QZ news & clips

Lots of nice pixs, short newsclip & vry enjoyable longer newsclip ^__^
The event was held in the largest shopping centre in Guangzhou & David was surprised by the no of fans on the top flrs & just adorable when he kept waving & pointing at them.
He wore jeans instead of the suit pants but carried off the look well & think its Big John jeans. Apparently he will have some Big John activities on 12/8 & a party planned for Jan nxt yr. His Big John ad can be seen on some buses in Taipei & gifts with his images are available with Big John purchases. (Big John info credit & courtesy Tao Mi Tian Tan)
He looked gorgeous here, vry sunshiny. Good interview where he talked abt his concert, his music & ideal partner. While most singers will feel successful when ppl can sing their songs @ ktv, for David it would be a failure. Only if not many ppl can sing like him then he will consider its a success. Seemed some fans read his palm from his album cover (The Great Leap 2004) & said that his love life will not be smooth sailing, David laughed out loud & earnestly told fans not to believe in palmistry cos happiness should depend on oneself. He felt that for his first movie, he should personally write the script cos he felt a director should be totally immersed in his own creation in order to have good results. I am curious in what language does he use to write his script. Considering his chinese is not so good, does he write in english first & then get it translated? Must be a long & painstaking process.

Quangzhou concert promo

DT @ his concert promo in Quangzhou. He looked really good. His hair is longer & styled the way I like it. He wore a dark grey 3-piece suit & pink shirt with a gorgeous lapel pin, rather baroque, maybe he picked it in Rome *heehee* Wow vry dressed up but I like it. With his excellent physique, he can look good in both formal & casual wear. DTFC put up some short clips & he sounded good too but his mic didn't work again. Its strange he always given malfunctioning mic during his concert promos. He looked relaxed & happy so think the European jaunt did him a whole lot of good. There's usual interview questions abt the concert, future plans & stuff. But one funny one was when he was told lotsa fans find his songs hard to sing. He replied that of cos, singing is his profession, if everybody can easily sing his songs then he must have failed & should step down. Then he laughed & explained that he did not deliberately make his songs difficult to sing but he is just following his own feelings. He will also not try & make the songs so difficult to sing that ppl find them unacceptable. Such a funny, cute, articulate & lovely man.
Anyway he seemed vry satisfied with his script writing. He is quite adamant that he will not be an actor but only director. He wants to go back to his original career which is behind the scene. He only wants to do the things he knows he can do well because he wants to respect himself as well as his audience. He is filming not because he wants to make a David Tao movie for himself but he wants to make a movie for a wide audience that will be a breakthrough in the chinese filmmaking industry. Wow that's quite ambitious but its good that he is so confident. Might as well go for broke & try to make a movie nobody else is making rite?
No matter what, he has his fans' support esp when asked when did he find his concert most touching. He said during the ending when he is saying goodbye. In those few minutes, there is no music & he introduced his band mbrs & made some heartfelt speeches. No screaming or clapping from the audience as they silently listened to him. At that moment he suddenly felt that it must be these ppl, so many years, always supporting him so he must thank them. So must we thank you, always there, so many years giving us good sincere music, never compromising. A musician who respects himself as well as his audience. Looking forward to your movie *__*

Live it up DT

Seemed that David will be in Guangzhou today to promote his upcoming concert altho tickets are selling well so he probably just wanna met his fans & thank them. Hopefully there will be some pixs so can remember what he looks like ^__^ Also some more news abt his Europe vacation where he took his parents & staff mbrs to Italy. He wanted to celebrate his parents' 39 wedding anniversary. I must say David is most generous when it comes to the important things in his life *__*
Saw some concert clips of Amy Winehouse's infamous London gigs & I must say despite her obviously unsober state & occasionally bickering with her band, the woman is amazing. She could just mesmerised even when she was just standing there unappetising with eyes downcast looking like she really needed rehab yes yes yes :P She sang unrestrained without holding back, everything out there so you can see deep inside her, feel her, move with her. It was just so gut wrenching, the power of live indeed. I wish DT could move up to this level. He is almost there but not quite. He needs to let go more. Freefall David freefall, remember John Lennon. Forget abt the girlies with their silly water sleeves. Vry stunningly pretty I admit but honestly, its just fancy dressing & not required in the concert of someone who wants to live up to the power of live singing.

