearance on stage giving Hafiz a while of a breather. Bringing along his new public image, Lah sang two songs, the first is the altered version of Ayu, the song made popular during his V.E. days and secondly, Salam, which is a salawat from his 2014 Solo Album. Lah’s soulful presence that night further highlighted the night as one to remember for ages.
As with any world class performances, the music department did not disappoint either. Hafiz (and Lah) were flanked by industrious musicians and back-up singers throughout the evening. They provided the necessary vibes and extravagant grooves to the set. On stage, Hafiz was also joined by some, as he called them, Sufi dancers to further liven up the stage while he did his thing.
Hafiz ended the night by performing his song made popular by Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza. For a while the audience thought that Dato’ Siti was going to join Hafiz on stage for a duet. It turned out to be one of the many light hearted jokes made by Hafiz customary of his playful personality. However, I found it to be a touch of class when Hafiz took the time to explain the meaning behind the wordings in the lyrics of Mikraj Cinta. All this while I only know Mikraj Cinta as another Siti Nurhaliza song that hit the airwaves of local radio stations without actually grasping the message that he wanted to portray to listeners.
Throughout the night Hafiz Hamidun showcased himself as a rare talent with exceptional showmanship blessed with a wonderful soothing voice. His quality approach to music is much welcomed in this era of hedonism that is killing the community and threatening the very purpose of life. Overall, it was a perfect way to spend the splendid evening on the birth date of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
If only they had let us have popcorn or light snacks and drinks during the show.