A taste of RONAN

The nicest man in pop's music struck the wrong note in a country where the price of the ticket was more than the average monthly wage, write Allister Hayman.

Ronan Keating kneels before his guitarist: Tongue out, he laps at the guitar strings like an eager Irish terrier. It wasn't quite rock 'n' roll- but the peculiar moment of spontaneity highlighted an evening of insipid pop balladry that only occasionally lifted itself above the mundane.

The former Boyzone front man arrived in Phnom Penh, for his May 9 indoor concert at Olympic Stadium, in the wake of a massive promotional campaign. Ultimately, the much-hyped Keating show was under-sold and, in the end, mostly under-whelming.

Billed as the first international pop star to play Cambodia, the mega-star's whistle-stop visit - the second-leg of his Asian tour - at times seemed less about music than the spectacle of celebrity and "historic" nature of the event.

But there was no doubt that Keating, with more than 20 hit singles to his name, was a perfect choice for the groundbreaking show.

Often described as "the nicest man in pop," it is difficult not to like the 30-year-old Dubliner. He's clean cut and handsome - but not overwhelmingly so - and has a sweet Irish brogue in which he says heartfelt things about the fragility of life and the importance of "giving something back."

He's the boy next door, a shoe shop assistant made good, but still grounded by his Catholic faith. He has admitted to smoking "dope" once in Amsterdam, but Pete Doherty he is not.

Besides the guitar lapping, the only raunch in the family-friendly event was an awkward, and short-lived, hip gyration that would have mortified Elvis - even at the King's slovenly worst.

Meet the press

Keating arrived from Bangkok late on May 8. In the morning of the show had told a group of reporters - and an excitable throng of photographers - how happy he was to have made it to the Kingdom.

"But I've only been in town ten minutes, so I can't really say much about the place," he said. "I thought the buildings would be taller. I'm amazed they're lower."

Keating said it was a "huge honor" to be the first international pop star to play Cambodia.

"I hope that me coming here opens up doors," he said. "It's like, come on, let's come to Cambodia. Let's big it up. I hope a lot of other artists will follow."

Keating, who has worked as a UN Ambassador and for Christian Aid, talked about his "awareness" of "the issues" and his interest in humanitarian work.

"I do know there're situations here in Cambodia and I do need to understand them more," he said. "It's going to take time. I'm only just in the door and I've got to leave tomorrow. But when I get on the plane, it won't just finish like that. It isn't just about coming here and making a quick buck that's for sure. All I can say is: watch this space."

Keating did manage to front up for Cambodia's disabled community before the concert by presenting a check on behalf of ANZ Royal to support the CNVLD 2007 Wheelchair Grand Prix.

Without translation, many of the Cambodian journalists struggled to understand the Q&A session and repeatedly asked the same question: "How does it feel to be in Cambodia?"

To Keating's credit, he managed to give different answers to each. Finally, one plucky journalist gathered some courage.

"Can we have our photo taken with you?" he asked.

At times, the Keating show seemed to have little to do with music.

ANZ Royal, a principal sponsor of the CTN-managed event, and a promotional partner with telecommunications giant Mobitel - companies all part of tycoon Kith Meng's Royal Group - summed up the concert's significance in a statement released before the show, which was neatly phrased in the past tense.

"Playing before an enthusiastic crowd of thousands," the press release read. "Keating's show clearly reflected Cambodia's capability to host international standard events."

The concert was a display of capability - or in NGO-speak, "a recognition of capacity." Although the suitably vague "thousands" betrayed a distinct lack of capacity on the part of the promoters to fill the arena.

Prior to the concert, organizers confirmed 2,500 of the 7,000 tickets had been sold. Well short of the initial plan to hold the concert in the 50,000-capacity Olympic Stadium.

Ticket prices of $15, $25 and $65 may have been too pricey. Even though the best seats were reduced to $35 in the final days, the cost may have proved too expensive in a country where civil servants - including the policemen at the venue - earn about $35 a month.

Perhaps as moving as any of Keating's lyrics on the night, was the sight of a baton wielding police officer filling his pockets with glow sticks discarded by ticket-holders.

"Toys for my children," he confided.

Encore performance

For the well-heeled children of Phnom Penh's nouveau riche who half-filled the venue, entertainment was the aim; along with the pleasurable flush of seeing an international pop star in the flesh and the knowledge they were partaking in a "historic" event.

The Vann Molyvann-designed arena did prove a capable venue. There was no air conditioning, but dozens of fans sprayed a light mist onto the predominantly Khmer crowd. The audience sat patiently through a three-song set by CTN pop star Lida, then rushed the stage when Keating appeared.

Others stood on chairs and waved their glow sticks. Those in the "cheap" seats, at the back and to the sides, remained unmoved.

The sound system was capable. But Keating's vapid pop provided too few visceral moments: only the occasional searing guitar solo, the odd booming bass line, and a few punching drum sections excited the crowd.

Keating's music is lyrically driven: the chorus defines his songs and his hits defined the night. The pedestrian pop balladry was punctuated by moments of genuine excitement as the crowd responded to their favorite songs.

Ringtone messiah

In the lead up to the concert, the 2002 hit "Tomorrow Never Comes" was the chosen ring-tone on Mobitel phones throughout the country. It was no surprise, then, that the song's first lines were greeted with a roar. The crowd sang along throughout, and Keating pronounced it the best
version he'd ever heard from a crowd.

The show was a mixture of old and new and included Boyzone covers of Tracy Chapman and Cat Stevens. It ended with a two-song encore capped by the hit "When You Say Nothing at All" - the evening's other favorite.

At the concert's end, Keating appeared rapturous.

"I love Cambodia," he shouted, after his day in Phnom Penh.

As the fans filed out, flushed and sweaty, there was a buzz of excitement. They'd been entertained.

"It was great," said Lea Khena, 20. "It was so fun to see a Western pop star."

Loy Chetana, 20, a secretary, said she was a fan of Keating since his Boyzone days.

"Just to see him made me happy," she said. "He's handsome. But only because he's a pop star."

Chetana said she was excited about Keating's visit because she knew he had done humanitarian work. In fact, she passed a handwritten plea to one of Keating's bodyguards.

"It said: 'The children at the dump site need your help,'" Chetana explained. "There's lots of poor people in Cambodia and I hope he will come back and help them. I wanted to ask him and that's the main reason I came."

If Keating's "capable" performance will open any doors, if he ever returns-or if he responds to Chetana's note-remains to be seen.

As the star said: "Watch this space."

This article first appeared in the Phnom Penh Post