English reviews

Some excellent reviews proving not only his fans rave abt his concerts but David is truly a worthy presence on stage. Many has already expressed their delight at the 'CD quality' of his live singing. The reason is simply because his cd recording is usually with live musicians & not so overly digitalised like 90% of studio albums released now. There are quite a lot of concerts clips being posted @ youtube, so do a search if u wanna watch some. I will post up a few in later posts.
Tao-rrific show
Tuesday October 31, 2006
By MICHAEL CHEANG
David Tao gave an entertaining performance during his recent concert here. Thirty minutes into David Tao’s concert last Saturday, I was prepared to write it off as just another bland and uninspiring pop concert by yet another Taiwanese artiste. At that point, hardly anything that Tao delivered that night at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium could suggest that the concert would be anything different from all the other concerts by his peers, which always tend to be predictably uninspiring, and overloaded with sappy ballads or over-produced pop tunes. Even though he kicked off the show with some pizzazz by literally “descending from the sky”, the first set of songs he sang failed to live up to the dizzying heights of his grand entrance. However, I should have known not to underestimate Tao. After all, he is now one of the most creative and versatile artistes in Taiwan. Judging by last weekend’s concert (which was part of his Love Can World Tour), that moniker is well earned indeed. The first of many surprises that night came after his first costume change. Accompanied by a lone pianist, Tao sang a medley of three jazzy numbers, including the classic Chinese song Ye Lai Xiang. It was only during this segment that Tao’s vocals really began to shine through. From then on, the concert was a much more entertaining affair. Tao is definitely one of the most versatile Asian artistes I’ve seen, managing to switch effortlessly from lounge singer mode to hip hop artiste, rock star, rapper and even dabbled in some Chinese opera at one point.
Not many artistes in the Chinese music industry would be able to display such versatility in the recording studio, let alone live on stage, but Tao did just that. He managed to pull it off effortlessly – switching the mood of the show continuously with ease to include mass pop karaoke sing-alongs with the 12,000-strong crowd, a fiery rock segment and an intimate acoustic session. The show also included one of the best build-ups to a song in a concert this year – featuring a lone flutist and an er hu player juxtaposed against a backdrop of psychedelic colours, a dreamy sequence that set the mood for the rocking riffs of the song Ghost.It also helped that most of Tao’s songs (many of which he composed himself) were pretty memorable, particularly the 9-11 inspired Dear God, the rocking Art of War, the catchy My Anata, and the touching ballad Everyday (which he sang together with a rather deliriously happy member of the audience who couldn’t keep her hands off him). To tell the truth, one of the main reasons why the concert was such an entertaining watch was down to Tao’s interaction with his fellow musicians, which ranged from singing duets and dancing with er hu player-cum-backup vocalist Ke Wei, or rapping with guitarist/backup-vocalist David Tan. Unlike many Chinese pop concerts where the band is usually just backup fodder consigned to the dimmed lights at the back of the stage, Tao’s band of musicians (half of whom were from Malaysia) were a living, breathing part of the show, at times managing to outshine Tao himself. Ultimately, it was Tao’s willingness to let his fellow musicians shine, and that sheer look of joy on his face to be playing music with them that made this concert one of the best Chinese concerts this year; except for the insipid start. The David Tao Love Can World Tour Live in Malaysia concert was presented by Hotlink and organised by Galaxy.
(Reposted from Star Central)
The Tao of love
Singer David Tao shares his vision of world peace and caring for the environment at his 'Love Can World Tour 2006' concert
By: John Lee (Tue, 31 Oct 2006)
It was a night where Taiwanese singer-songwriter David Tao Zhe entertained fans with his strong showmanship skills and immense stage presence. He dished out more than 25 hard-hitting Mandarin rock songs, R&B dance tracks and romantic ballads during the three-hour concert, themed Love Can, last Saturday at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. More than 12,000 fans turned up, including his ardent supporters from Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong, China and Japan. Besides writing songs and singing them, Tao is also a conscientious artiste. As he proclaimed at the concert to the appreciative crowd, he's always conscious of his role as a singer - and he wants to share his vision of world peace and love and also help spread the message of caring for the environment. This is because ultimately, he declared, "everyone of us, no matter whether we are - be it in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taiwan, Hongkong or China - is responsible for the environment and the state of the world". Tao's passion for environmental issues was reflected by the tropical rainforest theme of the stage that featured a moss-covered helicopter sitting amidst a profusion of jungle vines as well as banana and palm trees.
The evening's entertainment kicked off in style with a video screening that showed Tao piloting a malfunctioning helicopter that eventually crashed into a jungle. The video screening ended in a cacophony of smoke and explosive pyrotechnic effects before Tao, hanging in mid-air, was slowly lowered on stage amidst a blinding halo of spotlights. The 37-year-old Tao, dressed in a glittering white sleeveless T-shirt and pants, started the show with the pop-rock song Rain before moving on to the mellow ballad Shanghaied. It was a hot and balmy night with Tao sweating profusely only 20 minutes into the concert. However, that did not stop him from performing energetic dance moves and cajoling the audience to join in the dancing and singing with shouts of "Malaysia! You rock!" and "Come on! Help me out!Let's sing it together!" throughout the concert. There were plenty of loud cheers, whistles and handclaps as fans sang along with Tao on hit ballads like Ai Wo Hai Si Da (Who Do You Love) and Ai Hen Jien Dan (I Love You). The concert featured all his popular songs such as the rock numbers Black Tangerine and Sun Tzu's Art of War as well as Susan Says, a R&B hit with Peking Opera elements. One highlight of the concert was when Tao picked a young girl, Celine, from the audience, to duet with him on the love ballad Close to You. Deafening screams, particularly from female concertgoers, were heard when Celine hugged Tao during the duet.
Entertaining highlights included the eerie bass beats as well as red and blue strobe lights flashing around as Tao performed the rap-rock song Ghost with white masked dancers in black costumes constantly reaching out for him from supine positions on the stage. During the interludes while Tao had a change of costume, the audience was entertained to video clips made by the singer that included a short comic story on the environment and messages of peace, not war, flashing on the screen. Other highlights included a duet with the erhu player and back-up singer Ke Wei on the R&B ballad Marry Me Today and a brief jamming session with guitarists Jamie Wilson, David Tan and percussionist Mat Noor on a medley of Ordinary Friend, 22 and Fated. The high energy concert climaxed with Tao belting out the rock song Bastard and love ballad Love Can. The concert, postponed from a May fixture earlier this year due to injuries suffered by Tao in a motorcycle accident in April, was organised by Galaxy Group and presented by Hotlink.
(Reposted from Sun2Surf)