Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 163 Harsh Competition System [17 Updates]

But it's actually quite understandable. After all, iQiyi is such a large platform, one of the top platforms in China, and one of the three giants that can be ranked alongside Tencent and Youku.

As the first large-scale music variety show promoted by iQiyi, "The Winter of Bands" naturally enjoys a lot of resources and attention.

In addition, although rock music has declined now, it's not like it hasn't been rich at times. Everyone still vividly remembers the glorious days of rock music. Those people who used to listen to rock music are still around. They're not dead, they've just gotten older.

Moreover, there were many top-tier and well-known musicians present, including Xia Shen, Zhang Qiangwei, and Lin Jian, as well as many bands that have written numerous hit songs.

With the support of multiple factors, this variety show naturally attracts a lot of attention. Putting aside everything else, Xia Shen alone is enough to attract a huge wave of traffic. He is someone who once managed to get over ten million viewers when he did a solo live stream.

"I'm coming!"

"Wuhu!! It's finally starting!"

"Rock and roll never dies! Forever young!! Forever moved to tears!!"

"My God, I never thought that one day I would actually see Chinese rock music reach such a great level, with so many people paying attention to it."

"He's here! I didn't expect Xia Shen to actually be here!!"

"Xia Shen really understands rock and roll? But no matter what, I came here for Xia Shen."

"To see Zhang Qiangwei, the big star I felt most sorry for back then, she clearly had a bright future and could have become China's first international superstar. No, she already had, but because of the times, she faced countless pressures and doubts. Criticisms such as decadent music and frivolous singing could all be attributed to her."

She was even criticized as vulgar by those veteran artists, which led Zhang Qiangwei to quit the entertainment industry, depriving us of a pioneer who could have led the Chinese music scene forward for at least a decade.

"It is indeed a pity, but it was not a voluntary withdrawal. Looking back now, everyone can understand Zhang Qiangwei's state of mind at that time, but who could understand her at that time? So much pressure was piled on her. It is a tragedy of the times."

"Back then, nobody knew what electronic music was, nobody knew what disco was."

"Now that we have a great era, we have our own World Top 100. It makes me really happy to see two generations of iconic electronic music figures standing on the same stage."

"Back then, my dad was a huge fan of Zhang Qiangwei."

"Welcome back to the stage, Ms. Zhang Qiangwei! Welcome back to the music scene!"

"Lin Jian!!! Boss Lin Jian!!!"

"Red rock! Never die!"

"I saw the Nine Days Band."

"Wuhu, it's a shark! An old sweater! Looking up! Houtian!"

"Why are those four aspirin pills here too?"

"What do you mean by 'those four lumps'? What does that mean? Open the microphone for me!"

"Anyone willing to criticize aspirin? Don't they know how good they are? This is probably the most authentic and strongest band of contemporary Chinese rock, you know?"

The audience was buzzing with excitement about the start of the show and expressing their support for their favorite bands or guests.

Meanwhile, with the premiere of the show, related tags filled the trending topics on Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili.

There are tags for Xia Shen, Lin Jian, and others, including one congratulating Zhang Qiangwei on her return to the stage after forty years and shouting "My youth is back!" as well as tags for some strong bands.

It's been a huge uproar, and the buzz continues to grow.

Meanwhile, the production team officially began the program's schedule.

The first thing that happened was the host taking the stage and introducing the beginning of the program.

Then came the introduction of a 'fan club' composed of some senior music critics or veteran rock fans who came to the event.

This program adopted a scoring model that combined 'music fan groups' and audience voting. Among the music fan groups present were top music critics such as Kang Zhihong and Ding Taishu, as well as representatives from some media companies, record companies, and enterprises.

For example, right now, Lao Chen is sitting in the seat representing Deep Space Entertainment. As the company of special guest Xia Shen, the program team will naturally give Deep Space the face to invite them to join the fan club.

Xia Shen should indeed have been in this position, but he chose to participate in the competition, didn't he?
Liao Jun is also the company's actual manager.

Therefore, Lao Chen is the most suitable candidate.

When the host introduced Lao Chen, Lao Chen's face almost lit up with a big smile.

Host: "This is Mr. Chen Xinyi, the manager of the online marketing operations department at Deep Space Entertainment."

The host called out Old Chen's full name, which he had always considered taboo and didn't usually allow anyone to call him.

However, instead of his usual rosy complexion, Old Chen stood up with a beaming face and cheerfully waved to the camera.

There's no way around it; it's just too prestigious.

If this were during the visual effects era, would he have had the opportunity to attend such an event? And to have his face shown to a national audience?
You're dreaming.

After the host introduced the fan club, it was the contestants' and guests' turn to take the stage.

As stylishly dressed bands and guests, including Xia Shen, took their seats in the contestant and guest section, the main event finally began after the rules were announced.

The smell of gunpowder was starting to grow stronger.

The host spoke quickly: "Okay, according to our rules this time, the first round will be a single-group performance competition, without any head-to-head battles. Each of the contestants and guests will perform for a round, and our music fan group and audience will judge them. There will be no eliminations in the first round, but rankings will be determined to prepare for the head-to-head elimination round in the second round."

In other words, your grades determine who you'll be paired with in your second match: the first-place student will be paired with the last-place student, the second-place student with the second-to-last student, and so on!

Xia Shen listened to this rule from below and pondered it deeply.

Actually, although there is no elimination in the first round, it seems quite lenient.

However, in reality, this competition format is even more stringent.

After all, if you perform poorly, the weaker you are, the more likely you are to be matched against strong teams, which increases your chances of being eliminated.

It's much stricter than the first round being an elimination round. After all, if the first round is an elimination round, as long as your strength isn't really too outrageous, you can at least stay for a few more rounds and won't be kicked out at the beginning.

And then look at your own teammates.

Everyone, including Huang Dalong, was very nervous.

Xia Shen immediately comforted them: "Alright, don't be nervous, relax and take it easy."

However, he didn't blame the team members. He made it clear that he wouldn't play in the first round, so it was entirely Roses' turn.

To be honest, these team members are still newcomers and lack experience on a big stage.

It's normal to have this reaction due to a lack of experience.

After that, you just need to improve your mindset and stage experience. It's a transitional issue, and you can't rush it.

Wasn't he the same when he first learned he was going to go on Ultra?

At times like these, the tension tends to subside a bit as the performance approaches. There are generally two possible outcomes: either the nervousness causes them to completely collapse and underperform, or they unleash their full potential.

Xia Shen used to belong to the second type, and he didn't think that the roses belonged to the first type either. After all, they were a group of middle-aged people with life experience. At over forty years old, what hadn't they seen?
Once it's actually implemented, things will probably be fine.

The pressure on Rose Red Flower right now is not even as great as the 10% he faced when he first joined Ultra, so what is there to worry about?
(It's evening, so I'm starting this update. If it's past midnight, it will be counted as today's output, not tomorrow's!)
(End of this chapter)