Chang Cheng Yue 2004 Kill Kitty Tour Concert Review

by Yan Liu

October 18, 2004 | Browse Concert Review

Chang Cheng Yue strips away celebrity ego to prove that Asians can really rock

"When I perform on stage, I just want the audience to have fun, to enjoy the power of music, especially rock music." Chang Cheng Yue said.

He surely kept his words, and thrilled the New York audience in the BB King Blues Club on Sunday night. Although this coveted stage in the Times Square has seen plenty of musical acts, one of the waitresses was still surprised. "You know, this is a huge turnout for us. We don't normally get so crowded in here."

Johnny Hi-Fi opened the show with an excellent performance. The audience was instantly impressed with his vocal and guitar skills. Johnny Hi-Fi then raised more eyebrows when the audience realized the powerful ballad "Passive Killer", recorded by Taiwanese pop star Richie Ren, was his creation.

By the time A-Yue and his band took the stage, there were at least 800 people in the club and everybody was literally rubbing elbows.

A-Yue's first song was "Change", one of his biggest hits. This very song marked the turning point in his career, as he discarded his former "pop idol" image and became a rocker. The crowd was pumped up, and loyal fans started to sing along.

That's exactly why A-Yue is making music. "There's too much phony music nowadays. No offense, but enough with the boy bands and stupid love songs already. 'I love you, you love me, let's stay together forever.' Life is not all about fairy tales. I want my songs to truly reflect life, to describe life as it is. I want people to relate to my music."

A-Yue strips away the celebrity
After being stuck for two hours crossing the Holland Tunnel, A-Yue, his manager, band and crew finally arrived at the venue traveling in a mini-van all the way from Philadelphia. A-Yue was not seen resting backstage. He was up there with the crew, moving around equipment and doing the sound check together with them.

Anni Lam, who is opening act Johnny Hi-Fi's talent agent and a consultant for the House of Blues, says, "No diva or pop boy band from Asia would trek out to North America on a 10-city tour cramped up in a mini-van and do their own sound check. A-Yue basically had to strip his celebrity status, come here and prove himself. It's a tremendous leap for any Asian rock star, and may be something we'll never see again. A-Yue and his manager have heart, vision and guts."

Worth special mentioning is the low price of the concert tickets. Fans could get them online for $20 each or at the entrance for $25 each. With such numbers, it was apparent that A-Yue did not do the show for money. He did it for the audience, for his love of music, and he did it to show Americans what Chinese artists are capable of doing.

Highlights
A-Yue's music is known for being down-to-earth and straight-up. "I Want Money" is a prime example. When he uttered the famous lyrics "Oh, mom, I want money. Oh, dad, I want money. Oh, mom and dad, I need your money!" the crowd exploded. Guys were all throwing their hands up in the air and ladies were screaming like crazy. The two girls in front of me were even stomping the floor in tears. There could only be one explanation - they truly related to what A-Yue was singing.

Another highlight of the show was A-Yue's performance of "I Hate Summer". It was written by Wu Bai, another singer-songwriter from Taiwan who is widely considered the best rock and roll live performer in Asia. "Wu Bai was among my biggest musical influences, especially in my early days when I did not understand English and could only listen to Chinese music. He has always inspired me, and I'm very grateful for that." The audience truly felt A-Yue's sincerity. He not only did the song justice, but also showed his respect for a mentor that once helped him.

The craziest moment of the night came when MC Hotdog, a Taiwanese rapper, took the stage with A-Yue. Their chemistry was obvious, as Hotdog showed off his smooth flow while A-Yue sang the hooks effortlessly. After teasing the audience with a funny rendition of "Me and Girls", they kicked things up a notch with their raunchy performance of "F**k This Bulls**t". Almost every other line has cuss words, but who cares? Sometimes, all we need is a vent for our negative feelings that have been buried inside for too long. When Hotdog and A-Yue shouted "F**K This Bulls**t", everybody let it all hang out. Some even climbed onto friends' shoulders and started to direct the crowd. It was a weird yet awesome experience to hear hundreds of people chant with the stars and curse their hearts out. Once again, A-Yue displays no signs of ego. He played his supporting role to the fullest and totally let Hotdog shine. "He is talented and he's a lot of fun. Maybe he lacks a bit of luck (Hotdog isn't all that popular outside of Taiwan). I'm more than happy if he can gain popularity by touring with me. Plus, collaboration is always a good thing. Take this tour for example. The audience can get to enjoy rock and hip-hop at the same time. Some of the rock fans may begin to like Hip-Hop, and some of the hip-hop fans may begin to like rock. That's wonderful."

After plenty of rock, hip-hop, crazy screaming and pseudo guitar slamming, A-Yue cooled things down during the second set and delivered a series of tender ballads, including mega-hits "Courage", "Don't Go If You Love Me" and "Let's Break Up". He showcased his versatility and proved rock was not all he had to offer. The ladies were clearly loving the ballads, as they affectionately hugged their boyfriends and gently sang along.

A-Yue showed his true colors when he explained the choice of singing pop tunes in this rock concert. "Those ballads are among my most successful songs, and I'm very proud of them. Yes, they are pop, but you know what? Just because I'm a rock singer doesn't mean I have to be anti-pop. What I can't stand is being pigeonholed as a pop idol. Rock will continue to be my main focus, but I won't stop writing or singing genuine, great pop tunes. Plus, I started out as a pop artist, and I'm not ashamed of my past." During the encore, A-Yue closed out the show with some of his most provocative rock tunes, such as "Go Fart", "Fornicators", "Son of a B***h" and "Free Night".

What a perfect ending. "Americans tend to think of Asians as cute and tame, like Hello Kitty," says A-Yue, "and that's not true. I want to break the stereotypes, and I want Americans to know that Asians can also rock."

The show did rock in every sense of the word. Backstage, road manager Kurt says, "New York was amazing. It was the sum of all the shows that we did and more." A-Yue definitely shattered the "Kitty" image. Bravo, Chang Cheng Yue!

Photos by Mike Liu