“This is better than Christina!” a fan shouted during the chorus of “Rich Girl,” making a snide reference to fellow performer Christina Aguilera who was in town for her June concert.

Better or not, Gwen Stefani no doubt had her fans on their feet dancing and singing. She pulled off the feat of making mild Singaporean audiences hollaback on Aug. 14 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

The show starter, and the name of the tour, “The Sweet Escape,” had her signature Harajuku girls running and dancing amongst the audience apparently staging an escape. 

But the audience, some having paid up to $348 a ticket, would not have appreciated an early exit. They had waited about an hour for her to show. 

And delivered she did, when she worked the stage and the crowd with her energetic performance. She delivered her radio hits with much campy pleasure and the crowd was too eager and easy to please.
 
Her repertoire included a mix of chart-topping singles “Wind It Up” and “4 In The Morning,” and lesser-known songs from her second album like “Yummy,” “Now That You Got It,” “Early Winter” and “Wonderful Life.” 

And when the sound of the trumpet started to play the familiar ditty of “Hollaback Girl,” the crowd went wild. 

Every person in the audience who wasn’t already standing immediately rose to their feet, roused by the catchy cheerleading tune, punched their fists in the air, singing, sometimes screaming along with much gusto, “I ain’t no hollaback girl, I ain’t no hollaback girl!” 

It didn’t matter that self-censorship had to be enforced, (“This my shhh… This my shhh…”), because everyone made up for it by yelling the forbidden expletive for her. 

Fan interaction was not limited to cordial introductions and anecdotes interspersed between songs. It felt a little more than just a meet-and-greet. 

Besides constantly expressing her heartfelt gratitude for the support she has from Singapore, she dedicated “Cool” to her loyal supporters with much sincerity. 

But the crowd was not entirely satiated. Encores these days are taken for granted and not merely anticipated. 

Being the polished performer, she planned, (or rather, obliged with) the very first solo single, “What You Waiting For?” at the very end. 

Either that was a cue for everyone to exit or a clever ironic rhetoric to consider the next time Singapore has to patiently wait for another money-spinning megastar to show on time.