Chinese entertainment, from radio love songs to superstars

Chapter 202, a city, a symbol, a culture, a praise [asking for monthly tickets, asking for subscription]

China has a long history of more than 5,000 years. With the changes of the times, the replacement of culture and the sedimentation of customs, each city has formed its own unique "style" and unique imprint.

A city, a symbol, a culture, and an ode.

A song that bears its own unique city imprint is itself a city's innate symbol and has distinct characteristics. It is the best business card for a city to develop cultural tourism and external publicity.

A good city song can enhance the city’s popularity and reputation, improve the city’s taste and influence, and increase the people’s sense of pride and responsibility.

“5·535丨66 32丨1 561 232……”

On the stage, Shen Lang sat in the center of the stage, holding a guitar in his arms. His slender fingers gently plucked the strings, playing a melodious melody. The lights sprinkled softly on his body, as if covering him with a dreamy halo.

The excitement of the first half was instantly dispelled without a trace. Everyone listened quietly, their eyes full of anticipation, looking forward to what new song Shen Lang would bring.

"Last night's wine wasn't the only thing that made me cry.
It's not just your gentleness that makes me reluctant to leave

How long do we have to go before you hold my hand?

What confuses me is the freedom to struggle..."

At this time, the lights in the venue were extremely dim.

However, the blue glow sticks in each audience member's hand swayed gently to the rhythm, like a vast blue ocean.

Shen Lang was in the midst of it, like a small boat in the ocean. Although the boat was small, the ripples it created spread into everyone's hearts layer by layer.

In the original time and space in 2014, folk singer Hao Yun performed on CCTV Spring Festival Gala. From then on, folk songs were no longer just a small circle of literary youths.

Soon after, various folk singers emerged one after another, including Ma Di who sang "The Sadness of Autumn in the South and North of Nanshan", Jiang Dunhao who sang "The City in the Sky is Crying and Can't Breathe", and Zhao Lei who walked on the streets of Chengdu.

If Yuan Qi really went to Dali because of Huang Bo's song "Dali" in the movie "Lost in Thailand", then Zhao Lei's song "Chengdu" also made many outsiders yearn for it because of its "green weeping willows in late autumn" and "streets of Chengdu".

"Parting always happens in September. Memories are the sorrow of missing you.
The tender green weeping willows in late autumn kiss my forehead

In that rainy little town I never forgot you

The only thing that Rongcheng can’t take away is you…”

In his previous life, Shen Lang had read an interesting comment: "If Ma Di hadn't known Shu Aohan when he was a child, Miss Dong hadn't held Song Ye's hand, Zhao Lei hadn't been to the South, Yao Shisan had missed his Queen of the North, Erbai hadn't gone to find his Rose, Zhu Xing had loved Chen Li from the beginning, and folk music was still just a niche music, you would still remain calm, and your life would not have changed a bit because of it. So tomorrow, what is supposed to come will come, and what can't pass will pass. You just listened to a few more people's stories and were moved a few more times."

Why are there only a few folk singers who can come to the fore, unlike pop singers who have a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending?
An American journalist wrote a book called "Trends in Modern Popular Culture". There is a sentence in it that says, "There is a necessary process for a cultural phenomenon to become popular culture among the general public. When the base is large enough, the channels for dissemination will naturally become wider."

The development of folk music cannot rely solely on one or two big names. Without a strong base to support it, it would be nothing more than a tree without roots and water without a source.

However, China's working environment is extremely unfriendly to grassroots singers.

Most of the lower-class singers are in extreme poverty, and some even work several jobs. They are busy with work during the day and go to bars to sing at night.

Although they persisted in their dreams and people often said "gold will always shine", the reality was that this guy and that guy forced people to drink and were carried home every day.

This kind of working environment caused a large number of singers to choose to leave. It is no exaggeration to say that the treatment of bar singers in China in 2004 was not as good as that of bar singers in the United States in 1958.

"Walk with me on the streets of Chengdu

Oh...I won't stop until all the lights go out

You'll hold my sleeves and I'll put my hands in my pockets
Walk to the end of Yulin Road and sit at the door of the tavern. "

In this song, some ordinary little things in life are quietly transformed into touching stories.

