Hanoi fans enjoy a musical flashback at Boney M, Joy concert

By Ha Thu   March 9, 2019 | 04:30 pm PT
Hanoi fans enjoy a musical flashback at Boney M, Joy concert
Liz Mitchell. Photo acquired by VnExpress
Disco bands Boney M and Joy entertained legions of Vietnamese fans with golden oldies at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.

Toan, a 70-year-old resident of Hanoi’s Cau Giay District, was living it up.

"I am 70 years old but still fond of dancing and singing. The atmosphere tonight is exciting I am a big fan of Joy."

Hung, a middle-aged Hanoi resident who took his son to the concert, said: "I want my son to know more about the values of my generation, those born in 1960s. He is surprised and happy to see me dancing and screaming out loud."

Decades after their peak days, the two disco bands showed Friday that they could still belt out their numbers and keep a large audience entertained, singing and dancing along.

After the opening performances by Joy, Boney M's main vocalist Liz Mitchell appeared in blazing red costume, performing with two backing vocalists and a dancer, reminiscent of the band’s heydays.

Liz pleased fans by starting with Sunny and Daddy Cool. At 66, her vocals can’t compare to her prime time, but she made up for it with smooth dancing, sense of humor and stage appeal. She invited some members of the audience to join her on stage.

After heyday hits like Ma Baker, Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Holiday, Painter Man, Bahama Mama, No Woman No Cry, she sang a soulful piece - Paul McCartney’s iconic Let It Be, saying it was a gift for women on International Women’s Day, sung with wishes for happiness and optimism in facing life’s hardships.

Joy had earlier stirred up the show with their hits like Hello, Black Is Black, Night of Nights, I’m In Love, Touch Me My Dear and other hits.

All three members of the band are in their sixties, but they were still in good form. Their dance moves still charmed the fans. They kept complimenting Vietnamese girls. Andreas Schweitzer, vocalist, had some small gifts to hand out. He occasionally shook hands and kissed fans on their cheeks.

The band also got the crowd excited with Vietnamese Girl, a version of their popular hit Japanese Girl, with European back-up dancers wearing the "ao dai" and the "non la", the Vietnamese traditional dress and conical hat.

For nearly three hours, the audience was kept riveted by yesteryear disco melodies that seemed to have lost none of their appeal.

A group of middle-aged women dressed in sparkling disco outfits sang the Sunny as they left the show.

Boney M is a German disco band with four members that enjoyed peak popularity in the mid-1970s, with dozens of their songs ranking high on European charts.

In Vietnam, their songs are loved by millions, especially those born in the 1960s and 1970s. Particular favorites include Rivers of Babylon, Daddy Cool, Ma Baker; and Christmas songs like Jingle Bells, Mary’s Boy Child, Petit Papa Noel.

Joy is a famous Australian disco band established in 1984 with three members: Freddy Jaklisch, Manfred Temmel and Andy Schweitzer. Their songs like Touch by Touch, Hello, and Japanese Girl are still popular in the country.

 
 
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