Sunday 30 September 2012

Group photo with Jay!

Jay's F1 concert was simply beyond expectations for me, what with being in the Fanzone and getting to see him so up close!
Like I said in my review, I only wish it could have gone on for longer.

Nonetheless, I was still totally hyped-up after that and when I got home by 1am plus, all the images and sounds of his performance kept going through my mind. There was just no way I could sleep so I proceeded to upload the video clip I had recorded on to youtube, and posted some photos on Facebook.

I was actually planning to catch a few hours of shut-eye before heading to the airport to meet up with the fanclub at about 5.30am to send Jay off.
However, it was only at about 3.30 that I could finally try and lie down for awhile....and after 20 minutes of closing my eyes and still recalling all the moments from the concert, it was obvious I would not be sleeping and decided I'd make my way to the airport and just have to get by on adrenaline therafter.

It was a surreal experience, driving to the airport at that hour and I really did not know what to expect.
But since I had gotten the chance to see Jay upon his arrival, I thought why not go all the way and do the send-off as well...since I was also not working the next day and could afford the time.

Thankfully, my hubby did not put up any objection about my somewhat crazy behaviour. I think he knows me too well by now that when I get caught up in something like that, there's really nothing much he can do about it and should just let me get it out of my system. Plus I made sure that this would not disrupt any plans for the morning.
I met up with the others at the airport and after some nodding off and dozing, we proceeded to Terminal 2 to wait at the VIP Lounge exit where presumably, Jay would go through to get into Immigration.

Whilst waiting, the admins debated whether to try and request for autographs or a group photo.
It was decided that the photo would be a better and more manageable option and thus, we readied ourselves getting into positions with the club banner so that Jay could be ushered into place quickly and efficiently for a shot.
It's safe to say that all of us were really excited but mindful that we had to behave politely and in a civilised manner so as not to 'scare' Jay.

After waiting for nearly an hour though, some of us were wondering if he'd somehow given us the slip.
But we knew he was bound for Guangzhou and there was only that particular flight so we kept waiting.

Then a few security staff came along, positioning themselves near us and also a man and a woman wearing lanyards with passes around their necks...in other words, looking official. So we sensed that they were here to see Jay off too and our spirits lifted.
True enough, David, one of the admins came running in soon and told us to get into place, which we quickly did, feeling more and more anxious now, and wondering if Jay would agree or would just ignore us.

I mean...you never know how it is with these stars, right?
He might be really tired and not keen or something.
But I guess we need not have worried.

Danni emerged first, followed by Jay and saw us standing there all nicely positioned with the prominent banner.
Jacky, our president then stepped forward and politely asked if he would agree to take a group photo with us.
To our utter delight and amazement, Jay nodded and walked towards us!!

Omg...I think all of us could not believe our eyes but of course, we quickly made way for him to get his spot in front with us around him and Danni helped us take three shots in quick succession!
After which he gave us a small wave and went on towards the Immigration entrance, with us thanking him (and Danni) profusely and saying our goodbyes.
He did not say anything all this time, or maybe I just did not hear anything.
But it was enough for us that he had taken the photo with us!

As he went in and out of sight, there came whoops of joy and plenty of hugs and high-fives amongst the 22 of us there as all our pent-up excitement erupted, so overwhelmed were we! And it was not long before practically everyone wanted to use their phones to take a photo of the photo on Jacky's camera as we simply could not wait for him to upload it to Facebook! Such fun!!!

On hindsight, I think we misjudged Jay if we really thought he would not be agreeable.
After all, we were not a group of screaming fangirls (as you can see from the photo, the guys are ardent fans too!), each one armed with a camera pointed at him, although I'm sure all of us really wanted to squeal when he appeared. ;)
And neither were we papparazzi.
And thank God, there WERE NO pappz around too!
Our club president has also taken pics with him before so I guess he was no stranger to Jay.

I have a feeling Mr Chou was probably quite happy to see us too (he had seen us during his arrival too, and during the concert) and should have been impressed with our dedication at being at the airport at that hour to send him off.
If there's one thing he appreciates, it's his fans and their support.

Anyway, it was soooo worth the wait to get the precious photo...'cos he had such a sweet little smile in the photo and look at how his left hand is helping us hold up the banner!

And look at the photo.... it's uncanny how well his hoodie/teeshirt matched our JMS colours of black, white and pink...it's like it was meant to be!

Sigh...how not to love him even more??

Sunday 23 September 2012

Jay Chou at F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix: The Concert!




And so, after the airport meeting, [ http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/09/jay-at-f1-singtel-singapore-grand-prix_20.html] which sent me over the moon with Jay's smile and nod at me (I want to believe!),  the next BIG event was THE CONCERT!!!

21 September dawned, bright and hot, with me once again having taken the day off, as I was pretty certain I would have been too hyped-up to concentrate at work anyway.

Came the evening and F and I made our way to the Padang where we met up with friends and fellow Jay fanclub members before we headed to the Fanzone which we were entitled to.

Jay's concert was scheduled for 2315 hours but we decided to go in early to get a place nearer the stage, and it was just as well, 'cos when we got there, there were already fans who had snagged the choice spots right at the front of the stage and at the side of the runway.



The practice runs were telecast live on the big screens in front so after we had found a nice spot at the side of the runway, we sat down to wait patiently accompanied by a huge 1.5L bottle of Carlsberg...lol!
It was interesting to see what other fans had brought, including lightboards with 杰伦 (Jay's Chinese name) on them. Couldn't resist borrowing to take a photo. :)



Anyway, F was my official photographer, avid shutterbug that he is and proud owner of very good lenses (Nikon) which he is always keen to put to use...so I left the photo-taking in his extremely capable hands. :))

After the practice rounds ended, an aura of palpable expectation built up as the fans awaited Jay's performance. At various times, screams were heard from the front, even if as much as a stagehand appeared! False alarms they were but the crowd soon got to their feet and surged forward about a good twenty minutes before the start time of 2315. I noticed Yang Junrong (Jay's manager and one-third of JVR) running down the side of the runway to the sound console and knew that it was almost time for Jay to appear.

(NB: I shall be inserting links to a youtube playlist which contains all the songs from the concert, which were nicely recorded by raynerwong...all credit to him! And one by VJSkratch...thank you to him too!)


And appear he did!
With a flourish of images on the screen, I knew immediately that my prediction of him starting with Exclamation Mark (jing tan hao 驚嘆號)was spot-on! The unmistakeable heavy rock intro came on, his dancers soon after and then....THE MAN HIMSELF coming up from the floor of the stage in the midst of it all, to rapturous cheers from the fans!
This song is notable for the"WA KAO!" chorus which the crowd enthusiastically responded with!




After which he launched into The Era (kua shi dai 跨時代) where he was elevated even more on a special platform:





Love In BC (ai zai xi yuan qian 愛在西元前) was next, where the intro was changed to a simple accoustic guitar ditty and the song was arranged differently from the studio version...with a richer and more up-to-date sound and feel....I loved it!







Then came Where Is The Promised Happiness (shuo hao de xing fu ne 說好的幸福呢), a definite fan favourite (actually, practically all his songs are!).











He ramped up the tempo after that with Enchanting Melody (mi hun qu  迷魂曲) which saw him donning the special LED jacket which we first saw in his Gaoxiong concert...so DIAO!!
He came on with sunglasses, looking SUPER DIAO, which he threw into the crowd oh-so-coolly, to shrieks of excitement!












I knew Super Sports Goddess (chao pao nu shen 超跑女神) had to be on the playlist and I was not wrong! This song has a marvellously catchy tune and breezy feel which always makes me smile! The "Oh Oh" chorus is also really fun to join in! Of course, there were the requisite sexy girls writhing around him (as in the MV) but there was never any direct contact as he sang and danced....totally cute and cool! And of course, who could miss the fiery red Ferrari on stage??






Following that was Cannot Speak (kai bu liao kou 開不了口) where he conducted his gigantic karaoke session like he did during The Era concert...I loved this one! His voice sounded really good and the singalong was heartfelt and so 感动 (moving). He had such a nice smile at 1:49! And watch out for him blowing a kiss to the fans at 3:38....so sweet!!! But sadly, that was not where yours truly was standing. *pout*












It was time after that for Jay to tickle the ivories with the familiar intro of Tornado (long juan feng 龍捲風). Singalong time again! This one is timeless (it's from his very first album) and forever a favourite. :)









I told you he would beatbox and he did....in the intro to Qing Hua Ci 青花瓷 (Blue and White Porcelain), of all songs! But it was really cool and he played piano for this song....I always find it difficult to sing this one but the melody of this award-winning song is beautiful! And he added his own lovely improvisations on the piano, as usual. 




After which was another fast number, Sunshine Homeboy (yang guang zhai nan  陽光宅男) first on the piano and then he got onto his feet to prance around...this is a lively song, after all! The fans were also jumping!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMmLShOuoVQ&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ6CrUsmtl4ES4F7VKsq6cAs&index=10&feature=plpp_video





Qian Li Zhi Wai 千里之外 (A Thousand Miles Away) was next and he changed into a beautiful black and gold Chinese-style jacket for this and the subsequent songs. I love this jacket SO MUCH....very smart!!


 





He came on with Nunchucks (shuang jie gun  雙截棍) after that, which is a must at all his concerts, awesome for the "Hng Hng Ha Hee" chorus and audience participation! And of course ends with his flinging of the nunchucks into the crowd amidst loads of pyrotechnics and flash!















He came on for an encore with a song from a Jet Li movie viz Fearless ( Huo Yuan Jia, 霍元甲)yet another popular Chinese-style rock song with a chorus made for audience interaction..."HUO HUO HUO HUO HUO HUO HUO HUO!", anyone?? And yet another fling-out toy for his fans...yup, a golden fan, literally! But he did say at the end that he would see us again next year (or his World Tour most likely!!!). ;)











That was apparently definitely the final song 'cos even though the crowd waited and chanted his name, he did not reappear and the stage came on with this:


And an announcement that the concert was well and truly over...to the disappointment of the fans.
But then again, the schedule had specified that Jay would only be performing for about 75 minutes...of course, we were all hoping for more....it did not feel right to end so quickly!

All in, it was a fantabulous experience for me to see him so up close! And gosh, he must have been sweltering in the heat, with all those jackets. I'd of course been hoping he'd wear less and show more of his arms and pecs but Jay was too modest as usual. ;)

He was in fine form, bantering with and engaging the fans, who screamed incessantly and sang along lustily with every song. He made full use of the runway to be closer to his fans, sang his heart out and as you can see from the photos and watch on the videos, the spectacular visual effects really complemented Jay's music beautifully...I would not have expected anything less from His Royal DIAOness!  All the hands of the fans were up, holding cameras and phones to record everything for posterity. :)

And need I mention how much I liked his artfully mussed-up hair?? Very handsome!! Kudos also for his costumes which were just the right touch of stylish without any signs of feathers, frills or fur....lol!

I was on such a high after that when I went home that I could not sleep and instead spent the time uploading my video to youtube, posting some photos on Facebook and looking with glee as the Notifications icon kept blinking with loads of Likes and Comments, despite the unearthly hour!

Here's to more of Jay next year for the premiere of Rooftop and his solo concerts!

But before that, there's something else to look forward to first....Album #12 due on 12 December 2012!!!!

Can't wait!!!




And here are some pics from Jay Chou Singapore and Malaysia of Jay rehearsing the afternoon he arrived in Sg: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.511798122182698.133229.126329800729534&type=1



Thursday 20 September 2012

Jay at F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix: Airport meet!



NB: All photos courtesy of my Jay fan friends whom I met at the airport today....you know who you are!

I wonder, dear readers, if any of you have ever gone to the extent of meeting your favourite stars at the airport? If you have, you would empathise with the sentiments which I shall shortly express. If you have not, then let this be an eye-opener...lol!


As has been plenty obvious from my previous posts, THE highlight of my concert calendar this year will be His Royal DIAOness' extremely anticipated concert at the F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix on 21 September 2012. For the uninitiated, that's TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!
Omg...I've been waiting for this concert from the very moment my dear hubby, F texted me one fateful day in March, saying, "Jay Chou performing at F1." (minus exclamation mark...he's deadpan that way) which of course had the intended effect of me booking tickets post haste and getting the coveted Fanzone wristbands.

My earlier related posts:

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/08/jay-at-f1-tickets.html

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/08/jay-at-singtel-f1-singapore-grand-prix_31.html

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/09/jay-at-f1-singtel-singapore-grand-prix.html


Anyway, back to the story at hand:

Meeting Jay at the airport would be my second airport greeting, the first being a fantastic experience in 2008 when the Osmonds came to town for their 50th anniversary concert.

The official Jay fanclub (JayMS) had organised a group of us for this exciting occasion and I duly packed the club paraphernalia (teeshirt/towel) along with my precious 1000-piece Jay jigsaw to bring along, in the faint hope that I might actually get an autograph.

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/06/my-1000-piece-jay-jigsaw.html

Of course I had taken the day off for exactly such an event and come 2pm, I was happily chatting with the members of the fanclub, many of whom I was meeting for the first time. We enjoyed showing each other our merchandise which we hoped to get signed but Jacky (the fanclub president) did warn us that it might not be possible.

We gathered outside Belt 33, where Jay was supposed to exit from Customs and waited patiently. There were Singapore GP officials there too and I think our group were quite a sight with our official pink towels and black teeshirts!

I was bound and determined that Jay should catch sight of my masterpiece, even if he could not autograph it. As such, I got it out of the frame and held on to it carefully, planning to hold it up at an opportune time and place when he would walk out and to his transport.

There were barriers lining the path to the arrival hall doors so we could only stand behind them and hope for the best. I spotted Jay first in the distance and quickly alerted the rest. As he approached us from Customs, we held up the striking pink towels emblazoned with our emblem and slogan, and some of us called out his name in Chinese (Jie Lun!).

Yang Junrong was in front of him, smiling in a knowing manner.
Jay was wearing a black-and-white hoodie, white Mickey Mouse teeshirt ("awww!"), loose pants and had his sunglasses on...but most importantly (and I'm SO glad about this!), NO MASK obscuring his handsome face. ;)



He looked sooo DIAO, even in such a casual get-up and as he sauntered out in his characteristic gait, he saw our group, waved and smiled a little. Practically everyone's camera or phone was up except mine as I was concentrating on holding up my huge jigsaw. I figured someone would have a good shot for me to share later anyway....and there was!



I stationed myself at a point nearer the exit door where he would definitely see me and I swear...he did see the prominent picture of his younger self on my gigantic jigsaw! 'cos I was watching his face closely and I'm almost 100 per cent certain that he gave me a small nod and smile in acknowledgement. :)
Whatever the case may be, that little crinkling up of his mouth convinced me enough; to Cloud Nine I went and am still somewhat on now. *sigh*



He was bundled into the waiting car quickly and with the darkened windows, it was not easy to see him anymore but he did give us a final wave as he was driven off. :D






No autographs but still, we were quite happy with having seen him arrive properly! 


Monday 17 September 2012

Jay at F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix: Counting down!

Look at His Royal DIAOness on the cover of the latest Uweekly issue, in the run-up to this Friday's concert at the F1!!
Doesn't he look so cool??
Facial features quite quite perfect in that photo. *swoon*
I recognise that red and black combo too..it was from a promo shoot for his latest album, Exclamation Mark. ;)

But erm...I can't say the same about the outfit he's wearing for the article inside the mag...and I won't detract from the point of this post (which is about the countdown to his concert) by writing a critique about Mr Chou's at-times, 'adventurous' fashion sense. That will be a topic for another post where I'll discuss both the fabulousness and faux pas-ness of his dressing at various events...lol!


In a nutshell, the interview talks about how happy he is to be part of the F1 entertainment and whether he might get a chance to try some of the cars!
Also some info about Rooftop and he reassures us that his new album will be released on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12); how making movies inspires him in his songwriting and the requisite question about his love life, which as usual, the tight-lipped-about-his-'girlfriend' Jay manages to not make a big deal of. ;)

Another interview from TODAY on 30 August:

http://www.todayonline.com/CultureAndLifestyle/Music/EDC120830-0000020/Aint-no-stoppin

Singapore - Legendary rock guitarist Marty Friedman has said that he would absolutely love to work with him. Asia's pop music elite thinks he ranks up there as one of the best singer-songwriters in the business. And his fans all think he's the best thing to happen to Chinese pop since bubble tea.

We are, of course, talking about Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou, who'll be returning to our shores for the 2012 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

"Being able to come to Singapore for the F1 - I'm looking forward to it," wrote Chou in an email.

You could say that there's precious little things left in the field that the man hasn't done already. Since he broke out in 2000, he's not only established himself as a singer and songwriter, with 11 albums to his name; he's also acted in movies such as Kung Fu Dunk, Curse Of The Golden Flower, Initial D and The Green Hornet; he directs his own music videos, and even did one movie, Secret; he runs his own company, JVR Music; and he's also written a book, Grandeur de D Major.

"All these years, the key thing I've learned is to be more active, more hardworking in life and not be afraid of setbacks," he said. "We must have the courage to keep trying. The most important thing is to love yourself and be yourself."

But if there's one thing he's grateful for, it's his supporters, who he said he regarded more as friends than fans. "I am well aware of the thousands - and more - friends who have given me support - either from Taiwan or mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, or Singapore and Malaysia and the other countries in South-east Asia, and even Japan and South Korea," he said. "To have that long-standing support of my friends - I'm very grateful."

As for his career, Chou said he didn't have a timetable set. "Retirement? I don't know. In recent years, I've been doing other things such as movies, and I'm happy to multi-task," he said, adding that his new movie, Rooftop, is in the works, and there are plans for a new album.

"As for a legacy, my fans have become parents already; I think it'll be great he would tell his children, 'When your father was younger, your father's idol was Jay'. I think music is immortal, it will never die. And I hope to give back some day, once I've settled what I set out to do when I was 20 years old, then… and I hope my old friends will still continue to sing my songs."

Jay Chou performs on Sept 21, 11.15pm, at Zone 4 (Padang stage). Tickets from www.singaporegp.sg.









The earlier posts leading up to this:

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/06/jay-loves-wheels.html

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/08/jay-at-f1-tickets.html

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/08/jay-at-singtel-f1-singapore-grand-prix_31.html


Anyway, I ended my previous post saying I had to get new batteries for my lightsticks; well, a serendipitious trip to Vivocity two days ago made that unnecessary 'cos I finally found beautiful, decent-sized pink and orange lightsticks at Tenchi, a shop there which specialises in manga, anime and similar stuff!

I mean, I've been hunting for these for ages and even contemplated asking security guards where they got their heavy-duty ones from...lol!
Thank goodness I don't need to now! ;)





As mentioned in my last post, the stage for the Padang is going to be of an unprecedented scale and magnitude and a quote from Mr Michael Roche, the executive director of Singapore GP confirms it in a newspaper report last Fri:

He notes that Chou's gig at the massive Padang stage, which measures 24m by 14m, will be his only concert so far this year. 
 "His set is on a scale never seen before in Singapore. I should say this is the grandest stage and setting for an Asian artiste ever seen. He has curated the show and added some wonderful stage props and surprises that I believe will truly thrill the fans."


WOOHOO!!!

I already said Jay would put his own stamp on this special concert!


Here's link to the Singapore GP site with Jay's biography:

http://singaporegp.sg/media/entertainment-detail.php?url=jay_chou

"Since releasing his first self-titled album Jay in 2000, he has become one of the most influential Chinese music artistes of the 21st century, winning more awards and accolades than most veterans twice his age and sold more than 30 million albums worldwide – with each album moving over 3 million units.

Hailed by the media as the "King of Asia," and the "King of R&B", Chou's talents are not limited to music, as he has also crossed over to the film industry. Chou is the first Chinese artiste to direct his own music videos and has been touted by renowned directors as the most promising movie star of his generation.

He is one of handful of Asian artistes who has made his mark in Hollywood as a crimefighter on 'The Green Hornet' and conquered the Asian box office at the same time. Chou directed and starred in the romantic tearjerker 'Secret', picked up a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his appearance in the period blockbuster 'Curse of the Golden Flower', and amassed legions of fans worldwide as a street racer on 'Initial D' which bagged him a Golden Horse Best Newcomer Actor award.

In November 2011, he released his 11th album Exclamation Point. Chou is currently focusing on other directorial projects and running his own record company JVR Music.
Chou is the first Chinese artiste to grace the Padang stage at the FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, and will be staging a one-night only performance with a set specially designed for the Marina Bay Street Circuit."



Here's a link to a map of the circuit:

http://singaporegp.sg/ticket/ticket_map.php


And the on track/off track schedule for Fri, 21 Sept (Jay's concert night):

http://singaporegp.sg/race/schedule.php


20 tips to make the most of the F1 weekend:

http://singaporegp.sg/race/tips.php



Four more sleeps to go!!!!