Source: The Star
Credit: noreen (www.jay-chou.net)
Jay Chou blazes the Malaysian arena with his magnificent world tour in celebration of his decade in showbiz.
THOUGH he sings that Superman Can’t Fly, there appears to be little that superstar Jay Chou can’t do. As one of Asia’s biggest-selling recording artistes who’s also making inroads into acting, the Taiwanese sensation is known to constantly push boundaries with everything he does.
That he amply proved during the Malaysian leg of his Jay Chou The Era 2011 World Tour at Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, last Friday and Saturday. For two nights Chou wowed more than 18,000 fans at his sell-out gig with a truly magical affair.
Making an explosive entrance, the man emerged from a futuristic spaceship as a solidly rendered 360° 3D suspension much like a floating and revolving white-clad timetraveller.
Said to be the latest visual effect technique, this mind-blowing projection technology reportedly cost TWD40mil (RM4mil), a sizeable chunk out of his TWD100mil (RM10mil) concert.
For him, it was a show commemorating a milestone in showbiz – 10 years of music making with 10 studio albums, which continue to sell into the millions despite rampant piracy. The man who once said he lived for music is now embracing the challenge of filmmaking with gusto as was apparent at his concert. Fans were enthralled as much by his use of illusion and state-of-the-art special effects as by his infectious music and dazzling costumes. Channelling his love for cinema, Chou transformed the stage into a “now you see him, now you don’t” vision.
The music of Asia’s king of pop/R&B/hiphop actually encompasses myriad genres. At once artistic, creative, innovative and progressive, he showed himself to be leaps and bounds ahead of his contemporaries with The Era World Tour.
In a visually-arresting show that spanned four seasons, Chou combined the futuristic and the medieval, teasing his fans by seemingly leaping in and out of the screen, a larger-than-life character that drew gasps of wonder among the audience.
Last month, the musician-turned-filmmaker’s Hollywood debut as Kato (a role made famous by Chou’s idol, the action star Bruce Lee) in the action comedy The Green Hornet topped the Malaysian box office for lunar new year flicks, grossing some RM9.8mil.
When the good news reached Chou’s ears, he promised fans he would be back in Malaysia more often to promote upcoming projects. The versatile entertainer is directing sequels to two of his other successful big-screen ventures – Secret 2 and Initial D 2.
Having come a long way since his painfully shy debut, Chou, 32, now even hosts his own TV show Mr J Channel. Due to his involvement in major cinema projects, it has been three years since his last world tour concert.
Much too long for his adoring fans, male and female alike, who waved colourful glow-sticks and screamed his name repeatedly during the show. The megastar gave thanks to his loyal supporters and quickly endeared himself to them when he advised security personnel to refrain from restraining his passionate fans.
During the concert Chou also showcased his musical talents by playing various instruments, including a zither-like guitar.
Making sure it was a show of breathtaking scale and scope, the singer roped in six guest artistes for the Malaysian leg. Local artistes Vinx Lim and Katherine Chan served as opening acts, with the former winning applause for showcasing his saxophone-playing skills as well. Accompanying Chou from Taiwan were Cindy Yen and The Drifters as well as Gary Yang and Lara Veronin (both formerly of Taiwanese group Nan Quan Mama, his proteges).
Together, the troop delivered some 30 songs during the three-hour concert, which included two encores.
Having had so many hits through the years meant that he had a tough time shortlisting songs for his act yet Chou easily had fans singing along to hot favourites like Love Before A. D., Black Humour, Fragrant Rice, Dad, I’m Back, Simple Love, Superman Can’t Fly, Can’t Tell, Coral Sea, East Wind Breaks and Nunchucks.
Wielding glow-in-the-dark nunchucks – a weapon favoured by Bruce Lee – Chou finished the number by casting them into the crowd, ending his show on a high note.
The world tour kicked off in Taipei last June and includes stops at 40 cities around the world. And if you missed the show here, don’t fret. There are some 20 more shows to go and the concert album (DVD+2CD) of his first show in Taiwan is already available for sale.
Jay Chou The Era 2011 World Tour: Live In Malaysia was presented by MBI Entertainment, organised by Speedy Entertainment, with main sponsor Carlo Rino.
EVERYTHING SUPERNATURAL
