The De Lanerolle Brothers' Special Midyear Performance : Reviewed 

The De Lanerolle Brothers' special midyear performance was held at the Hilton Colombo on July 5 from 7pm onwards, followed by a grand four course dinner. Rohan and Ishan De Lanerolle are famous for their Christmas concerts but this special performance was an invitees only affair to acknowledge their loyal fans who have stood by them throughout the years.

The stage was set in the middle of the Grand Ballroom with all eyes and ears on the brothers as they kicked off the night with a breathtaking rendition of “Love Changes Everything”, followed by  some classics such as "Master Sir", "Save The Last Dance", "Amarillo" and "Yesterday". Ishan took the audience by storm with his amazing rendition of “What A Wonderful World”!

The main course was followed by a round of Engelbert Humperdinck classics which got the audience enthusiastically tapping feet and singing along. The show ended with Olivia Newton-John’s ever famous “If You Love Me, Let Me Know” and the audience calling out “Encore!”. The Brothers made a very special announcement about a theatre concert that’s happening on September 14 at the BMICH with live musicians on stage, in a hall seating 1500 people.

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Comments from the audience 

Danu Innasithamby

The De Lanerolle Brothers, to me, are like family and I’ve been knowing them for about 10 years, even before they were “The De Lanerolle Brothers”. The fact that they’re so funny themselves, and the fact that Rohan bullies Ishan so much is hilarious! The show is just a very family thing and they make you feel so at home and everyone who’s here has come here so often. It’s a family like affair!

Fauzia and Zareena

The food was nice, their singing was really, really amazing as always. We’ve seen so many of their shows and we’re definitely going for their next show in September.

Priyanthi

Classy, classy affair! I love their humour and their singing! Absolutely classy affair.

Ranjith Wickramasinghe

The show is great as always. We have always enjoyed their Christmas shows, this is the first time they’re going midyear and they can sing very well! They’re great!

Shirani and Ranee

The blend of songs they’ve chosen, and their manner, more than anything, their presentation, their chit chat and how they make their audience a part of the show. They don’t just stand and sing, their rapport with the audience is what makes them different.

Ramani Fernando

I really enjoyed the show, I always loved their music but today, especially, there’s something very special with this selected crowd, it’s a lovely atmosphere and a lovely evening.

Rani Ratnayake

The range of songs they chosen is more to our liking. We know the worlds to the songs and we can sing along. I’ve been following them for a very long time.

Arlene Saparamadu

I’ve been coming for their concerts continuously because I sponsor some of their shows from Kent and I really like their shows, and they’ve grown over the years. They’ve really developed themselves and now they’re of a great standard.

Gratien and Sriyani Gunawardhana

Fantastic! We generally like the songs that they choose and they were really fantastic!

By Shenali de Silva
Photographs by Waruna Wanniarachchi