Never say never to rock

More than 40,000 fans crowded into the Thai Army Sports Stadium 20 years ago for “Short Charge Shock”, turning it into the biggest and greatest rock concert in Thailand’s recorded history. 

Now there’s a chance to relive that magic, as major label RS Public is bringing the show back, this time to Impact Arena, next month.

“It was one of the best concerts I ever played,” says Thanapol “Suea” Intharit during the recent press launch at Siam Discovery. “I can still remember the atmosphere as ten of thousands of fans danced and sang along to our numbers. It was so powerful that I swear the Earth shook! And then there was the artificial rain that fell on the audience during my song ’18 Fon’. I was so stunned I almost forgot to sing. And it’s going to happen all over again.”

“It was like a dream,” agrees Chakrarin “Pop” Duangmaneeratanachai, the guitarist of Hin Lek Fai (Stone Metal Fire). “I remember going to a foreign band’s concert at the Indoor Stadium long before I joined the Hin Lek Fai and thinking that one day I might have the chance to be on stage. I kept flashing back to that memory when we played at ‘Short Charge Shock’.”

“I think this upcoming concert will be more firmly engraved in people’s minds,” adds the band’s bassist Narong Sirisarasunthorn.

“What can I say except ‘rock never dies’,” grins Hin Lek Fai’s other guitarist Nampol “To” Raksapong.

The first “Short Charge Shock” rock concert was staged in 1993 at the Indoor Stadium in Hua Mark and sold out overnight. The following year, “Suea Ampan” was added to the title and the show moved to the Thai Army Sports Stadium. Even more fans turned out to the same venue for the 1995 concert but it came to a premature end when fans took the meaning of the lyrics of Hin Lek Fai’s “Soi Man Long Ma” about tackling an opponent a little too seriously and a fight broke out.

“Twenty years ago, Hin Lek Fai was the most popular rock band and we wanted the concert’s title to reflect hard rock. We chose ‘Short Charge Shock’, with the ‘short’ meaning shortcut, the ‘charge’ representing energy and the ‘shock’ coming from unpredictability. The opening was terrific. It had [Hin Lek Fai vocalist] Pong sitting on a floating throne as the band swung into ‘Nang Maew’, says Phatarawadee “Neng” Phitayakun, vice president of RS Public’s concert & event division.

“And 20 years ago, we didn’t have such high-tech stage production techniques for the lighting and sound that we have today. We wanted ‘Short Charge Shock’ to have the same kind of visual excitement as say, a show by Black Sabbath. I remember we used a metallic structure on the stage,” she adds.

Computer graphics will figure heavily at the upcoming concert at Impact Arena, which will feature in addition to Hin Lek Fai, the rock duo of Rock Ampan made up of former Hi-Rock vocalist Surat “Pe” Thapwang and Pisut “Jiab” Sapwijit, and Suea Thanapol.

“Even concert goers on the third level will be able to hear the instruments clearly, whether it’s the drums or guitar. The lighting will be top of the range too. For example, Suea’s ‘Ruea Lam Nueng’ will be accompanied by an animated scene that maps the story of the song. And we will produce a new video clip in support of Hin Lek Fai’s ‘Sratha’. For the fast songs, we’ll be using pyrotechnics and other special effects,” says Neng.

The concert will last a minimum of three-and-a-half hours with each artist performing a full hour. Fans can expect to see an impressive jam by Suea Thanapol and Rock Ampan on “Nai Wa Ja Jam” and “Yang Jam Wai”, while Hin Lek Fai are slated to perform a medley of hits, including The Sun’s “Vampire”.

        

Be surprised

<< “Short Charge Shock: Rock Legend” takes place on August 17 at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani.

<< Tickets costing from Bt1,000 to Bt3,000 go on sale today at Thai Ticket Major outlets.

<< Call (02) 262 3456 or visit www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.