Concert Day, Part Deux: Andy Lau Strikes Back

Shanghai, October 27, 2007 (Saturday)

It’s Canto-Pop Concert Day, Part Deux! I spent the morning in the People’s Park area again. I discovered a direct bus (925) that stops just five minutes from my hotel, so I hopped on. The ride to People’s Park took about 40 minutes, which is really comparable to my former bus-metro combination, and the bus fare cost half as much, so I was delighted that I not only did NOT have to make the long trek, but that I was also paying less. Score! Plus I got to whiz past many Shanghai streets I wouldn’t have passed, as well as got to see Huai Hai Road, the other main shopping road in Shanghai…just blocks and blocks of shiny shopping high-rises, with tall billboards hawking every brand imaginable.

The bus stopped virtually in front of the Shanghai Museum, so I thought it an opportune time to visit that venerable institution. I was delighted to see that they offered a special student ticket, so I whipped out my USF student ID, strapped on my backpack more firmly, and asked the kind ticket seller for a student ticket in my sweetest, ‘school rocks, yes I’m still a student, dammit’ voice. If my life were a manga, this scene would be drawn with my speech bubble completely peppered in little hearts. And I would have huge…eyes. Yes, eyes. But I digress. I got the student ticket, which was a quarter of what the full ticket would have cost. Score! I’m on a roll!

The museum is really wonderful, thoughtfully laid out, and well presented. I’m not super keen on bronzes or sculpture, so I breezed through those two exhibition rooms. I do enjoy pottery and porcelain, so I spent a little more time in that hall. I was continuously amazed by the utterly beautiful details and stunning craftsmanship of these ancient pieces. I was also delighted to see pieces that went beyond expected daily utility (i.e. plate, bowls, food and drink storage). Some unexpected objects were a dainty little porcelain bird feeder, a whimsical porcelain dog figurine, and pillows made of pottery (!). Could this be a clue as to why my bed is so firm? Could there be traditional Chinese medicinal benefits to a firm mattress and pillow?

I was also impressed by some of the clean, modern-looking pieces; these ancient pieces that were hundreds of years old had such spare, elegant lines, and simple colors, that I could easily imagine them on the shelves at Ikea or Crate and Barrel.

There was a special exhibit of Swedish silver, and I salivated over these gorgeous pieces, especially a couple of coffeepots from the 1970s that looked like works of art.

Another special exhibit featured paintings on loan from the Prado Museum in Spain. Aside from a brief intro about the Prado Museum, there was a sizable selection of rich oil Baroque and Renaissance paintings. There were a couple of racier ones, i.e. nudes of Venus, a courtesan, and wood nymphs. There were a few twitters from adolescents around these paintings, but really, given the fact that there’s a sex history art museum in one of the nearby water towns, I don’t think these oils were that shocking.

Another exhibit that I enjoyed was the minority crafts hall, which showcased the handicrafts, particularly the clothing, of various Chinese minority groups. The cloth and clothes were lovely, and functional, and I was pleasantly surprised to see ancient artifacts of unexpected objects such as a toothbrush, a dinner knife case, etc.

I also really admired the seal collection. The seals, also known as chops, are intricate carved blocks of various materials (stones, jades) with different designs for the top portion, which you hold, as well as different engravings for the bottom seal portion. The top portion (the handle) often were delicate figures of animals; my faves were the dragons, the turtles (oooh, cooters!), and dogs. These seals varied in sizes, from small and dainty, to something you would have to pick up with two hands. The materials were also beautiful in themselves, with the stones showing variations in color and pattern. On some of the chops, the sides were engraved with poetry…tiny perfect characters of beautiful verse. The actual seal portions were also lovely, usually two to four ancient script characters of names or titles. I was very much enamored by these chops, and I plan on picking up a few while in Shanghai.

I took a break in the Museum’s tea room over a cup of green tea, then made my way to the Museum Store. I saw a few things I might get, but I figured I’d shop around before making a commitment.

I wandered past People’s Square into a series of small back streets, including a “food street” that had many small restaurants, as well as street vendors. These vendors didn’t fit my criteria of “not technically on the street” or “had a line of 5 locals or more”, so I had to pass them by. It’s interesting how simple these vendors’ operations are. I am pretty sure these guys were unlicensed, as I can’t imagine any official signing off on a metal barrel with charcoal over which you roasted sweet potatoes. Or a dude with a bike who rigged up a pot with charcoal over which a small metal griddle was heated and oiled so he could grill hot dogs on sticks and chicken and squid skewers. Then there was the lady with fresh melon pieces on a stick, as well as a couple of guys roasting chestnuts on woks. The smells and sounds and bustle were amazing, and I was mighty tempted to forego my street food criteria just this once. I compromised when I saw a snack foods storefront selling milk tea and skewers, so I got myself a cuppa and a couple of chicken and squid skewers.

I wandered around these residential streets for another hour or so, walking under freshly washed clothes hung out to dry. I hoped my good luck would hold despite walking under many many pairs of people’s newly laundered skivvies. (It’s a Chinese superstitious thing). I made my way towards Feng Yang Market, a relatively well-known complex of small vendors who sold touristy things and designer knock-offs. Wow. Four floors of vendors with basically the same stuff. I wasn’t sure where to begin. Should I start at the bottom, get warmed up, then go for the kill on the fourth floor, where there were less shoppers, and thus, the vendors would be more desperate to make a sale? Or should I hit the rear of the complex, which due to the difficulty in getting to those booths, would also be eager for shopper and be more open to bargaining? I decided to compromise…doing a spin of the first couple of floors, casually inquiring prices before moving on. I wanted to see the different opening prices, as well the merchandise among the different stores first. The funny thing is, I didn’t see any “must have” things. There were things that I wouldn’t mind getting, but nothing really stood out. Plus, I didn’t want to lug purchases to the concert…so I wandered the complex for a little while longer before taking my leave, making a mental note to return on a day dedicated to shopping.

