Jay Chou: Still invincible
Jay Chou, who has put on weight, keeps fans spellbound at concert here
It is Jay Chou's world - we all just happen to be living in it.
That was the message sent during the Taiwanese superstar's stellar live show, "The Invincible" Jay Chou Concert Tour, at the National Stadium last night.
From the moment he appeared on stage in a pink futuristic light-up bodysuit for his song Hero, Chou, 37, got his fans cheering.
Jay Chou in a pink futuristic light-up bodysuit. TNP PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
The opening sequence was a visual extravaganza that showed Chou on a spaceship blasting off into battle as his backup dancers appeared dressed in futuristic armour and sporting lightsaber-like swords.
Chou, married to Australian-Taiwanese model Hannah Quinlivan, with whom he has a year-old daughter, Hathaway, is certainly not as youthful as he once was. He has a more plump "dad bod", having gained 17kg in the last three years.
At one point, he joked with the audience in Mandarin: "It has been two years since my last Singapore concert - I am fatter now, right?
"If you have been listening to my songs from the beginning, you will never grow fat... Or I should say, if you keep listening to my songs, you will never grow old."
Fans lapped up the Jay Chou performance. TNP PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
The 40,000 fans who thronged the stadium certainly agreed, as they sang along enthusiastically to his classic hits such as Can't Say and In the Name of Father.
For Rooftop, originally sang as a duet with Landy Wen, Chou had the audience sing Wen's parts, turning it into a mass karaoke session.
Chou's vocals were good, but it was his star power that shone through and kept fans spellbound.
When he went off stage to shake hands with his fans, many went into a frenzy at the closer look of their idol.
SPECIAL APPEARANCES
Fans who expected a special appearance by local singer Nathan Hartono, a contestant on reality singing competition Sing! China, were disappointed.
Chou had earlier told the media that Hartono was busy preparing for his next round on the show.
But another of Chou's mentees, 16-year-old Canadian-Taiwanese singer Patrick Brasca, made a guest appearance, singing Try - from the Kung Fu Panda 3 film- with Chou.
Fellow Taiwanese singer Gary Yang, Chou's long-time collaborator of Nan Quan Mama fame, also made a guest appearance.
Though the concert was almost flawless visually, with spectacular sets ranging from a graveyard to an underwater paradise, the acoustics were less than perfect.
Chou's piano performances for Sunny Day and Rice Field were drowned out by the bass.
Still, Chou solidified his place last night as one of Mandopop's most influential artists.
It was clear his fans love him, even after more than 15 years, for who he is - fat and all.
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