SINGAPORE - After four sold-out shows of his Sanctuary World Tour at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in August 2018, Singaporean singer JJ Lin returned to tackle an even bigger venue - the National Stadium - on Saturday (Dec 21).

Lin triumphed, recapturing the magic of his previous shows with 40,000 audience members, including Ms Tan Choo Leng, the wife of Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, and K-pop star Tiffany Young, of Girls' Generation's fame.

He delivered crowd favourites, newer hits, as well as a few surprises specially for the Singapore audience.

The 38-year-old kicked off the show with the song Cao Cao, dressed in a futuristic white outfit complete with dark visor and shimmering ornaments, inside a giant illuminated triangular structure at the centre of the stage. It was a scene straight from a science fiction movie.

But he was no alien to the crowd. In his first address to the audience, Lin acknowledged the show as his first at the National Stadium, and said: "Thanks for being willing to celebrate this milestone with me. Singapore is also called the Lion City. They don't call it Lion City for nothing. Let me hear you lions roar!"

His JJ Lin Sanctuary 2.0 World Tour is designed for outdoor seating stadiums, and included two moving extension stages that took Lin closer to fans when he sang the song 100 Days.

The show also featured plenty of eye-catching outfits, such as a shiny coat with lime-green strips, and an asymmetrical red-and-black ensemble.

The audience was treated to several new songs, such as Better Days, The Story Of Us, as well as Resurgence, the stirring, headbop-inducing theme song for this second stage of his Sanctuary tour.

He also sprung a few surprises for the Singapore audience, such as when he sang part of this year's National Day Parade theme song, Our Singapore, and when he performed a cover of What I Miss, originally sung by fellow Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun.

Fans craving to hear his older numbers - many which have become karaoke favourites - were also not disappointed.

Lin gave a repeat performance of Twilight, Those Were The Days, Little Big Us, She Says and Remember, which he had also sung during his 2018 concerts here.

When the star held the mic towards the sea of purple lightsticks during the chorus of If Only, the audience seemed to know every word.

Lin will perform a second show on Sunday. The Chinese Media Group of Singapore Press Holdings is the event's official media partner.