Sky Wu performs old hits and looks forward to new ventures

The Taiwanese singer performed old hits and a song in English at his concert here

Mandopop veteran Sky Wu's concert at The Star Theatre lasted more than three hours.
Mandopop veteran Sky Wu's concert at The Star Theatre lasted more than three hours. PHOTO: TCR MUSIC STATION

REVIEW / CONCERT

CHONG FENG 15 CONCERT

The Star Theatre/Last Saturday


Revisiting the past is important, but so is pushing forward to the future.

Such was the spirit of Taiwanese balladeer Sky Wu's performance at his special, only-for-Singapore show last Saturday, which ran for more than three hours.

While regaling the 3,500-strong audience with memorable hits from the 1990s, the singer also showed an insatiable drive for new challenges - in his music and his life.

The show's name means "reunion" in English, but this performance was surprisingly fresh and forward-looking.

For his long-time supporters, the Mandopop veteran, who turned 51 recently, performed earworm classics such as Special Love For A Special You, Happy Birthday and Lonely Highway in his bright, emotional voice. At times, he also tickled the ivories.

Interspersed among the tunes were nostalgic videos showing him with his Singapore fans during his heyday in the 1990s, and he was not embarrassed to say he teared up when watching them and repeatedly thanked fans for their support over the years.

While acknowledging and celebrating the past, the married father of two also embraced adventure and possibility. Wu, an avid fan of extreme sports, projected a photograph of him beaming from ear to ear while he sits in a wheelchair after an accident.

Not content with pushing himself physically, he has also recently been learning English at a university in Taiwan. During the show, he addressed the audience haltingly in the language: "I just want to show you how I stepped out of my comfort zone and pay my respects to all of you."

Not all his endeavours were successful, though. He failed miserably at performing a cover of the late George Michael's aching ballad Careless Whisper, struggling throughout and apologising after the song: "George, please forgive me. I will do better next time."

But he continued: "After we fall, we have to get back up. Forget about the past and continue walking forward."

Venturing out of the safe familiarity of his old hits, he performed a few "unpopular" songs requested by audience members as well as the 1991 song Who Knows, never performed in concert before.

And while he could have closed the show with one of his signature numbers, he instead chose a new ballad, With You.

With such a fearless spirit to try new things, this Sky is his own limit.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 31, 2017, with the headline Sky Wu performs old hits and looks forward to new ventures. Subscribe