Concert review: Mayday’s star-studded 25th anniversary gig

Mayday #5525 Live Tour In Singapore

National Stadium
Jan 11 

After their first live concert in Singapore in 2001, Mayday have returned to the Lion City almost every other year, performing in 2022 and 2024 at the National Stadium.

So, it was a surprise when lead vocalist Ashin said on Jan 11, during the first of their two 25th anniversary shows here, that he was not sure when the group would return to the Republic. They plan to work on a new album after their current tour ends.

The 49-year-old joked: “The next time we hold a concert, will it be our 80th anniversary?”

He added: “I really don’t know when we will be back in Singapore, so let’s cherish these two days.”

True to his word, the Taiwanese rock band – which also consist of bassist Masa, drummer Guan You, as well as guitarists Stone and Monster – presented a doozy of a concert as their temporary parting gift. It clocked in at three hours and 20 minutes – their longest on Singapore soil in recent years – with more than 40 songs across all their nine albums, from Mayday’s First Album (1999) to History Of Tomorrow (2016).

Apart from well-known numbers such as the classic Minnan Peter And Mary (1999), the soul-baring Tenderness (2000) and the reflective Dokodemo Door (2016), some seldom-performed tunes, such as the contemplative 9-Ball (2003), also got an airing.

There had been much excitement about which guest stars would appear, and Taiwanese boy band Energy – who had earlier confirmed they would attend – proved they were men of their word. The quintet rocked the angsty Return To The World (2024), which also sampled the Mayday number Sun Wu Kong (2004).

The dance-focused Energy also went wild during party anthem Friday Night (2024), executing their iconic 16 squat jumps. Leader Milk capped off the number with a 12-second windmill, in which he spun on his shoulders and back, did a somersault and landed on his feet.

Taiwanese girl group Boom! also made an appearance as Mayday’s opening act on Jan 11.

As for the Jan 12 show, fans are hoping the stage will be graced by Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun, who is slated to hold her own series of concerts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in April.

On Jan 11, Ashin hinted at Sun’s possible appearance when he agreed to sing Kid And Dream, a collaboration with her in 2003, during a song request segment.

Taiwanese singer Hsiao Ping-chih and Taiwanese rock band Mixer are slated to be the opening acts for Jan 12.

Guest stars were not the only visual feast of Mayday’s lookback show, which the band performed on an impressive set. The stage featured a giant LED sphere called a “heavenly time machine” and five floating balls, which transformed into eyeballs, planets and the engine of a plane during various parts of the show.

The five members also rode around the stadium in an open-top “Mayday Express” bus, performing four high-energy tracks – Love-ing (2005), Leaving The Surface Of The Earth (2007), DNA (2009) and Party Animal (2016) – which got the concertgoers on their feet.

Ashin quipped that he could feel the ground vibrating from their dancing.

Long-time fans also had a field day spotting images that appeared in Mayday’s past concert tours. These included the Rock It Elephant from their 2011 Nowhere tour and the Team Five Jet from their 2017 Life tour, which appeared as background projections during the song DNA (2009).

It was a trip down memory lane for the 40,000 fans who attended on Jan 11. Although Mayday might not be back for a while, they have left fans plenty to remember them by for the time being.