Legal DT

Recent news abt David winning court case against Taiwanese mag for misleading articles last yr claiming he was a cad who left his girlfriend at home while pursuing 2 models. Both models had categorically denied that he tried to court them. Vry surprised that he actually took legal action against the mag but glad that he did. Although not gonna stop the lies & slanders in other publications & already there is another 'underground gf' rumor *sigh* but at least he took a stand. Even though it took more than a yr to prove that it was all a pack of lies & most ppl would have forgotten the story by now, but its a small step of victory against the paparazzi. A vry matured & civilised approach by David. Once again, dun care what others think abt you but you are an honorable man. Your grandparents & parents taught you well & they should be proud.

Some DT news

2nd episode of Hennessy Art of Mixing on MTV did show David but it was much too short. The interview was in english & as ever just fell in love with his crazily sexy voice ^__^ They only showed his performances briefly with Justin & Kewei. He looked good & sounded even better. Really cannot fault his live singing even when he is not 100%. He is just such a consummate singer.
Okaaaaay, not sure if I wanna do this. Although this is a blog abt David but I really do not want to intrude into his privacy. But there is so little news abt him now *sigh* & he seldom updates his website. So here goes *big sigh* Apparently David is in HK at the moment & he visited a famous restaurant & met up with an old friend! Oh dear he looked so tired still it was late at night but he is still beautiful to me *__* Love the clothes he is wearing. Hopefully his business there is related to his movie. Before that he had been holidaying in Europe with his parents & in Rome a fan managed to get an autograph. Anyway he has revealed abt his Europe vacation so don't feel too guilty abt showing this. So sweet that he took the time to take his parents to Europe *swoon* Glad that he had some time off to rest & relax before busy December. Hope he will write soon to update us on what he is doing so I don't have to feel so guilty abt writing my blog. I feel like the paparazzi sometimes >"<

Review: Power of Live

First off, the packaging is really gorgeous. He really do spend time and creativity into the packaging of his releases. Of course he does employ a creative team but I feel he put in a lot of his own thinking as well. It shows that he respects his works and his listeners so he wants to give them the whole experience of enjoying his works not only aurally but visually as well.
He also included a written foreword as well as closing thoughts in the dvd. I like the completeness of the various selected clips from the first concert to his most recent. Not only is he presenting his music, his live performances but he shares with us his emotions and ideas about staging his concerts. It is almost like a little music documentary. I am reminded of Ultrasound where along with the selection of songs, he also included a cd with demos to take us through the process of writing those songs.
There are 11 live performances: 9 from 2003 Taipei Soul Power & 2 from 2006 Love Can HK. The 2 live performances from 2007 Shanghai concert are sadly much too brief probably because that concert tour hasn't ended yet. The performances are not in order like his 2003 Soul Power dvd but the songs are mostly the same with the only difference in the last encore track. I am disappointed that he did not include his father's song but maybe he would rather people remember the song as his father's not his updated version. David tries hard not to use his parents to promote himself, something I always admire.
There are 10 tracks in the cd. 9 from 2003 Taipei Soul Power are similar to the dvd but not in the same order. There is also more talking & interaction with the audience which is quite funny. The 10th track is rearranged Regular Friends which showcases his supreme talent in music arrangement. The bonus track of Free brings a nice ending as even though it is studio recorded track, it gives a sense of on the road again to another city, another concert.
The sound quality is not as good as his first concert dvd & cd but it has more of a live concert atmosphere. David's vocals are not always perfect or in pitch but his voice is still clear as a bell. But as he explained, this is what live performance is about. If people want to listen to perfect rendition, then they can listen to the studio album.
I feel that there is a trinity here. Ultrasound, 11 Labor Room & The Power of Live all combined to let us follow David's progress through his music from the recording studio to the stage. He probably didn't plan it this way but sometimes things just fall in place naturally.

Free DT

(Pix credit DTFC) Not sure if this is a recent pix but he looked healthier & fatter at least in the face ^__^ David will not be guest @ A-Mei's concert as he will in KL on 12/22 for a free concert held @ Bukit Jalil National Stadium's car park A. Dun know why it is held in the carpark or maybe just a misprint. Anyway really nice that he is venturing out of China & into Asia. He should pay more attention to his fans here cos we r always so DT deprived :P Caught the 1st episode of Hennessy Art of Mixing in Guangzhou tonight & only featured Justin & Grand Avenue. David will probably be on nxt week in epi 2 so watch out for it nxt week on MTV Mandarin channel.

