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Music review: JJ Lin Timeline Genesis Concert

SINGAPORE — Those who watch Chinese pop concerts, especially those by superstars such as Stefanie Sun, Jay Chou, Eason Chan, A-mei and Jacky Cheung, know that such events are more than just a performer belting out their big hits.

SINGAPORE — Those who watch Chinese pop concerts, especially those by superstars such as Stefanie Sun, Jay Chou, Eason Chan, A-mei and Jacky Cheung, know that such events are more than just a performer belting out their big hits.

There is a certain amount of spectacle involved, whether it’s pyrotechnics, flashy costumes (the more outrageous, the better seems to be the way to go, for some), incredible sets or an army of the finest dancers.

The 8,000-strong audience saw all these at JJ Lin’s concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday night. And as usual, he was in fine form, opening the set with a quiet intro, before turning the amps up to 11, amid a salvo of laser light and thunderous backing from the band (and yes, the dancers, too).

But there was also a certain vibe in the air that made it not just another concert that wowed the crowd. “We are not just singing songs, you know,” he said, adding that the next three hours or so would be a time to “share life”.

And share he did. At certain moments during the show, Lin pointed out that it was a night of family and friends, giving nods to those in the audience who have supported and nurtured him — with a special mention given to his mother, who would bring him to karaoke sessions as a child. To relive those days, he brought his “Lin Ma Ma” onstage for a duet during the encore.

He also gave props to his National Service mates (“People keep wondering … I really did serve NS — two-and-a-half years, okay?” he quipped) and his fans, particularly those from Singapore. “It feels like they are like family because they have been supporting me for so long,” he said, much to the delight of his local fan club. “You guys are good.”

It was also a night of fun. Lin had previously said performing to a home crowd can be “a little scary”, but he was definitely having fun and, as he acknowledged, it was probably the first concert in which we heard him talk so much.

His banter was more self-assured, as he joked with the crowd. When he was taking his jacket off at one point, fans started screaming, “Tuo!” (“remove your clothes” in Mandarin) to which Lin quipped: “You can’t be from Singapore. If you were Singaporean, you wouldn’t say ‘tuo’, you would say, ‘Take out, lah!’”

Elsewhere, after remarking that he was thinking of starting a family, two girls offered to have his baby. He retorted: “Why are there two of you? But maybe not today.”

The show was broken up into various segments, marked by changes in costume and music style. After the initial dance-pop blast, Lin switched gears with a rockier sound in songs such as Black Keys. He even did an instrumental solo “battle” with his guitarist using a keytar, a synthesiser that can be slung like a guitar.

This was followed by a jazzy set for songs, such as Cinderella and 100 Days, before a stripped-down acoustic set beginning with Small Dimple (he pretended to mishear his fans’ request for that song: “You want me to sing a song about a small apple?”).

He then offered a song with “local flavour” — a country-folk rendition of this year’s National Day song, Our Singapore — before playing another “local song that has reached many people all over the world”.

He began playing a stripped-down version of Unbelievable, the Chen Tian Wen song that went viral online earlier this year — but was interrupted by a gruff voice saying, “How can you sing it like that?” Enter: Chen himself who, dressed in his music video outfit, took centre stage to show Lin how it was done.

After yet another costume change (a futuristic sci-fi look this time), he regaled the audience with a solo performance of early songs on the piano, before bringing on the full band and dancers for the finale of the main set. And yes, there were pyrotechnics, too.

Was it a good show? Technically, yes. Apart from a minor glitch at the beginning (you could see Lin asking to switch microphones), the rest of the show was flawless. And while there are those who would sniff at shows that are too slick (and Lin’s concerts are as slick as they get), it’s also very difficult to not like the guy. His warmth and easy-going manner can probably win over even the most stubborn of detractors.

On Saturday night, you couldn’t help but root for another son of Singa-pop who has made a veritable mark in the global arena.

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