Jacky Cheung kicked off the first of his 11 sold out concerts in Singapore on Jul. 14, 2023.
He's no stranger to Singapore — he started performing here about 30 years ago. This being his 10th concert tour, Cheung told the audience that he thought hard about how he wants to make this show different from those he's put on in the past.
God of Songs
Having celebrated his 62nd birthday just last week, he acknowledged that he's not as young as he used to be, jokingly asking that they understand if things slipped his mind during the show.
But for those who wondered if his age has gotten in the way of how good he is on stage — it hasn't.
Cheung, who last performed in Singapore in 2018 as part of his concert series "A Classic Tour", hit all the right notes during his 26-song set list.
"Wah, he can still sing so well at his age," someone sitting behind us said. "He really does have a lot of stamina."
The song list included newer songs such as "Double Trouble" and "Another 10 Years", along with crowd favourites "Kiss Goodbye" (spoiler alert: he sings an upbeat version during the tour) and "Rainy Day Breakup".
This concert didn't feature the four-sided stage that he used for his previous tour, but was no less entertaining, with the help of the elaborate stage setup and the live band, along with the corps de ballet.
Cheung's stage for "A Classic Tour". Photo from Star Planet
Photo courtesy of UnUsUaL Entertainment
Fun fact: Most of the live band — which includes both classical musicians and a rock band — along with the ballerinas, are local.
Just do it
During the show, Cheung spoke to the 8,000-strong audience in a mix of Chinese and Cantonese.
To a chorus of applause, he said:
"Age is just a number. I wanted to do a concert [tour], so I'm doing one now.
Do you think I can do a split? I want to do it, so I'll do one now."
He made good of what he said by executing a perfect front split — no warm-up required.
Cheung asked, "If I can still do this when I'm 70, will you come and watch me again?"
The crowd (obviously) said yes, and he continued:
"It's a deal that all of you will be back then. Like [how I'm not letting my age stand in my way], I hope that you won't allow whatever hurdles you have in front of you to stop you from doing what you want to do."
Words of wisdom indeed.
Top photos courtesy of UnUsUaL Entertainment