12/15 Guangzhou concert

Guangzhou concert has been confirmed on 12/15. Venue is 广州市天河体育场 and tickets range from RMB150-680 but according to DTFC only 680 & 480 available now. Also unconfirmed reports that David might be guest for A-Mei concerts in Taipei Superdome on 12/22&23. And he might be performing at a largescale concert in Shanghai on 12/9. So his Dec schedule looks pretty packed, hope he have enough rest now & fatten up plse so u don't get sick again :P We don't mind if u r not svelte, yr sexy voice is enough ^__^
SGFC is able to get in these concert merchandise like this really nice id tag so visit their forum if u wanna place yr order. Power of Live only have 1 concert rearranged song, Regular Friends, but it was just so amazingly good that I really hope he would release concert cd containing all the rearranged songs including the special new rap he did for Susan Said.

Freeing DT

Vry quiet so hopefully David has flown back home to work on his script. At least he didn't release an album this yr or he could be caught in the crossfire. Nobody is talking abt music now but its all abt the fake sales figures *sigh*. Basically if u support your idol & buy original, dun have to worry abt any figures or watch the chart so avidly. Don't even have to look at the charts & I can tell you which albums sell well & which didn't. Although it pains me vry much to say this but if DT wants to leave the music scene after his 6th studio album has been released, then I support him wholeheartedly. He can't be happy to work in these conditions & I do want him to be happy. Was randomly watching a movie last nite & noticed Gold Label & Paco in the credits. Since Paco is already in the movie business, hopefully he can help DT film his movie nxt yr which is less than 2 mths away.
Listen to Eagles' new single How Long & I like it almost as much as David's Free. Both songs are quite similar being country rock with the strong feel of wanderlust. Of cos DT's guitar playing cannot match with theirs but they are a band & he is a one-man band. I was thinking this song will probably be a hit here not cos ppl like country rock but cos it already a hit in the West. But if David were to release Free as a single off his new album, ppl will just say its bland yada yada *sigh* Craig David is back with his 4th album & his 1st single Hot Stuff is updated version of David Bowie's Let Dance. I have yet to warm up to it but the mv is vry cool *__*

DT spotlight

David appearing in a chinese program called 欢乐中国行 in 常州 on 11/3. He sang Rain & Love Can. Here's a very funny blog entry abt his appearance in Eason concert. I think if I sit behind him, I will be so mesmerised by his backview that I forget watching the concert even if its Eason ^__^ I find it so unbelievably sweet & sincere of him that he follows what he preaches. He always say audience should stand during a concert and so he did. I don't care what the rest think of you but in my heart, you have always been the most truthful star, one that will always try to do the rite thing but not for show, not for grabbing headlines, not for winning but for yourself. But somehow the spotlight always shine on you.
Anyway it appeared that Sam Chen of EMI has resigned & David when interviewed said that he has yet to work with Sam on an album but he believes his boss absolutely. It seems that EMI only has sales records for David & Nicholas Teo. This whole affair seems not quite rite on the surface. Something vry shady & slimy abt it. Basically only EMI & the singers apart from David & Nicholas will be adversely affected since their sales figures will be questioned if too high. Suffice to say that I would not be at all surprised if after Jolin's EMI contract ended, both she & Sam resurfaced in Jay's company. A bit like Death Notes where the person who on the surface appears noble & honorable is actually the person pulling the strings behind the scene. But I don't really care as none of these ppl interest me. I will not mention this anymore in my blog unless somehow DT is involved.

