OMG, finally — Ne-Yo in Malaysia was here!
Since mid-October, I’d been counting down the days until I could finally hear Ne-Yo’s voice live. It’s been years since I last saw him, and while he did perform here in Malaysia just last year at Plenary Hall, I wasn’t around to catch it! So, when Hitman Solutions announced that Ne-Yo would be back for his “Champagne and Roses Tour,” you better believe I was all in!
Flashback to my attempt at snagging tickets… If you’ve ever tried getting concert tickets here, you know it’s practically a sport! I was all set, staring at my computer screen with minutes ticking down, and as soon as sales opened, I swear my luck ran out. Either the site would crash, or my internet would give up on me at the worst possible moment! And yep, Ne-Yo’s concert tickets were no exception. Just as I was getting somewhere in the queue, I hit a 404 error out of nowhere!
But wait, my hero “le monsieur” came to the rescue, managing to grab us two Platinum tickets! I was thrilled, even if we’d originally aimed for a different section. Within hours, tickets were sold out, and while the organizers did open up a second night, we were already locked in for the first show. Mission accomplished!
When concert night rolled around, we were ready! Le monsieur had been listening to Ne-Yo’s setlist all week to get hyped. Meanwhile, I didn’t need any warm-up—I was already fangirling! Ne-Yo performed for around an hour and a half, and he gave us the perfect mix of his “Future Classics” (his newer songs) and the crowd-pleasing “Classic Classics.”
Hearing him sing the hits like “Closer,” “Sexy Love,” “Miss Independent,” “Because of You,” “One in a Million,” and “Monster” was everything I’d hoped for. Can you say nostalgic overload? He even threw in “Let Me Love You,” a song he wrote for Mario, and the crowd went wild. But I have to say, I was secretly a little sad he didn’t sing one of my favorites; “Part Of The List.”
The crowd vibe was on fire—everyone was standing, singing, and dancing to every beat of Ne-Yo’s honeyed voice. But…an hour and a half ended way too fast. I kept hoping he’d come back for an encore, but nope, he just wrapped up and left! I was also a little bummed we didn’t get the “Push Back” moment, where he invites a few lucky fans on stage for a dance-off (like he did in Singapore and Manila). Comparing our setlist to other stops on the tour, I noticed he left out a few songs in the Malaysia show too, so yeah, I felt a little more than a tad bit left out.
Still, getting to see and hear Ne-Yo live after all these years? Absolutely worth it. While the show might not have hit every mark compared to other concerts I’ve been to here and abroad, it was still an unforgettable night for le monsieur and me.
Can’t wait for more music magic and live shows in the future—bring them on!