'I didn't think you'd be so wild': Andy Lau tells Singapore fans at sold-out concert

"I didn't think you'd be so wild," Andy Lau said to deafening cheers from a 10,000-strong crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

On Wednesday (Sept 25), he kicked off the first of four shows in Singapore.

It's not difficult to see how popular the Heavenly King is in our nation — we spotted fans of all ages filling the seats of My Love Andy Lau World Tour, many of them sporting big smiles on their faces.

After all, it has been 11 years since Andy last held a concert here.

The extravaganza got underway when the Hong Kong superstar made a dramatic entrance singing Conspire on a raised platform.

On the trail of thumping beats in Chinese People, he shed his white robe for a vigorous drum solo on stage. How's that for an opening number?

The 57-year-old showed no signs of slowing down when prancing around the stage or breaking out dance moves in a jazzy rendition of You Are My Dream.

Andy worked the crowds into a frenzy on a specially-designed four-sided stage that moved along with the songs — he was even suspended in mid-air at one point so fans sitting in the upper levels could get a better look at him.

We were pleasantly surprised by how some of Andy's hit songs were given different treatments at the concert. The ballad Forget Love Potion, for example, was reworked into an uptempo number.

Besides belting out a repertoire of Mandarin and Cantonese hits spanning his 38-year career, Andy also took the chance to chat with longtime fans.

"I'd love to hear you call me leng zai. Oh, we can't speak Cantonese here so it should be shuai ge (Chinese for 'handsome guy') instead," Andy quipped, eliciting laughter from the audience.

The singer also got them waving their mobile phone lights in the dark, instantly turning the arena into a sea of twinkling lights as he crooned Thank You For Your Love.

Going all out to delight his fans, the singer took time to pose for them onstage, which saw a barrage of concertgoers ditching their seats to run to the front.

Andy joked, "This concert is so easy, I can just sit here and let you take photos of me."

Fans were equally amused when he invited his 'special guests' — two bobblehead mascots bearing his likeness — to dance with him on stage.

If you thought it was all just fun and laughter, Andy had several sentimental moments during the show.

Just half an hour into the concert, he teared up while singing If One Day. "I'm thankful for all my friends seated here," Andy choked as he addressed the fans who have shown him support throughout the years.

During another interlude, the singer who turns 58 on Friday said, "There'll come a day when I become too old to sing. When you meet this old man on the streets, please give him a hug and tell him, 'You're very handsome'."

By the time the audience roared for an encore, many fans near the stage were already standing up on their seats. The star then delivered a medley of tunes including the upbeat concert theme My Love.

His energetic performance during the 150-minute show put fans at ease, as Andy had to take a hiatus in 2017 after he got injured in a horse-riding accident.

As he wrapped up the concert with the soulful ballad Eternity, we couldn't help but remember that he told the audience, "I promise that I'll take care of myself. I'll forever be your handsome Andy Lau." 

"If this lifetime is not enough, let's meet again in our next."

The Singapore leg of My Love Andy Lau World Concert Tour, organised by Unusual Entertainment, runs from Sept 25 to 28 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

lamminlee@asiaone.com