Lend me your ears

I come not to bury David but to praise him ^__^ Enough of the negativity. Some nice news of our Dave. He hopped quietly to HK over the weekend to watch Eason concert apparently. Here some nice pixs of him rehearsing in Singapore for Shanghai concert. Love his back view. I already watch Power of Live twice & listened to the cd many times.
There is a song I love most & it is not written by DT *gasp* It is 晚安曲 (Goodnight Sonata) written by a Taiwanese songwriter called 劉家昌 (Liu Jia-Chang) who was famous in the 70s for writing many love ballads used in movies. David inserted part of it into I Love You during his encore. As I listened, I realised once again why I am captivated by this multi-talented, multi-faceted man. His voice, his music can evoke strange emotions in me. As I listen, it is the particular flavor of Taiwan that I am experiencing. If you ever watch movies by Hou Hsiao-hsien or Edward Yang, you will know what I mean. Its like La Vie En Rose reminding me of France. I have heard many old Taiwanese hits by Taiwanese veteran singers but none can evoke that feeling in me. God I love that feeling, I love being reminded of a place, a story, a scene with just a snatch of a song or voice. So for a few minutes as David sing, I can almost feel his heart beat with pride as he sing this favorite Taiwanese tune before a 40 000 strong audience in his homeland. At that moment he is all Taiwanese.
Then when I listen to Spring Wind, I can feel his gradual acceptance of being part of Taiwan. When he first went to work in Taiwan, he was initally unhappy & could not settled into Taipei. Then listening to Tuberose, it was his strongest feeling that chinese music must be updated & dragged into the 21st century. With Shanghaied, it was through his tourist eyes that I see the fastest growing, most modernised city in China. In The Art of War, I heard the sound of ancient China with the help of 12 Girl Band merged with his ultra modern outlook on the world through chinese eyes. Every song & his voice just so evocative. Sometime I can't bear it & just turn off the music so I can keep the refrain of his voice in my mind. Esp with Free. That song just brings so many images in my mind. Like him, I fear normality & having to settle down in one place. The thirst to wander & seek forever something unreachable. The joy is not to reach the destination but the journey.

DT in trouble

As I suspected, David has been dragged into the 'EMI buy chart' controvesy. Ever since Jay announced that he will released his new album on 10/26, the same date as David's Taipei concert, I have been waiting for something like this. Anyway suspicion has been thrown into why Power of Live came 1st in sales for the 5 main music stores in Taiwan but 18 in G-music chart. Jay's result is of cos clean & honest, he came 3 in both.
OK, even DT fans would know that it is impossible for Power of Live to sell better than Jay's new album. David has nvr sell better than Jay but it is not something both EMI or DT fans ever been concerned abt. So what would EMI buy charts for an album which is not even a new studio album from David when everybody know it is impossible to get No 1 before Jay. So who did? Who can gain when David & EMI's reputation go down the drain? Ask yourself this before you believe this news which would probably escalate to Sina & Tom websites.
OK Jay fans reading this would think that I am hating on Jay. Honestly I have no interest in him initially but its when I noticed that he seems to be unhealthily obssessed with David that I began to research more abt him. Jay likes to win & he wants to be seen as influential. Basically he wants to be known as the Taiwanese musician who opens doors for other Taiwanese musicans to conquer new musical frontiers. The one that other musicians follow & emulate. OK, that's a fair ambition to have & I dun begrudge him for that. For a while, he rode the charts & ppl praised him & lauded him. He was known as Asia's King of R&B & was the biggest winner in most Chinese awards shows.
But have you noticed that less & less they say he is r&b anymore? He is known more for his 'chinese wind' songs, a genre most Chinese music experts hope will die down & nvr be heard again. Why? Well, have you heard any American or European pop music that featured classical or operatic music? Not much rite? Cos a real musician will not keep taking music from the past to insert into their own music. That's not creativity just laziness.
Jay is also winning less & less awards & it rankled. One of the things Jay mentioned abt Sam Chen, EMI head, was that he was hurt when he heard Sam celebrating when he lost in an award show to a EMI artiste. Now who could Jay possibly lost to in an award show? That's when I know poor David will suffer through no fault of his. David has always avoided competition with Jay. He even asked not to be labelled r&b. He nvr strive to be known as influential & he is happy when he win awards but not too concerned when he dun.
Anyway you may think I am just a mad raving DT fanatic who is being fanciful. But this is what my blog is for so I can give an alternative view to the negative news abt David. I criticised him plenty as u know cos I know he is just human & has a lot of faults. But the one thing he will not do is 'buy chart' for his albums. Most DT fans would know that but lotsa ppl esp Jay fans will believe that he did in order to score a win against Jay.
Of cos nobody questioned Jay's one million sales figure with 9/10 accounted for in mainland China. Last yr Rain also claimed 1 million sales with half accounted for in mainland China, which meant that Rain sold four times more than Jay in Asia outside of China. That's the trouble with trying to win, in the end you find you lose more than you win. Jay himself has also been accused of falsifying sales figures by Feng Xiao Gang, director of The Banquet. He said Secret is not the box office success in China as claimed. Secret is not actually box office success anywhere in Asia either, it did not break any records, it did not come first in any rating. Lust Caution is the unofficial box office success of chinese movies this yr. Secret did fairly well for a domestic movie but just cos it did not flop dun necessarily mean it was a box office success. The haste that it came out on dvd/vcd could mean they are trying to recoup their losses as it is heavily budgeted with expensive CGI effects.

