Mayday [Down To Earth] Singapore Concert 2008
Singapore Indoor Stadium



Being brought back down to earth has never been more uplifting.
Less than a year after their last concert here, Taiwanese rock band Mayday once again proved why they are one of the top live acts around.
They thrilled the full-house crowd of almost 10,000 with unflagging energy and enthusiasm over a three-hour plus show which surged from highlight to highlight.
The drama began with a music video that came alive as stuntmen rappelled into the crowd and then the lads appeared, all dressed in white, in a literal deus ex machina as they were slowly lowered onto the stage.
And then they were off, guitars blazing, with Going Crazy, Perfume, Call Me No. 1 and Born To Love, pumping up the crowd with a series of rock-out numbers.
Such was the momentum that lead vocalist Ashin greeted the crowd only eight songs into the concert. He then took the spotlight as he sang There Is An Absolute In Life backed by keyboards, his earnest delivery at once expansive and intimate.
The much-touted 360-degree stage design was a great idea because it placed the band right in the middle of their adoring fans. The sky bridge, when lowered from the ceiling, along with the extended catwalks off the two ends of the main stage, formed the outline of a rectangle.
Cheers rang out as Ashin, guitarists Stone and Monster, bassist Masa and drummer Guan You ran along the catwalks to the sky bridge stage, brushing palms with besotted audience members along the way.
Fans also got the chance to sing Happy Birthday to Masa, who turned 31 on Friday. The band members clowned about, asking Guan You to lie down and raise the candle, drawing howls of laughter from the crowd.
Stone later provided a tender interlude as he sang Ya Ya, a song about a father’s love for his son.
Singapore was the first stop in the band’s regional tour and they worked the crowd effortlessly, getting the entire hall to bop up and down and sing along fervently.
On One Thousand Centuries, Ashin belted out: “I want to journey with you for one thousand centuries.” Backed by a 10,000 strong chorus, hyperbole turned into a simple declaration of fact.
(ST)