There is going to be a traffic jam on memory lane tonight at the Hyatt Regency. In its '60s and '70s heyday, the TST icon was the in place for musicians and stars. Now that its demolition at the end of the year has been announced, stars from bygone eras are getting nostalgic, and none more so than Anders Nelsson. He is playing at the Chin Chin Bar tonight with old hands saxophonist Andrew Oh and former all-girl band The Angels' singer Alice Lui, who flew back from San Francisco just to reminisce about old times.
'It was called the President Hotel before it became the Hyatt Regency, and today is the 36th anniversary of that changeover,' recalls Nelsson (pictured in 1959 and now).
'This was the place to be. A lot of local stars started at either the Chin Chin or the basement Firecracker bar. The Beatles stayed here in 1964 and I tried to sneak in to see them but got tossed out. Then, in the early '70s, Bruce Lee saw me there and said 'Hey, gwai-jai [white boy], be in my movie'. It's a shame they're tearing it down.'