Awarding DT

The Global music award show is vry boring & just reaffirmed the sorry state of the chinese music industry. Most singers still sing karaoke style with vry little emotion. Note to singer: closing yr eyes while singing is not emoting. The mainland chinese singers are usually the better or more natural singers & have better stage charisma. Show Lou still cannnot convince me he can dance. Note to dancer: moving your arms & legs in synchronicity is not dancing, even a puppet can do that. Most winners tried to promote their upcoming albums or concerts during their acceptance speech which I thought rather tacky.
David appeared vry spaced out, probably cos he just stepped off a plane. He got confused with his first award & thought it was for Marry me today when it was for Wan Bu Liao & thanked Jolin ^__^ The nxt award for best duet was for Marry me today so he thanked Jolin again. Interesting that the other two duets which won were both covers of old songs with new reworking of melody. Joey Yung sang Marry me today & I must say she was the best I heard after Jolin. She also won Best female singer. It was a pity they didn't arrange for her to sing with David. Eason Chan looked good too & sang Under Mt Fuji beautifully.
Btw this is EMI head Sam Chen who presented DT with a guitar strap during his concert promo. He has sensibly refused to reply to Jay's puerile attack on him.

The DT effect

Got the Power of Live today & experienced the "butterfly effect" all over again ^__^ Just listening to small things like the slight break in his voice, the way he hold a note or the quality of his voice just make me so happy, so aware of him & his power to move me.
It was great to see the huge tangerine on stage at last & it was a less rock version of Black Tangerine than the HK one but no less powerful. The rendition of Blue Moon/Somewhere over the Rainbow was more mellow but wonderfully haunting. Melody was so beautiful but heartbreaking & I honestly hope he won't have to sing it live again as I could see the pain of loss on his face. The dvd ended with a relaxed David chatting abt the experiences of his various concerts. It was extremely enjoyable. The cd has more talking & bonus track of Free. Free lyrics written by DT & David K & all guitars performed by DT. He also wrote very meaningful preface in the photo & lyrics booklet:
Power of Live
The butterfly has always been a symbol of life to me. Or, rather, a symbol of the magical transformation of life. And though a butterfly may appear fragile and, throughout history, it has come to represent a powerful, spiritual and soulful presence.
Perhaps scientific, perhaps poetic, the "butterfly effect" is a theory that suggests the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings may perhaps create tiny changes in the atmosphere, which in turn, could ultimate cause a tornado.
What is certain, however, is that the "butterfly effect" does exist in my world. It exists in the world of art, music and literature. Every time a lyric, a note, a brush stroke or an image touches you, you are experiencing this effect. It enters your senses unassumingly but creates a ripple effect that changes your life, forever.
This "effect" is even more powerful when it is shared and experienced collectively first hand. This is the power of "live".
You have all individually and collectively changed my life forever and I hope I have done the same through my music. This is the "Power of Live" and it comes from the power that flows from life.
Thank you.
DT
As I watched the dvd, I suddenly realised he was not stubborn in not doing another Soul Power. I think he is no longer able to do another Soul Power because he is always moving forward. He is always a few steps ahead & he can no longer turn back. I also realised now that his album Beautiful is not only abt memories but moving with the times. Because if you don't move ahead & insist on staying at the same place, then how can you have memories? I was so wrong abt him AGAIN. I thought he is being hackneyed & mushy abt this whole 'rememberance of things past' when actually he is telling us to move on with the time. The theme is memories AND time, one goes with the other. That could be why he put the Blade Runner reference at the end cos its a movie abt the future. So the 'butterfly effect' at work again *__*
Our dear friend Jay Chou :P seems to be a loose cannon lately aiming his fire at EMI head Sam Chen. He claimed that Sam was behind the JJ rumors in order to 'stir up controversy' & presumedly get Jolin into the news headlines. He also claimed EMI released falsified figures abt Jolin's cd sales. However he clarified that he was not gunning at Jolin but his No 1 enemy Sam Chen *roll eyes* Sounds rather juvenile like his 1st single >"< Anyway he has released 'actual figures' of his cd sales which presently stand at 1,079,980 asiawide with, get this, 900,000 in China. This man is getting more annoying by the minute. Anyway only mentioned this cos Sam Chen is David's boss as well.

