Mayday’s 50,000+ person Kaohsiung concert was last weekend, and by all accounts it went swimmingly. They were under less pressure than they usually are in Taipei, in that the mayor – pleased with the band bringing people to the city – promised to foot the bill for any fines for going over time or over volume. (That same article mentions a little mishap in the concert prep, when a roadie fell off the stage and had to be sent to the hospital.) True to their word, the concert (dubbed the “55,555 Person Concert,” being on the fifth and with the whole “5″ theme in Mayday) had an audience that exceeded 50,000 enthusiastic fans.
In addition to cheering on the band and supplying their own sea of blue, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Ashin, who turned 34 on the day of the concert. Considering the fact that he looks 23, I can’t imagine he worries too much over birthdays.
Okay, poplet (like “starlet,” but with pop music… and clearly I’m in a slightly punchy mood) “Alien” Huang (黄鸿升) was thrilled to discover that “rock gods” Ashin and Monster were writing and producing a song for his new album. I, meanwhile, can’t even work up enough interest to read the whole article.
Wang Xingzhi – aka Guanyou’s wife – was once rumored to be dating Zhang Fei (or “Brother Fei”), best known (to me, anyway) for the “Big Brother” program on Taiwanese t.v. The pair are back in the news, with her telling him that the next time he meets a nice girl, he shouldn’t wait around, but get married. (He’s 58 now… at what point does he become a “confirmed bachelor”?) Now, side note: but in looking her up, I found this family photo, which is quite cute.
In other news, famed Chinese rocker Cui Jian admits that’s he doesn’t know much at all about Mayday (which is almost the same as saying they’re not really a rock band – and old theme for mainland rock bands/singers – but taking a more roundabout way to do it). He suggested they needed to expand their market, but of course, he also recalled that rock is something that one must do one’s own way.
So I’ve been so busy, I actually completely forgot about David Tao’s concert in Nanjing at the beginning of the month. But I’ve been offered a reprieve: he has postponed his Shanghai visit until March, which means I’ll have a second chance. (I quite like his “69″ album – that’s named after the year of his birth, people, do not drift elsewhere – and I’ve long liked his music when he’s in a rockish frame of mind.) His staff had a little adventure in Nanjing, though, as one of the them punched a “fan” that he recognized as a scalper – a sign of clear frustration with the system, I imagine.
Perhaps Ashin subconsciously fears old age and thus takes to wearing such cute and girly t-shirts all the time. =D
Hah! That had not occurred to me, but now that you mention it, I’m sure you’re right. What other explanation can there be for all those teddy bears and Hello Kitty shirts?
I think Cui Jian needs to expand his market. Remind me, has he played any sold-out stadium shows lately?
I thought you’d want to know: Peng Tan is going to release an acoustic album soon.
Here’s a preview:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ozb9yKrYDvM/
Thanks, hobielover. Because I own the Dada’s live album, I’m a little worried about it. I mean, I’ll buy it, but I’ll be a little worried.
I’m kind of worried over whether my classmate is actually going to go to China over the break. I gave her a list, written in Chinese, which included any album from the Dada or Peng Tan, so I may end up with this album.
She might not be able to find it anyway – I haven’t seen Peng Tan’s new album in stores or on Amazon yet. The older albums are available, though.