The Era of the Dragon Knight
Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou shows he has indeed arrived on the world stage with an electrifying performance
By: Chan Soo Wah
Source: theSun
Credit: Petom JJ (www.jay-chou.net)
IT HAS been 10 years since Jay Chou first burst upon the entertainment scene and there’s no better way to celebrate his fantastic rise to fame than with The Era World Tour 2011.
The concert at Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil last Friday was indeed a special affair with fans lapping up every move and song of the singer-actor, now riding high in his career.
The 3D-enhanced stage boasted an eye-catching blend of medieval and futuristic elements, creating an absolutely fantastic audio-visual feast.
On the dot at 8.30pm for the start of the concert, fans were greeted with a simulated version of Chou in 3D, dressed in white with wings on his back, strumming on an electric guitar.
Fans in the rock zones were clearly the only ones benefitting from the effect as they were close enough to see the details on the simulation, while the others had to watch it on the big screens put up on both sides of the stadium.
Soon enough, the real Chou stepped onto the stage to deafening screams. He started the show with two songs from his new album – Dragon Knight and The Era.
Then his frequent collaborator, Lara Liang, joined him for a spectacular Middle Eastern-influenced track, Snake Dance. Unfortunately, due to a bad sound system, Liang’s voice was barely audible.
There were two other guest artistes – Cindy Yen who sang solo on You Do Not Love Me and then a duet with Chou on Black Humour; and The Drifters who delivered Promised Happiness.
The pace wound down a little as Chou sang two of his famous ballads, Love Before the Century and I Do Not Deserve, prompting some members of the audience to perform a karaoke session with him.
In-between songs, Chou told the crowd that he had heard that his fans in Malaysia were an enthusiastic lot and that he had always wanted to come here to promote his albums and hold concerts.
"Seeing all of you tonight, so enthusiastic and happy, it makes me want to come back here more often," he quipped, as the crowd screamed with excitement.
Not known to be talkative during his concerts, this time around, Chou seemed to be in a chatty mood. He even went to shake hands with lucky fans in the rock zones twice.
He also got to show off some dance moves in Miss Hip Hop and later had a costume change for William’s Castle. Fans were delighted when he belted out a string of his classic hits like Tornado, Time Machine and Dad, I’m Back.
For the latter two songs, Chou and his guitarist stood in a box with a body-length window and a large white background. A 3D imagery was then projected onto the white background and the result was superbly mix of moving imagery and live action.
Soon after, Chou wound down the concert with a few of his hits – Simple Love, Superman Cannot Fly and finally, Can’t Say It, accompanied by loud singing from his fans.
But of course, a concert cannot end without an encore and Chou came back to belt out Give Me a First Time and a superb duet with Liang once again on Coral Sea. This time, their vocals could be heard clearly.
It seemed weird when Chou left the stage for Liang to sing I’m Not Afraid, from her new album Hello Lara, not that fans complained as she was good.
Chou then returned to the stage to deliver two fast tracks, East Wind Breaks and Nunchaku. When the concert ended, his fans seemed reluctant to leave the stadium but many apparently returned for the second night’s performance as they just could not get enough of their idol.
Despite some hitches with the sound system, the concert, overall, was excellent. Fans were also earlier touched by a video montage showcasing Chou’s 10-year career and his desire to entertain them for another 10 years or more.
