Beyond Live 2003 Concert Review

by Quasimime

December 10, 2003 | Browse Concert Review

Beyond Rocks On: Bandmates' Display of Loyalty and Unity Doesn't End When Tragedy Claims One of Its Own

Amongst a crowd of about 4,000 people in a darkened venue, two screens suddenly jumped to life with a video that documented the band Beyond over a period of twenty years - an outstanding display of longevity in their native Hong Kong's fickle music industry. As the vocal accompaniment to the video introduced the members, each name was punctuated with cheers and clapping from the eager crowd. When it was announced "...and in loving memory, Wong Ka Kui", I (along with many others) couldn't help but cheer in delight as this was the Beyond I knew and respected - a band that believed loyalty and unity doesn't have to end when a tragedy claims one of its own.

On December 4, 2003, Beyond played a show at the Niagara Memorial Arena in Niagara Falls (about 2 hours west of Toronto) - the seventh stop on their 20th anniversary world tour. While the "Opening Prologue" played, Beyond members Steve Wong Ka Keung, Paul Wong and Yip Sai Wing took the stage, assumed their positions and launched into their hit song Vast Seas Clear Skies, which was followed by several upbeat tunes (Hot Party, Face-Giving Party, and Arabian Dancing Girl).

At this point, Paul introduced the next couple of songs - and mentioned that whether you were born, raised or living overseas, it was important to remember your Chinese roots. The songs he referenced were Yesterday's Footsteps and Great Land, two older songs with a distinctive Beyond sound and lyrics that demonstrated the love and pride they had in their cultural heritage. This was then followed by a series of ballads: Steve sang Early Train and Cold Rainy Night, Sai Wing sang Silent Goodbye, and finally, Paul sang Lover.

The audience, which had been singing aloud with the band, suddenly became quiet. I turned my head to one of the screens and was pleasantly surprised to see home videos from the period Beyond spent in Japan before the accident. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but know that it's always fun to see these guys interact with each other, goofing around in front of the camera and recording in the studio. As the video ended, Beyond began to perform Live Life To The Fullest.

While I had been enjoying the show immensely, the energy level and my enthusiasm really started to climb when they launched into an energetic Never Die and followed-up with Sound. Next, Sai Wing launched into an amazing drum solo that must have ran a few minutes long...a wicked experience I won't soon forget. The joy and excitement I felt was overwhelming, and I wasn't alone in this regard. Twice already, a bunch of us in the VIP section (closest to the stage) had abandoned our seats and rushed the stage - only to be sent away by security. To add insult to injury, additional security staff lined the stage. I was torn. I understand that sponsors are needed to finance a tour that spans countries, and that these sponsors have reserved seating at the front. But here's a bunch of musicians playing their hearts out and the people most visible to them are sitting and lack the energy from which any musician would feed for their live performances. In short, it felt disrespectful to Beyond.

Then everything changed in the little world that was my best concert ever. During the next song, Corrupt The Young, Paul stepped out onto the vertical part of the T-shaped stage and demonstrated his prowess - confirming that he was a master guitarist who knew how to play with style and drive a crowd mad. Once again, we pounced and rushed the stage with such determination that security was not able to send us back this time. And that is where we spent the rest of the night - in the midst of frenetic fans moshing and singing at the top of our lungs. From this point forward, it no longer felt like a concert for me but rather, an amazing party with great music.

Beyond performed I Am Angry and No More Hesitations, before launching into In Battle For Twenty Years, which is the theme song to their 20th year as a band. Many years ago, Ka Kui wrote and recorded the music on acoustic guitar while humming where the vocal track should be placed - lyrics had yet to be developed. Earlier this year, in anticipation of their anniversary, Beyond completed the song by layering additional instruments and singing lyrics that detailed the challenges they've faced over the course of their career as a band in an industry that is arguably, driven by idol worship rather than music quality and innovation. On stage, a life-size video projection of Ka Kui enabled all four bandmates to play together once again - a moving display for this great song, and entirely fitting.

The classic songs Silent Years and Glory Days were followed by There Is Always Love, after which Beyond left the stage. I heard a few people yell "encore", but they were soon replaced by a growing number of people singing "la la la la la la" to the melody of the last song performed. There we were, in the dark once again as the stage lights had gone down, singing for several minutes while the band changed their clothes - it was a uniting moment amongst the audience, which soon became funny and almost an inside joke when each line ended in cries of "uuuiihh" similar to how Ka Kui used to finish off lines in concert. As the singing continued, the two screens suddenly started playing a video for Really Love You. Right from the beginning, we sang along so loud that I was actually unable to hear Beyond's singing in the video - but again, it was another one of those moments that was fun and felt like the right thing to do.

When Beyond returned to the stage, it was time for head-banging and foot-stomping to Forever Waiting, an all-out energetic and rockin' performance that threatened to peel the paint from the venue walls. Next, Beyond performed the songs I Like You and Amani before Paul said a few words about the music situation in Hong Kong, and asked us to remember that they had existed. The words were bittersweet as I wondered if he was conveying a message about their future - I'm not paranoid, but they had each just completed a 3 year hiatus from the band to pursue solo careers. Those familiar with Beyond immediately recognized Paul's words as an introduction to an amazingly poignant song - Goodbye Ideals, which was written in their early days and describes how the band felt about making compromises for commercial success. It was with this, the song often cited as their signature song, which the show ended.

Throughout the night, the three supporting musicians performed well: Gary Tong (of Tai Chi) and Ivan Leung on keyboards, and especially Ah Yin - the excellent guitarist who has performed with Beyond in the past. While a celebration of the past 20 years, the set did not include many songs from the last 10 years but focused on those that were better-known. And I have to say, it felt much too short and went by too quickly, but I can't complain as they had performed 24 songs with so much heart - these guys really gave it their all!

About 15 years ago, I discovered Beyond and they inspired my confidence in Chinese music. And with this extraordinary live performance, my faith has been renewed.