Super Band 2010 World Tour Final Voyage In Singapore

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Saturday

The long and winding road has led Mandopop’s Super Band back to Singapore, six months after their last concert here.

Since their first gig in Taipei last March, the fab four have been touring constantly, trekking as far afield as Vancouver and Las Vegas, and performing for more than 1.3 million people.

In the process, they have honed their act and, last Saturday, before a near-

capacity crowd of 7,500, they presented a slicker show compared to their early gigs.

Dressed in coordinated outfits of black and white, singer-songwriters Lo Ta-yu, 55, Jonathan Lee, 51, Wakin Chau, 49, and Chang Chen- yue, 35, stepped on stage from a train carriage mock-up and launched into their new song, Return.

The lyrics were a reflection of their life on the road and also captured the spirit of the group: a few wanderers chasing their dreams.

After an opening medley of songs, each performer had his turn. Lo rocked out on East Wind and Shaking Hands, his distinctive voice pitched halfway between growling and singing.

Chau, best known for his easy-on- the-ear hits, obliged with three ballads in his clear and warm tenor and had the whole stadium singing along when he crooned Hua Xin (Flower Heart) and Friends.

Chang played the harmonica and upped the tempo with the party-hearty Malasang. Vocally though, he seemed the least assured and his twang was a little too flat in The Feeling That I Want. He did provide, though, some of the night’s highlights with the down-to-earth, slice-of-life lyrics on He Jiu (Drinking) and The Experience Of First Love.

Lee showcased his songwriting flair by taking on hits he had written for others. The guitar and violin arrangement worked best for Zhao Chuan’s I Am A Little Bird, while Lee’s gruff-voiced interpretation of Winnie Hsin’s Understanding and Sylvia Chang’s The Price Of Love came across as flippant.

You began to wonder where Super Band were and this was not helped by the fact that they did not perform much of North Bound Mega EP. This was their sole release as a short-lived band as they will break up after their final two shows in Taipei on Friday and Saturday.

One is tempted to be cynical about the entire enterprise and see it as a gimmicky attempt to revive flagging careers rather than a musical labour of love.

However, the project has been fruitful for those involved.

Chang has taken to drumming and intends to pursue it seriously, while musical collaborations have sprung up among them and are likely to continue even if the moniker of Super Band is retired.

The time together has clearly strengthened their camaraderie. A video presentation had them taking the mickey out of one another by mimicking one another’s gestures.

The concert ended with Desperado, the first song they wrote together, which is a rap-rock collaboration fusing their individual strengths as musicians to deliver something different, and lending some credibility to the notion of the band.

Just do not announce a comeback tour six months down the road.

(ST)