Cambodia Learns To Rock

They have been pop stars for 15 years, sold more than 10 million records and played hundreds of concerts. However this concert is special to the Danish band, Michael Learns to Rock.
     “We are extremely honoured, that we were asked to the play the first concert with a western band in Cambodia ever,” drummer Kåre Wanscher tells after the press conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Phnom Penh.
     Cambodia being a new market for the band, the band really does not know what to expect from the audience, as audiences throughout Asia are very different.
     “We have just played in India, and the audiences are just so great. Everybody stands up and sings along and they know all the songs,” guitarist Mikkel Lentz enthusiastically explains.
     China, however, is a completely different matter.
    “The authorities do not allow to people to stand up, so they just sit and listen quietly. Even if we play for an audience of 10,000, you can still hear if someone blows his nose between the songs. It is really strange,” Kåre Wanscher says shaking his head.
     It is show time. 700 lucky ticket holders are ready in the studio of the Cambodian National Television and millions of people get together to watch the concert live on Television.
     The concert takes off, and the crowd goes wild. For a very short while. Then they just stand still and listen, but just a little encouragement from the stage, and the audience starts singing along and waving their hands.
     Half an hour into the concert a girl in the middle of the studio get up on the shoulders of her boyfriend to have an undisturbed view. The audience is getting warmed up. More and more people sings along, louder and louder. The band’s current hit in SEA Take Me To your Heart really gets the audience rocking, peaking when the band plays a cover version of Van Halen’s classic, Jump as an encore. Michael Learns to Rock jumps and sings, and the audience are quick learners, so soon everybody is jumping and singing along.
     Arriving at the after party at the night club Sparks, the band is clearly very pleased with the way, the concert turned out. Drummer Kåre Wanscher is delighted. He did not hear anyone blow their nose during the concert

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