Back on the Balcony

Having learned one of life's great lessons - never say never - Chaliang reunited last Saturday in a fund-raiser for their old alma mater, Chulalongkorn University. They'd performed their "farewell" show seven years ago at rival Thammasat.

Predictably, the six-man band's concert at Impact Arena lacked the emotional punch of that goodbye event, when Nitipong "D" Hornak's final adieu had the whole crowd in tears. But many in the audience at Impact - most over 30 - had come expecting the same kind of hallmark moment.

Maybe the arena was too big for Chaliang. Or maybe it was the fact that it wasn't the Chaliang we remembered.

"It Happened in the Balcony" was the name of the Impact reunion, and a link to the group's name - Balcony - which did indeed evoke all kinds of memories.

Chaliang used to perform in much smaller halls, like the Thammasat auditorium and the Thailand Cultural Centre. You could really get to know the six individuals who made up Thailand's own unique "boy band".

But Chaliang were never boy-band pop stars. They stood out with their social conscience and political messages. Few of their songs were about love.

There were five members: Nitipong, Watchara "Jeab" Pan-iam, Kiattisak "Kiang" Wethewutthajarn, Pusit "Taeng" Laithong and Su "Jui" Boonliang.

Later Jui was replaced by Chatchai "Nok" Duriyapraneet. For the reunion, all six shared the stage.

The show opened with the three members who graduated from Chulalongkorn's Faculty of Architecture, which organised the fund-raising concert. Nitipong, Watchara and Kiattisak were introduced by two fellow alumni - Kiat Kitcharoen and Sanya Kunakorn - who served as emcees.

Pusit and Su soon joined them, and gradually a series of guests, from Sirinthip "Rose" Hanpradit and Viyada Komarakul Na Nakorn to rocker Nakarin "Pang" Kingsak, and finally Chatchai, the "sixth" member of the group, who seemed reluctant to be there.

In what's becoming a pattern for old-timers' shows lately, the whole band sang a few songs, then yielded the stage to their children to show off their musical talents, then returned one by one to do their own solo numbers, as if the six hadn't had the time or inclination to rehearse all the songs together.

There were some monologues of political and social satire, along with the tune "Nitan Hing-hoi" ("Storytelling about Fireflies").

Once the full band regrouped at last for a final round of storytelling - even though Watchara did most of the talking - it was the only part of the show that truly recalled the band's past glories.

In bygone days every member had his charm - they took turns making fans laugh and thrill to their songs. But this time Su seemed to be the only one who could interact with the crowd.

The emcees occasionally interceded to salvage the proceedings from dullness, but they had the effect of making it seem like a routine comedy show. They had none of the original Chaliang's way of mocking situations.

There was an orchestra, too, that made the performance even grander, and some of the songs were rearranged for it. The quality guest vocalists added more colour and depth.

But did the fans really care about grandeur or the guests' talents?

This time Nitipong made no promise to shun the stage forever. But if they have rediscovered their taste for performing, Chaliang ought to make sure they can make the grade. Another show by six individuals who seem unable to communicate to their audience or each other would be a let-down too many.

Being unique, Chaliang cannot be flawless - the components were all perfect, but the spirit wasn't there. Still, missteps and mistakes had to be forgiven because of the spell they cast long ago.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation