OPUS JAY: Changsha 10052014 & Mother's Day!

Take a good look at that photo.
(No, I'm not asking you to tell me about that cheeky smile and handsome face, which can be quite distracting but that's not the point...lol!)
Yup, those are raindrops in the background.
Reports of inclement weather had already come out in the afternoon yesterday when Jay was rehearsing and it brought to mind one of his concerts last year when his trusty bodyguard sheltered him with a huge umbrella when he was singing, of all songs, Clear Day.

There's Xia Banzhang taking care of our Jay as he rehearses.

The rain did not let up but the fans were clearly not going to let something like that stop them from attending a Jay Chou concert and making the best of it.

If anything, I'm certain they were more determined than ever to show Jay that their love and support for him would prevail in spite of the cold and wet weather.

After all, what are umbrellas and ponchos for??

Jay in return did not disappoint, as he gave them his all (as always!), singing some seldom-heard songs like Not The End Of The World and the charming devil gave a heartwarming rendition of Adorable Lady, which he dedicated to all the ladies in Changsha. *swoon*

Lang Zi Gao was back in action!

Brollies and ponchos out in full force! 

Vids:

Adorable Lady and Clear Day, where he quipped that he hoped the latter song would make the rain stop. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnXVR6paRJE

Not The End Of The World:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF4LoWv-pbk

Listen To Mother's Words and Silence, the former song being all the more meaningful because today is Mother's Day! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5qlv_Kcq8Q

Some notable quotes from the concert:

"As long as you have me and my music, the world will not end."

"Please don't fall ill. Go home and take a hot bath."

"I hope that by singing this song (Clear Day), the rain will stop."

I heard there was no after-party and I'm not too surprised.

I'm pretty sure he has been quite tired out as he was in Beijing on Friday, shooting a commercial (or magazine story) and only got into Changsha on Saturday itself.

Here's a sneak peek at what he was involved in, which came with a quote about musicians having to be drifters: 

Guitar + sunglasses + shirt tucked out + nonchalant stance = COOLNESS

*swoon again*

Anyway, he has left Changsha and is headed home.

Take care, Jay!

I hope you had a nice hot bath after the concert too! 

And Happy Mother's Day to Grandma and Mama Chou, the original J-Girls!

No one else can compare to their awesomeness! 

And of course, on Mother's Day, one must listen to this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ1-ITdNqKg

I shall end off with one of my most favourite shots of Jay and his Mum, which shows just how cool and sporting she is and how her only son turned out so awesome too. :)

Remember to show your love to your Mums all the time too! 

Update:

Jay managed to get back to Taipei in time to celebrate Mother's Day! 

(Heard that some of his crew were delayed.)

OPUS 2 JAY: Shanghai 2 May 2014

Hi guys and gals! 

I hope all of you have been following my Facebook Page for OPUS 2 in Shanghai over the past few days, there has been LOAD of updates, pics and vids, which I shall now summarise in this post.

Here is a link to a translated article about the concert from Jay Chou Studio:

http://jaychoustudio.com/archives/jay-chou-descends-down-to-shanghai-launches-opus-2-tour-at-80000-seater-stadium/1642

Now for my round up of the concert. 

First up, a pic of His Royal Diaoness descending from the sky (or so it seemed!), filling all the fans with wonder but it seemed he himself was somewhat filled with dread no thanks to the height.

But, as reported on his Page, he was very heartened when he looked down and saw his 80,000 fans in the stadium, the sight of which renewed his confidence. :)

NB: As usual, for more pics, please go to my Facebook Page album, as I shall only post some of my more favoured photos here.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.509428442495164.1073741965.399217090182967&type=3

Hmm....that long coat looks a little strange but overall, the outfit is quite impressive.

And anything is better than those balloony pants he wore in OPUS JAY.

I'm glad to report that he ditched them for OPUS 2. 

Vid of the opening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTLrYyDdkBQ 

After which he reappeared for Long Quan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRmV_6O7W-U

Final Battle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grNbrpwqgF0

As expected, there was no Rooftop segment but Jay had cleverly created another musical-style compilation of songs, based on Secret, with new costumes and a new story.

I love this tremendously as he looked superbly suave and handsome in his white jacket and black pants combo, complete with short tie and performing Free Instructional Video, Romantic Mobile Phone (with Cindy) and Mr Magic.

He definitely appeared to be having a lot of fun too! 

The dance with Cindy was really sweet, involving hand movements a la the dance with Ms Tsai in 2010 and Sign Language style in 2013. 

That's what I love about Jay.....his dance routines are never raunchy. 

Watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1lna3URKzE

Looking a little serious here.....probably thinking of his steps or hoping he won't drop her! 

 Then Darren appeared and the story continued, and Fight Dance was next! 

I think it involved a Jay-Darren-Cindy love triangle. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW6HZjEj1lE

He then sang Secret:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOX6fSvf_ts

Next came the soft rock segment:

All The Way North:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56rhwUxtC-A

And then came the photo-taking with the fans and.....my fave song for the night, Jay's rendition of Rhythm Of The Rain, which he wrote for Vincent Fang's movie of the same name. 

With all due respect to the original singer, I just find that Jay sings it so much better, or maybe I'm just biased, like all the other fans who said the same thing. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_gCNUvCb8A

Another link of him bantering with the fans and taking the photo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP-yx4kXfKk

Isn't that such an awesome shot???

I hope he'll do the same in Singapore! 

Nunchucks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H4c0Vvc4uM

Silence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiEu3h2amF0&index=28&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ4K6Magvdxsbg50N6aaJir8

Cannot Speak:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcCQmR7R9S4

I'm glad he kept the Big Ben/ Fine Day segment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7peyNZgclI

And the beloved guitar medley:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzFvhhGVv10

It was time for another new costume, with cap and baggy jacket, performing Battle Of Heaven And Earth!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxpxd3gUpm8

Black Sweater:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TdwrVq9uOM

And Surrounded, where he took his usual dig at the pappz, with Devon, Gary, Ju Pao, Xiao Mai, Xuegao all taking the stage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBRsNkuU82A

Ukulele and Sunny Otaku:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J97W7q7v_68

Jay then got his trainers to teach the fans how to work out....cute!

And sang Where Is The Promised Happiness. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWeEVoud6Nk&index=30&list=PLbHLPahX3mJ4K6Magvdxsbg50N6aaJir8

NB: I did not post the zhong guo feng segment. That was pretty much similar to other concerts in Opus 1. 

Well, as with all Jay Chou concerts, it was a night to remember. :)

I cannot wait to see him in November! 

OPUS JAY: Guiyang 25042014

After a successful stop in Sydney, the OPUS JAY 2014 World Tour machine rolled on to the Chinese province of Guizhou, where His Royal DIAOness staged another of his humongous and spectacular outdoor concerts on 25 April 2014.


Doesn't he look cute at Customs?

The fans waiting for him were certainly enthusiastic, if not a little overly so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sclK4NuBn98

Just look at how his bodyguards had to surround and protect him.
Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he would have been completely overwhelmed by the fans!


As usual, Jay commenced rehearsals in earnest and there was lots of cute stuff happening!

Dang! I want Danni's job!

Look at the size of the stadium!

Rare footage of Jay rehearsing Long Quan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtDT6lsI1K0


For some reason, Jay threw the spotlight on his facial hair this time, with him posting something via his trusty friends regarding whether he should shave or not.
In the end, he conceded that he had better do so in case the young ones at the concert start to address him as Uncle again....lol!

Well, this fangirl absolutely prefers him clean-shaven anytime.
How about you?

The concert proper:

For more pics, do click on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.506543609450314.1073741964.399217090182967&type=3


Some nice vids from the concert:


Guitar medley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPBm4ZKMEiI

Silence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwNPFO9zI-Q

Hong Chen Ke Zhan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njjSOF4KpLM

End Of The World:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEnMONgG2w8

Ming ming Jiu:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFA8WOxoVeQ



And the next morning, he was off!

Next stop:

SHANGHAI for OPUS 2 JAY!

OPUS 2 JAY SINGAPORE: Ticket sales!

It was the night before 25 April 2014.
The queues had begun in the earlier part of the evening at the Indoor Stadium which was where the Sports Hub box office was located.

If there was any doubt about whether fans would flock to Jay Chou's encore OPUS concert in Singapore a mere seventeen months after his sell-out three nights in June 2013, it was soon put to rest when ticket sales started on the dot at 10AM this morning for M1 and OCBC Card members.

In addition to the Indoor Stadium, the other venues for sales were at SingPost offices and I heard that queues had formed there too, although perhaps not as long as the one at the SIS.

Here's an Instagram vid from fans showing their support:

http://instagram.com/p/nMfGxLKgJG/



However, what was of more interest to most of the fans was the ability of the ticketing website to handle the expected HUGE volume of sales, as previous experiences with the other ticketing agent had invariably led to crashes, delays and frustration.

Happily, it appeared that Sportshubtix had got their act together today as there were no reports of the website crashing from fans who were booking online or at the venues.
Things seemed to have gone smoothly, if a little slowly in general and many people I know were able to get tickets, although perhaps not their choice of seats.
But a peek at the Sports Hub Facebook Page showed up the usual complaints about waiting and not pages not loading.


I heard from another friend in the evening that there were still Cat 2 and Cat 4 seats available, although I cannot confirm that nor any other news about how the overall sales went, as yet.

http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/music/2014/04/25/long-queues-tickets-jay-chous-national-stadium-concert-go-sale


Anyway, the OCBC/M1 priority booking period goes on until 27 April, so I urge those of you who have yet to get your tickets to do so as soon as possible on your own or from friends you can trust.

NB:

Regrettably but not unsurprisingly, the black market swung into action very soon after sales opened with tickets going for two or three times their sale price on many forums and sites.
I would however caution against buying from sources which are dubious as this is actually illegal and also, there is no guarantee that the tickets are genuine.

Please also note that I do not condone the buying and reselling of tickets in the comments on this blog.
Any such comments will be deleted with immediate effect when I see them.

Thank you for your cooperation.


                                                                         *********

Here's a nice pic of our handsome Jay to spur you on!

Doesn't he look just yummylicious???
Those arms.... *swoon*

OPUS 2 JAY SINGAPORE: Ticketing details

OMG!!!

Look at that EYE-POPPING pic of His Royal DIAOness on the poster for OPUS 2 JAY in Singapore on 8 November 2014 at the new National Stadium!
So much better than last year's, right??

So the ticketing has been officially announced and as usual, there will be priority booking for OCBC Cardmembers from 25 to 27 April.

https://www.facebook.com/OCBCBank/photos/a.197387637059943.50195.176678252464215/467892410009463/?type=1&theater

http://www.sportshub.com.sg/sports-hub-tix/opus-2-Jay-2014.html

“After a successful world tour comprising of packed arenas in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and including 3 spectacular sold-out shows in Singapore last June, Asia’s reigning King of Mandopop brings his first full scale outdoor Singapore concert to the National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub, the nation’s newest and largest concert arena on 8 November 2014 (Saturday). Jay Chou solidified his status as pop and R & B King as fans snapped up much sought after concert tickets within a few hours of ticket launch for his previous concerts. 

OPUS 2 JAY 2014 WORLD TOUR is a continuation of Jay’s last concert with a fresh opening performance. The concert will be stocked with razzle-dazzle projections and lighting effects as Jay Chou performs songs from his forthcoming 2014 album and familiar fan favourites. Along with skilled dancers, ace musicians, giant video screens, spectacular stage, complemented by the National Stadium’s modern appearance, OPUS 2 JAY 2014 WORLD TOUR Concert will be a sight to behold. Fans can look forward to an unforgettable world class concert experience! 

This Concert is proudly presented by M1 and sponsored by OCBC, Giant, Sakae Sushi, Air Asia Big, Bugis Junction and Bugis +, Resorts World Sentosa and CCI Rewards.“

Link to promotional vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hAI-IHhPfY&feature=youtu.be


From past years' experience, the priority bookings will move SUPER FAST, leaving little for the rest.
As such, it would make sense to get hold of an OCBC cardholder (if you are not already one) to help or quickly apply for one yourself to take advantage of this situation.

Of course, the capacity of the new stadium will be bigger and the organisers are targeting 30,000 pax.

But recalling last year's OPUS JAY in June, when he sold out three nights, each about 7000 to 8000 pax, in 5 hours altogether, it seems fairly certain that: the same mad rush is going to happen come 25 April.

It also seems equally certain that the website is going to crash once sales start, so I hope the new agent has put into place measures to handle the humongous volume which is bound to come its way.

I'm not sure about priority for other sponsors and will update on the Page and this blog accordingly when I hear any other news.

Here are some news links about last year's ticket sales:

http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/music/2013/02/19/sistic-website-overwhelmed-jay-chou-tickets-go-sale

http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/music/2013/02/22/jay-chous-gig-tickets-sold-out-third-show-added


Good luck!