Planning DT

I find its amazing that they get him to wear the foppiest outfits in his concerts & yet he can still look good ^__^ In recent news he has changed his tune abt not releasing album nxt yr. Apparently he is not only releasing album nxt yr but filming a movie & having 7 or 8 concerts in HK, China, Singapore, Malaysia & North America. So now NA is back on his agenda. But I think one must not take DT's plans at face value cos he vry seldom fulfilled all of them. He has been airing the NA concerts for a while now & he only done 1 so far. He talked abt 10 concerts this yr & he only done half. I think what he said is what he would like to do but alas, the man is always full of delays.
I think probably the only sure thing nxt yr is a new album as he said that he has already written enough songs. As for his movie, considering he only has a half-written script, no title, no cast, no crew & he supposed to assemble all that in a couple of months as well as finished his script? Not to mention concerts all over the world & promo activities for his new album. Oh dear I am vry critical of him lately but that cos I still love him dearly & hope he can achieve more satisfaction through his work *sigh* He still give me goosebumps with his songs & his endearing voice. Asia Plus will be showing Global Chinese Music Awards this Sat 11/3 @ 8.00pm & repeat Sun 11/4 @ 12.00 am. This is a 3 hr long program where David will be seen for only a few mins but still it has been so long since I see him in an award show *__*

Stripping DT

A look at David's manly chest throughout his career ^__^ except he has yet to strip in his concert. Come on HK or Singapore or Malaysia fans, are u guys up to it. Esp Sinfans cos David is always complaining abt them being less enthusisatic than other countries. This time he complained their applause is too short, even before he finished drinking his water the clapping had already stopped. Remember not to do it too early in the concert, best during encore when he is more mellow & willing to finish off on a high note. Need to clap & yell continuously for at least 2 to 3 mins & while u r at it, get Kheng Long & the rest of the band mbrs to strip as well but of cos spare the girlies *__*
Anyway noone posted a songlist of the concert. I guessed they were all too high to noticed & also with all the rearrangement, it should be hard to take note. He had a cold again & the doctor even advised him not to sing but he took the risk. Dear David, while u look amazing in yr new slim self but health is more important.
Pixs of his Big John endorsement released & fairly obvious he is underweight if he looked so skinny in print. His health & voice always suffer when he lost weight & watching some of the concert clips, he actually had David Tan filling in with the high notes. Might as well had the other David singing the whole concert if that's the case *sigh* Sry but I am a bit disappointed that he chose image over his voice. I am aware that in these times, image is also vry important esp with endorsement. But I rather he is like Eason who is always threatening to go on diet but always remained the right size to belt out his songs on stage. The best singers are never underweight. But fortunately losing weight did not interfere with his ability to compose :P Love the song Free so much that I did a translation but for sure, its not the best >"< Not sure who wrote the lyrics but I like it vry much:
Free
I have a pair of forever unsated eyes
Destined to be adrift and seeking
Born to roam always in the mind
Exerting oneself
Discovering beauty
We all believe
Freedom is beauty's truth
I only wish to live
Free and easy
Welcome this dawn
I am like the lucky wanderer
Finding the blessed southern land
So I can breathe again
Ah finding you
I am free
I have an unreachable destination
So I don't often give up
Until the truthful end
Knowing to be cherished
Inspire oneself
A true heart is unflinching
We all believe
Freedom is beauty's truth
I want to breathe that
Open, unlimited air of truth
I am like the lucky wanderer
Finding the blessed southern land
While I am here
Ah finding you
I only wish to live
Free and easy
Welcome this dawn
I am like the lucky wanderer
Finding the blessed southern land
So I can breath again
Ah finding you
I am free
I am free
I am free
Composed & sang by David Tao for VW Eos