A memorial concert for late Taiwanese star Alien Huang was held last night (Oct 6) at Legacy Taipei and it was just as touching and emotional as one would expect. The event was hosted by his Mr. Player co-hosts Jacky Wu and Kid Lin, and nearly a hundred of his famous friends showed up to remember him and perform, with the repertoire consisting mainly of Alien’s own musical work.

The showcase kicked off at about 7pm with a photo montage of Alien from childhood to adulthood. Jacky and Kid then took the stage, and Jacky revealed that he had just made a bet backstage to see which of them would be the first to cry.

“Actually, the chances of Kid and I crying today aren’t very high ‘cos we’ve already cried too much,” he said. Still, as a contingency plan, Jacky asked his daughter Sandy Wu to be ready to take over Kid’s hosting duties in case it became too much for him to handle.

The first to perform was Gemma Wu, better known as Gui Gui, who dressed up to look like Alien in a short wig and baggy clothes as she danced to his songs ‘Napoléon’ and ‘Make Sense’. Netizens praised her for nailing his likeness and surmised that Alien would have been very amused and proud of his ‘little sister’.

After Hank Chen’s rendition of ‘The Most Romantic Dance on Earth’, which he and Alien worked on just two weeks before the latter’s death, Jam Hsiao came on with a rare performance of ‘Do You Know’. Jam and Alien went to the same college, and Jam credited Alien with being such a big help when he first joined showbiz.

What followed were more anecdotes and performances. Gary Chaw, who wasn’t just good friends with Alien but also considered the late star as the godfather to his son Joe, sang English songs ‘Tears in Heaven’, ‘Close to You’, and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.

Gina Lee wore one of Alien’s costumes from their drama Running Man while two songs that were featured on the soundtrack of the series. She even brought the special die that was featured in the show, which Jacky took and said, “If it shows the star, it means Alien is here.” Sure enough, he got the star after tossing it.

Next up was Alien’s ‘gang’ from Taipei Hwa Kang Arts School, including Tiffany Ann Hsu and his ex-girlfriend Rainie Yang. They shared a recording of Alien imitating veteran rocker Wu Bai during a KTV session and revealed that they loved to make him sing Red Ants Band’s ‘Wine Brewed by Love’ so they could laugh at his nasally voice.

Rainie then returned for a solo rendition of Jam’s ‘I Can Only Miss You’. She explained that she felt like it was the most suitable song for the occasion, and admitted that she was too embarrassed to perform her own songs. She was also candid about being very hesitant about performing, but finally decided to take part after some encouragement from Alien’s manager.

“As everyone here knows, Alien and I had a very pure and innocent relationship in high school, which was turned into a very big issue after his passing,” she said, saying that she can’t reveal too much as she’s afraid of how others might interpret her words. “Not a lot of people know how rare it is for a romance to turn into friendship and familial love, so I can’t blame anyone for not understanding.”

Something a little more light-hearted happened when Jacky and Kid joined Rainie on stage for a brief chat. According to Jacky, he and Alien were watching TV one day when Rainie popped up, prompting Jacky to probe about the reason behind the former couple’s split.

While Jacky didn’t reveal what Alien told him, he said it was completely different from what he had heard from Rainie earlier. However, an indignant Rainie incited some much-needed laughter from the audience when she exclaimed, “You don’t know him well enough — he really knows how to tell lies! (Laughs) I think he was just protecting me.”

After about an hour of more songs and stories from Aaron Yan, Lee Yi, Sam Tseng, punk band 831, Alan Ko, Bobby Dou, and more, Jacky and Kid invited Hank, Tuo Zong Kang (also known as Shotgun), Kunda Hsieh, and others to join them on stage to sing ‘How Far is Heaven: My Dearest Alien’, which was written and composed by Jacky.

Near the end of the show, a very emotional Kid tried to hold back tears as he said some final words about his co-host and friend. “The most unforgettable thing in my life is Alien joining Mr. Player. I’m thankful for all the happy memories he has given me.”

Jacky also thanked everyone for helping Alien live a meaningful 36 years. “I will say on behalf of Alien, I love you all. Let’s keep Alien in our hearts, and please go home safely.”

You can watch the full concert below:

Photos: Rock Records, Apple Daily