david tao

an abc is always skeptical of any pop idol in taiwan due to their own roots in a much more developed pop culture (this is also the most likely cause that every abc thinks they can and want to "make it" abroad) and so even with the 2 month hoopla anticipation for the david tao concert (specifically putongpengyo LIVE), the rainforest cafe stage decor led to some confused endorphins for any concert....

as an avid concert goer, avid music enthusiast across all genres and ethnicities and often avid blogging critc the skeptical "i-have-alot to say before the concert even started-alex" was wiped away with the first note-- the man is a rockstar -- i'll go as far to say- in going with the my publicly announced rockstar aspiration dream - i'd want to be some kind of nuance of his current state of asian stardom - a unique blend that has brought over the western styles of live concert penache alongside a deeprooted local taiwanese personna.  but that's only describing the man's 2 and a half hour technicolor set...his musical blend and aristry has been long tooted as asia's east meets west blueprint for the past decade....what i instinctively may have reacted to some portions of his show as corny and underdeveloped, i later realized that this approach was perfect for an ethnic clash - harboring his audience into his little net then  cultivating them at arms length before blowing them away into his world of rock.....there were no silly dance routines, no dancers, just him, his guitar and his band........although.....

his outfits were over the top....a bedazzled white wife beater (which was only revelaed after he was dropped from the ceiling, unhooked his harness finished his song and took off that white blazer), an elvis-esque red blazer with unique chinese imprinting) on top of a butterfly collared button down, an "iwanna be prince" topless blue blazer with a matching blue sheer scarf around the neck, the scarf didn't leave when he changed into his final glittered "paz y amor" tshirt and jean combination....but it's okay...i'm not giving him a handicapped review - the stylist sucks! -  but aren't rockstars allowed to be overthetop with their outfits? his musicianship spoke for itself, the man can sing, the man can falsetta, the man can rock.....and boy when that putongpengyo came on.....DOT DOT DOT......"ku zi bian jing le..." HAHAHAHa......

he hits you with a barrage of hits from only 4 albums in 10 years which is an emblem of a perfectionist (i assume), medley's some piano ballads, remixes some old chinese folk for the new year and then follows the audience karaoke with a karoke stint of his own....a medley of american classics (vanilla ice sampled song, sweet dreams, sweet child o mine, kiss etc....) -- awesomely jealous being able to rock at will.....

if the pants didn't get tight on the auricular insipration....then man oh man was i missing the notepad tonight to take notes of the guy with the smoothest lines on the block.....some of the lines he gave out on stage were admittingly a formality but spruced up to a point where rico suave has slanty eyes....."ladies and gentlemen....give a big hand for my musical director and the piano king of singapore.....if you ladies think he's cute.......sorry..he's taken.....but if you think i'm cute.............."

with a prior concert in singapore under my belt, i was wary of the asian concert going outings - submissive audience, generic applause and zero raucous even for the loudest of guitar solo's....id' rather think taiwanese have more spunk than their southeastern neighbors than to think asians only go crazy for local acts....esp since david tao's fan base starts at my generation+, rather than the uniform wearing teenage ps2 generation that screams on supersunday mtv programming.....on a side note....i guess glowsticks are the new (everyone hold up your ligthers)

packed rave??