There are no fancy techniques or gorgeous words, only the natural expression of true feelings, which inadvertently hits the hearts of the listeners.

Yu Xinyue leaned on Wang Cheng's shoulder, her heart filled with sweetness and touching feelings.

What Shen Lang sang seemed... no need to say "seemed", it was about them.

In other words, what is sung is what everyone who has stayed in Chengdu has experienced. If it is not "Yulin Road", it will be other roads; if it is not "Tavern", it will be other places.

Those ordinary daily lives are given different meanings in Shen Lang's singing.

However, the singing suddenly stopped at the critical point when the emotions were about to be fully released.

Shen Lang put down his guitar, stood up, picked up the microphone, and sang: "Walk with me on the streets of Chengdu, oh..." But when he sang here, he stopped again, turned the microphone towards the audience, and raised his other hand to his ear.

The audience got the message and started singing: "Not until all the lights go out!"

Shen Lang put away the microphone, showed a satisfied smile, and slowly said: "Chengdu is splendid because of you!"

At this moment, the stage and the audience seemed to merge into one, weaving together a picture full of warmth and emotion.

"Last year, fans who envied Yanjing had the song 'Yanjing Yanjing', and now, we have our own wonderful music work."

"Brother Lang has tricked me into crying again, because I fell in love with a city as a person. I have the stubbornness to leave her, but I have not forgotten her strength."

"Unfortunately, there is only a road sign at the end of Yulin Road, but not you. Some people indulge themselves in a dream, while others are severely awakened."

"I'm a senior now, and I completely understand the two sentences 'Parting always comes in September' and 'The only thing I can't take with me is you'. I cried my heart out."

"I came to Chengdu this time for Brother Lang's concert. Now that I've heard this song, I have to have fun for a few days before I go back."

"People say folk songs are too poor, one listen is like a pack of cigarettes and one can is like three bottles of wine, but I only have one cigarette and I will smoke it all night, I only have a little love and I will love it for a lifetime. Folk songs are not poor, it's just that the lyrics use the most simple words. Every folk song is a story."

……

At this moment, although Shen Lang had finished singing, the tsunami he caused in everyone's hearts had not yet stopped.

This song more or less evoked their memories of life in Chengdu and triggered a strong emotional resonance.

There are three reasons why Shen Lang has reached his current position.

Firstly, his identity as a time traveler has brought him resource advantages, allowing him to have a reserve of many classic musical works; secondly, his identity as a music teacher in his previous life has brought him rich experience, making him more adept at singing; finally, with his perfect performance of songs and singing, he touches the hearts of the audience time and time again.

"You guys are so enthusiastic." Shen Lang just likes this kind of atmosphere. A concert must have a response, otherwise it would be boring to sing alone on the stage, just like going to work. "Today, let's play something more interesting." As he said that, he raised his hand and pointed to the camera in the air. "You have played the game of passing the parcel, right? This machine will randomly rotate around the venue. Whoever the camera is on when I say stop will be the lucky one today. You can choose a song, but you can only choose mine."

When everyone heard this, their eyes lit up instantly. It turned out that the playlist was not set for this segment, and he had to be good at playing it!

The song-request session in concerts became very popular in later generations. The session involves asking the audience to hold up "song-request cards," and the singer will then select a few of the many audience members holding up the cards to request songs.

This highly interactive segment not only enhances the fun of the concert, but also provides a platform for the audience to get close to the music, and allows the audience to feel valued and participate.

Shen Lang joined this tour because he was attracted by this.

When Chen Yaochuan first heard this idea, he thought it might disrupt the overall arrangement and rhythm of the concert because the songs were randomly requested, so the original performance repertoire would be disrupted, thus affecting the quality and continuity of the concert. In addition, some people also doubted whether he could perfectly perform some of the more niche and unpopular songs.

But Shen Lang felt that these were not a problem. Even if the live band could not provide accompaniment, or even if there was no time to find an accompaniment disc backstage, he could sing with just a guitar. "Come on, start!"

At this moment, the entire audience of 4 people were rubbing their hands in anticipation of becoming the lucky one to request a song they liked.

“3, 2, 1, stop!”

As Shen Lang shouted, he looked at the big screen, and a close-up shot was given to a child of about seven or eight years old.

The staff immediately went over to deliver the microphone.

