Tears flow as S.H.E bond

S.H.E 2TOGETHER 4EVER WORLD TOUR 2013

Where: Singapore Indoor Stadium
When: Last Saturday

SINGAPORE - It was a night when tears flowed freely.

After a filming accident in October 2010 left S.H.E member Selina Jen with terrible burns, she faced a long road to recovery.

In November last year, the Taiwanese pop trio finally released their 11th studio album Blossomy. And with Jen, Hebe Tien and Ella Chen together on stage once more, S.H.E's comeback is complete.

Jen had to undergo months of physiotherapy before she could even stand and walk. Last Saturday night, she danced and pranced about and commanded the stage with ease and the capacity crowd of 8,000 cheered her on.

The emotions got to her early on during her solo segment when she was singing Dreams. She started crying and could not continue for a while. When the song ended, she said: "I'm sorry, that's the earliest I've cried while singing that song in concert."

Their world tour started in Taipei in June and has taken them to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau as well as several cities in China.

Singapore is the last leg of their tour.

After joking that fans could listen to the complete version of Dreams on disc, she thanked her supporters.

"I want to thank my fans for loving my flaws and my round face. When I was injured, your encouragement brought me back from the jaws of death.

"I couldn't laugh, couldn't run and jump, but I can do all that now. As long we're alive, there's hope, so never give up."

Jen was later moved to tears again when Chen and Tien surprised her with an early birthday gift.

Jen, who turns 32 on Thursday, was handed a fake award for best television host from the other two. She took the opportunity to thank the important people in her life, from her husband and family to the doctors, who took care of her.

The concert did not just revolve around her though.

For her solo segment, Chen, who got married in May last year, laid to rest her former tomboyish image with a flapper-inspired gold number that showed off her sexy back.

She teased at one point that she had good news to share before adding: "I'm not pregnant yet."

Among the three, Tien is the one who is a bona fide solo star with two well- received albums to her name. She performed Love and It's OK To Be Lonely off the album To Hebe (2010) in a bohemian looking white dress with cascading hair to match.

While she was the most reserved on stage, it was also clear that the three women share a very close bond. And from their first album Girl's Dorm (2001) till now, they have been through thick and thin together.

And through it all, they have been consistent hit-makers. They covered a good deal of ground at the gig from early favourite Underaged Lover to the Jay Chou-composed Tropical Rainforest to the playful Miss Universe.

And with two of the members now married, they seem to be more at ease with themselves and one another. Maybe it is because they no longer have to worry about being sweet young things and maintaining a dream-girl image. They joked about farting and boob size and Chen even kissed Tien and Jen in a bit of tomfoolery.

After all the tears that were shed, the three hour-plus-long concert ended close to midnight on a celebratory note.

The encore kicked off with Blossomy and they sang: "Finally, those you miss reunite/ Finally, all the injuries have healed/The flowers are blooming again, finally/My heart is again full of courage."

They might have taken the words right out of their fans' mouths.

bchan@sph.com.sg

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