As the late afternoon darkened into early evening, I made my way to a metro station, which took me straight to the Shanghai Stadium, where Andy Lau’s concert was being held. The stadium is so huge, there are two metro stops. Actually, I realized there were two stadiums as well, both named Shanghai Stadium. Well, that makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it…I spied a couple of glowstick vendors on the metro, with their handcarts piled with cartons of glowsticks and signed posters of Andy Lau, and figured I’d just get off at the station they were getting off at. The area was teeming with scalpers and street vendors selling glowsticks, binoculars, and posters. I saw a mall right across from the stadium and took refuge there, only to discover the place was packed to the brim with shoppers. The food court in the basement was packed; people were lining up to get seated at Mickey D’s and Papa John’s for crissakes. I thought I’d spurge on one of the nicer restaurants at the top of the complex. Bad idea. A wedding was taking place at one, and the line for the other was also very long. I guess I wasn’t the only one with the bright idea to grab a bite before the concert near the stadium. I exited the mall, waving off at least 10 scalpers, and wended my way around the block, peeking into a couple of the restaurants I passed. Also packed with people waiting to be seated. A couple of blocks away, I finally find a small divey place, called a “small eats restaurant”, that had a couple of small tables free. There were a mix of locals and expats, so I figured it would be serviceable. The prices were off the wall cheap. I had a hearty plate of beef curry with rice, an order of little dragon dumplings, and a tall lemon iced tea for $4. Awesome.

After that huge dinner, I waddled back to the stadium, which had opened up its admission gates. It took me 15 minutes to get to the side of the stadium where my seat was located. It’s effin huge, 80,000-seat capacity. My seat was mid-nosebleed range…I saw the stage, but was at such a weird angle that the huge screens at either side of the stage weren’t 100% visible. Oh darn, no karaoke for me tonight.

The concert only started 15 minutes late. It started pretty well, with songs I recognized. Andy Lau looked pretty good for a dude pushing 40+. His opening act outfit was all white; white pants and a white vest that he wore unbuttoned over his surprisingly chiseled and cut chest. He has a great sense of humor, and is a good performer, presenting well-rehearsed and choreographed sequences with panache. However…he sang the entire concert in Mandarin, even the hits for which the Cantonese version is more well-known. That didn’t sit too well with me, since I often preferred the Cantonese version. I couldn’t get into the songs.

He knows how to put on a show: lots of flashy, Dancing with the Stars-esque choreography. And even an Armani fashion show (Armani sponsored some of his concert wardrobe) that occurred during one of his wardrobe changes. He ended up being the finale of the mini fashion show, strutting his stuff in an immaculately cut black suit. He also did a slow R&B song with the models, very corny, exaggerated stuff, but it worked, even despite the fact that a few of the models towered over him.

A corny sequence that didn’t work was a young, summery bit in which he was dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and inexplicably, a sarong tied over his jeans. His female backup dancers pranced about grasping oversized fake lollipops, and other dancers, dressed in costumes made to look like cartons of popcorn boxes, awkwardly hopped around. WTF? It was at this point that the concert began lagging for me.

Another sequence that really didn’t work was one in which he did a series of faster choreographed songs, dressed in white blazer, white tank, and jeans. Sounds ok, yes? Then he topped the ensemble with a white cap. Not an Ashton Kutcher, I am a cool, hipster trucker cap. Think “Hello, My Name is Andy, would you like to super-size that?” white cap. Dude. Armani did not sign off on that, believe you me. He got more and more corny and yes, arrogant as the night drew on…asking for more applause and screams, pulling his tank up to show off his six pack while singing a slow love song…that sort of thing. It got tired real quick.

Yet another sequence that was horribly cheesy, and that frankly, sucked, was a prolonged bit of musical theatre where he was dressed in an odd, pseudo-ancient Chinese minority costume (think something from the 1980s ancient China TVB series, only in brighter colors). This bit involved some really bad overacting: “Princess, don’t leave me! Noooooo!” (Editor’s Note: What the hell happened to the understated actor who kicked arse in so many Hong Kong movies, like Infernal Affairs???). The sequence also featured prolonged love songs, some lame wire work, where he ascends skyward as his princess writhes on stage, and some flouncy panels of sheer chiffon. I spent the whole time alternately gagging and rolling my eyes. This was actually the finale, and I was so disgusted that I muscled my way out of the stadium then and there…even though, as is the custom, he would have at least one more encore planned. In fact, his first encore started just as I exited my seating area. ANOTHER mandarin song. Sheesh. I know it’s unreasonable for him to sing Cantonese versions of songs in which a mandarin version exists…but it was a real downer for me, especially since I grew up listening to his Cantonese versions. All in all, thumbs up on the first half of the show, and thumbs down on the second half. No comment on the encores…though I really doubt he could have redeemed himself during the encores after that horrible musical theatre bit. I beat the crowds, made it to the metro station, hopped a cab, and got back to the hotel in record time.