THE centre stage of Beyond's concert - their first since the death of front-man Wong Ka-kui - was left empty from the first score until the encore.
But, if it reflected unsureness of whether the three remaining members - bass guitarist Wong Ka-keung, guitarist Paul Wong Koon-chung and drummer Yip Sai-wing - were good enough to fill his shoes, then 'Beyond in Concert 1996' nullified such worries.
For one thing, the packed concert in the Hong Kong Coliseum showed that the three have driven themselves so hard that they could come out from the post-Ka-kui darkness with flying colours.
The 21/2-hour performance featured the band's 13-year efforts of heavy rock (You Are Sinful and Spoil the Kids ) and soothing ballads (Truly Love You and Like You ). Songs from the latest album 1996 Beyond also gave a glimpse of their songwriting competence.
Wong Ka-keung and Paul Wong, still playing their instruments, split the job of doing the vocals most of the time during the concert. The former has a promising voice, strong enough to make his late brother proud while, at times, soft enough to eclipse him.
Paul Wong's guitar technique proved again that he is one of the best rock guitarists Hong Kong has produced. His acoustic guitar in the four-song unplugged session, however, was reminiscent of how good the late Wong (Ka-kui) used to be in this department.