Then, Shen Lang asked, "Little friend, is there any song you want to listen to?"

The kid looked confused and out of his mind, but the man and woman on his left and right were very excited.

So Shen Lang asked again gently.

This time, Xiao Haige's mother whispered something in his ear, and Xiao Haige said into the microphone: "My mother, say something like 'Too Much'."

The child’s mother blushed instantly and covered her face with her hands while laughing.

Everyone laughed too.

Shen Lang also smiled. If the kid keeps struggling, he will sing a divine song for kids: "Okay, I'll give 'Too Much' to you and your mom."

The backstage was very efficient and prepared the accompaniment immediately.

“Too many excuses
Too many reasons

别 再 问 我 难 过 怎么 过

Maybe I will live well, maybe I will disappear without a trace
What do you care about..."

This song is not unpopular. After all, it has been used as the theme song for several TV series. Moreover, the TV series "Love Across Time and Space" starring Shen Lang and Gao Yuanyuan was among the top three in the year in terms of ratings. Many people knew it, but he had too many good songs, so this song was not performed in the concert.

Then there were three consecutive song requests. Although there was only a one in tens of thousands chance of being chosen, everyone had a great time.

In the second half, everyone was still the same as in the first half. Time seemed to stop, yet it also seemed to be moving very fast.

In the blink of an eye, it is time to finish "Blue Lotus".

"Blue Lotus~Ah!"

The singing stopped abruptly.

There are no crazy cool holographic effects.

There are no bright and dazzling lights.

There was no word of goodbye.

Under the gaze of 4 people in the audience, Shen Lang left on the elevator.

"Crack, crack..."

One, two, three... the applause continued until it filled the entire venue.

Afterwards, the words "Shen Lang" continued to echo in the venue.

Everyone looked at the empty stage. Although they were reluctant to leave, they also felt that everything seemed just right.

The concert had a fiery opening of "Full Fire", which ignited everyone's passion; there was the touching feeling brought by "Chengdu", which evoked countless memories; and there were also the exciting singing of old songs, which immersed people in the familiar melody.

The lights in the venue gradually turned on, and the staff began to direct the audience to leave in an orderly manner with a loudspeaker.

People slowly stood up and walked out of the venue, looking back every step of the way with satisfaction and nostalgia.

Wang Cheng and Yu Xinyue were still not satisfied.

Wang Cheng said: "Three or four hours, it felt like it was gone in a flash. I'm still excited now, I can go for another three or four hours."

Yu Xinyue responded: "You can, Brother Lang's voice and physical strength can't bear it, it's almost done, today's singing is great and the audience is also happy."

……

The kid’s brother and mother are talking.

The little brother asked innocently, "Mom, is that big brother a good singer?"

The child's mother said gently: "You will understand when you grow up a little bit."

……

Liu Yifei and Shu Chang were also chatting.

Liu Yifei said with emotion: "The atmosphere at Brother Lang's concert was really great. I hope that one day, we can also hold our own concert."

Shu Chang said firmly: "Don't worry, there must be one."

……

This is Shen Lang’s strength, he will never disappoint anyone.

The end of the concert is actually another beginning.

In this era when information is gradually shifting to the Internet, social media has replaced newspapers and magazines as an important channel for communication between celebrities and fans.

That evening, posts from major forums filled the homepages.

Shen Lang often interacted with the audience during the performance, and brought the atmosphere to a climax through interesting banter or questions and answers.

This kind of real interaction not only enhances the sense of participation in the concert, but also allows fans to feel the excitement of getting close to their idols.

Undoubtedly, this became a highlight of the Chengdu concert and the entire tour.

From professional reviews from industry insiders to heated discussions from ordinary fans, Shen Lang's "You and Me" concert tour has received widespread attention.

For music critics, how he will create classics again and lead the development direction of the Chinese music scene is a puzzle that everyone is eagerly looking forward to solving.

As for ordinary audiences, they are more concerned about whether they can grab tickets for later shows so that they can go to the scene to feel the shock and emotion.

Whether it is the expectation for music or the sustenance of emotions, Shen Lang's Chengdu concert will become an iconic moment that will be remembered by every participant, and it will also inject a dose of warm tonic into the cold winter of the music scene after SARS.

(End of this chapter)