PUBLISHED ONDecember 19, 2022 5:52 AMByDrima ChakrabortyJolynn ChiaNobody wants to go to a concert by their fave pop star and have the backup singers steal the spotlight.
Taiwanese Mandopop king Jay Chou was in Singapore for his Carnival World Tour concerts on Dec 17 and 18, and fans were hyped to see him for the first time since January 2020.
Though some fans managed to catch a glimpse of Jay from outside the National Stadium for free with 'Cat 0' tickets, many who actually paid for the tickets — which went from $218 to $388 — were dissatisfied with the concert.
The 43-year-old posted on Instagram on Saturday (Dec 17), writing: "Singapore seems to be a little high, please keep being high for day two."
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The post was bombarded with comments from fans lamenting the sound quality and Jay's singing chops, and what some concertgoers had to say were downright harsh.
One fan wrote: "If your voice can't make it, then don't even consider holding a concert. You can't do your best, your fans have complaints, and then your reputation suffers as a result — what for?"
They added that they have been a fan for 16 years and been to four of Jay's concerts "all from the first five rows" but this was the first time "I felt that the sound effects were bad — even the backup singers were better."
"I have recordings to prove that your voice was really small or muffled. I thought it was just me, but so many people experienced the same issue," another comment read.
"If it was only a small number who were complaining, then maybe it's just their problem. But if it's the majority, then your team has some serious issues."
Fans also compared Jay to concerts by JJ Lin, Eason Chan and Mayday, who they deemed to have put on better shows.
A fan took to microblogging site Xiaohongshu to post: "Jay didn't sing for long, and he only sang a little for every song. It was too soft, he couldn't reach the high notes and forgot his lyrics — the state of his throat could not make it. His backup singers were more outstanding — I remember Cao Yang, he sings well with a clear voice and he's so handsome."
They also added that Jay "wasted time" with large sections of magic performances in a concert that already started late. Other gripes the fan had were with the exclusion of hit songs like Common Jasmine Orange from Jay's setlist and that there was no encore segment to end the concert.
Concertgoers also claimed that the complimentary lightsticks — many of which did not light up due to flat batteries — were reused from the 2020 concert. The organisers flashed a message onstage before the concert apologising, claiming that they did not light up because of "repeated rehearsals".
Not everyone was heavily critical of Jay's performance, though.
A fan wrote on Facebook that although there were "more performance segments than him singing, the classic songs made up for it." They added: "It was my first time, so my expectations were not high."
Some fans stood up for Jay in the comments of his Instagram post, claiming that the naysayers may be trolls criticising the concert just for the sake of it.
One comment read: "The comments comparing him to JJ, Mayday, Eason: Jay's throat has been failing for years, and his health is not as great as the rest of them, so he can't complete one whole concert. Everyone who can't stand Jay having his buddies perform with him and is saying that his voice has changed, please don't buy his tickets. Leave the tickets to fans who truly like him."
Local celebrities didn't shy away from embracing their love for Jay as well.
Actress Jeanette Aw went to the concert with former actress and self-proclaimed "overzealous Jay Chou fan" Felicia Chin. Jeanette called Jay "such a talent" in her Instagram Story, adding that the concert "is also a visual feast".
Pan Lingling shared a photo with Jeanette, Felicia, Jeffrey Xu and Huang Biren, calling it a "high profile concert". Zoe Tay was also in attendance, sharing photos with Aileen Tan, Apple Hong, Jeremy Chan and Jesseca Liu.
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Shane Pow wrote on Instagram: "Finally watched my childhood idol live for the first time!"
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drimac@asiaone.com
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