Mayday Nowhere Re: Live 2024 Singapore Tour

National Stadium
Jan 13

It is hard to imagine a single concert tour lasting more than 12 years. But Mayday’s Nowhere world tour has achieved this feat.

More than 100 concerts after its kick-off on Dec 23, 2011, at the Taipei Arena, the world tour will finally conclude on Jan 14, 2024 at Singapore’s National Stadium.

In total, the tour has stopped in Singapore thrice – with one show in 2012 and two in 2013, all at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The current two shows are staged at the National Stadium.

The tour’s popularity stemmed from it showcasing the Taiwanese rock band at the pinnacle of their critical and commercial acclaim.

It was in support of the album Second Round (2011), which clinched for the group six Golden Melody Awards, including Best Band, Best Mandarin Album and Song of the Year for the rock anthem Noah’s Ark.

Having caught their 2012 show here as a 28-year-old rookie reporter, then still using an iPhone 4 and without an Instagram account, their encore performance this time brought back for this reviewer many memories of growing up and getting older, along with the five-member band, who were then all in their 30s.

Over 12 years, Mayday’s fans, especially the older ones, would have amassed many life experiences, from marriage to parenthood to career switches. They would also have lost, and lost touch with, many friends along the way.

Hearing old songs performed largely in the same decade-long style was therefore a bittersweet walk down memory lane, and a reminder of time’s relentless passing.

Here are three highlights from the Jan 13 show, which was attended by 40,000 people.

1. Ashin suffered vocal problems, so everyone chipped in

It was a pity that during one of their final performances on such a celebrated tour, the band’s lead vocalist Ashin was beset with vocal problems in Singapore.

Of the 10 Mayday concerts I have attended, he sounded the worst this time – croaky and shaky throughout, and unable to hit the high notes of Cangjie (2011).

Unable to pull off the regular chorus of You Are Not Truly Happy (2008), he resorted to singing an octave lower. During banter segments, he at times struggled to speak, and his attempted rallying cries sometimes turned out as shrieks.

The 48-year-old confessed: “You know I sound hoarse tonight. I am in a bind. Should I sing less and ‘torture’ you less? Or should I sing more, which I really want to do? I just want to give you the best.”

Nobody would blame him for having a bad vocal night, and he certainly did try. I would encourage disappointed fans to attend other Mayday shows after Ashin has recovered, as he is a gifted songwriter whose normal husky baritone is rather distinctive in the Mandopop world.

The circumstances on Jan 13 called for other band members to step in.

Bassist Masa took the microphone for Contentment (2005), and drummer Guan You for a large part of I Won’t Let You Be Lonely (2011).

Audience members also chipped in, and their years of karaoke practice showed in the massive sing-alongs on numbers such as Suddenly Missing You So Bad (2008).

The band were otherwise in fine form musically, with guitarists Monster and Stone acing their solos on Tenderness (2000) and Leaving The Face Of The Earth (2007).

2. Audience request segment

Unlike Mayday’s 2012 show, their 2024 concerts featured a special segment where audience members suggested songs for the band to perform on the spot.

The Singapore fans came well-prepared. They asked the band to play lesser-known works such as the Minnan ballad Rainy Night (2000), on reminiscing about a lover on a wet evening, and the sugary Pampered To The Sky (2006), recounting the lengths taken to please one’s partner.

Another request was for the empowering Wanton (2009), about pursuing one’s dreams boldly, which was written so long ago that its composer Monster had already forgotten much of its lyrics.

In any case, it was a good call to get the band to dig deep into their discography, as it uncovered many gems often overshadowed by the group’s mega-hits.

3. Giant Noah’s Ark

The night’s biggest treat came when the group performed on a gigantic float fashioned into a ship that traversed the length of the National Stadium.

A physical representation of Noah’s Ark, one of the album’s defining numbers, the impressive prop was complete with glowing potholes, rotating fans, stairs and an upper deck. It transformed the concert into a lively parade, and brought fans much closer to the action.

Three of the band’s most rousing numbers – A Song With You (2022), Don’ts Don’ts (2013) and Love-ing (2005) – were reserved for this segment, which saw bums fly off seats as fans stood up to catch the action.