Palace packs in the pleasure

This week’s sold-out concert by the Palace – that amalgam of alumni from the big pop bands of the 1980s – turned out to be more successful than anything the individual members ever did before. 

The venue, Impact Arena, was bigger, and decently full with more than 10,000 attentive fans. Families comprised a lot of the crowd, the Palace’s appeal spreading across generations. The set was an energetic celebration with no fewer than 60 songs. 

This was truly an occasion to sing along and dance, celebrate the old with the spirit of the new.

The ecstatic screaming began when the lights went out and images of each member appeared on a giant screen, then continued as the actual musicians strolled onstage together, and basically didn’t stop until the final encore. 

“We thank you for coming to this concert and taking part in the recording of such good memories,” declared Ronnachai “Od” Thomyapariwat, formerly of the band Khiriboon. 

Wasu “Jib” Sangsingkaew from Ploy wondered aloud, to much amusement, whether the guys are more or less the same age as the stars of “Hormones”, the TV series about teenagers.

The show began as Palace always begins, with the McIntosh hit “Wan Wan Yong Wan Yoo” (“Sweet Memories of Yesteryear”). This time it was part of a medley that carried on with “Ther Ther Ther” and the Innocent’s “Phieng Krasib”. 

The sweet memories came rolling back with Od’s “Ardeet Rak Yam Yen”, Jib’s “Ror Dor” and “Genghis Khan” by the Royal Sprites’ Soonthorn “Jeed” Sujaritchant. 

Jeed was the first to go solo, evoking the disco beat that lifted his string combo to fame. He got the crowd going with his own tune “Phop Kan Bon Duang Dao” and the Groove Riders’ “Yood”. Suddenly Burin Boonvisut appeared next to him, an unannounced guest, and the decibel level in the audience went up a notch. 

Wirut “Dam” Sakulsappaisan of the old band Forever took over next, singing his “Papa Mama” and then being joined by Jeed for duets in Thai – and in English with the likes of “Bad Time”, “Lightning Bar Blues”, “Simon Says” and “Abanibi”. By the end, Dam couldn’t quite describe his feelings, so instead sang “More Than I Can Say”. 

The sound softened overall with a series of love songs that got the fans singing along before another unbilled guest, Maethanee “Nino” Buranasiri, arrived to offer his hit “Khon Khee Ngao” and jam with Jib on “My Girl”. Seeing them together jolted the memory that all of these guys have appeared on the big screen too.

Jib did a solo turn with four Ploy songs and the foreign tunes “Hand Up”, “One Way Ticket” and “You May Be Right”, which got the audience up and dancing again. 

Od Khiriboon and his acoustic accompanists performed “Lullaby” and “Puff the Magic Dragon” and then he too was on his own for “Hak Rak” and “Rak Nee Muean Fun”. While he was playing “Rai Khoo”, a roving camera threw live video on the big screen of an elderly woman dancing among the crowd, drawing appreciative cheers all round. 

The cheers and screams got deafening once more when Anchalee “Pu” Chongkhadikij – the absolute queen of rock in the mid-1980s – showed up out of the blue to sing her smash hit “Nueng Diew Khon Nee” and the hammering “Klua Phien”. She then slowed the pace with “Chan Ngao” and “Fai Diew”.

“Kids ask their mothers what generation I was a star for,” Pu giggled. “Actually, I’m the same generation as Prayut Chan-o-cha,” she said, referring to the prime minister. “And we happen to share the same thoughts of returning happiness to Thailand.” 

It was soon dancing time again as the Palace’s three lead singers filled the final stretch with the Grand Ex classics “Khern” and “Hua Jai Mee Peek” and luk thung favourites like “Sam Sib Yang Jaew” and “Rak Jang Thi Bang Prakong”. 

Everyone regrouped onstage for the finale, a warm rendition of “Khob Khun Sawan” – a thank-you to Heaven. It had been four hours of joy and happiness, and much to be thankful for.