Joker Xue Extraterrestrial World Tour Live In Singapore

Singapore Indoor Stadium
Jan 5

Sticking to a plot during a concert was a gamble for Chinese singer Joker Xue. A concept provides a narrative structure, but this tends to fall flat when the performance veers off course – which pop concerts tend to do.

Chinese-American singer-songwriter Wang Leehom attempted a similar approach in 2019 during his Descendants Of The Dragon 2060 World Tour In Singapore.

Playing the role of a visitor from outer space, he ended up delivering a sub-par science-fiction musical with many repetitive elements, and The Straits Times labelled it the year’s worst Asian concert.

Xue, who gained a massive following in recent years due to his entertaining presence on Chinese singing shows such as Sing! China and his witticisms on Weibo, undertook the daring endeavour for his second outing in Singapore.

He last performed here in 2018 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and sold out three nights on Jan 5 to 7 at the same venue.

The difference was that unlike Wang, Xue’s tongue was firmly in cheek.

During Xue’s 140-minute show, the 40-year-old portrayed an interstellar executive from an alien planet who is ordered to destroy the earth.

However, on the eve of the planet’s destruction, he is inspired by mankind’s beauty and sacrifices his life to save it.

An obvious excuse to string the Mandopop star’s recent hits with some semblance of coherence, this flimsy concept was thankfully not treated seriously.

After all, for a performer as playful and wisecracking as Xue, one would expect chaos and off-the-wall eccentricity. And in front of the 8,000-strong audience, three faces of this captivating, unpredictable performer were revealed.

1. Joker the showman

Although still recovering from a cold, Xue’s voice rang with a pleading intensity perfect for the grand anthems he is known for.

He was a glam rock god in the glorious choruses of Extraterrestrial (2020) and Ugly (2013), while the bleeding-heart refrains from Animal World (2017) and The Martian Has Come (2016) saw Xue in his element, complete with some spirited head-banging.

On ballads such as Actor (2015) and Ambiguous (2017), his pipes trembled with emotion and love’s disillusion, especially in the early verses.

His willingness to pull off robotic dance moves with his eight back-up dancers on high-octane songs demonstrated his commitment, and the challenging choreography included being lifted into the air on Prince Returns (2006).

A mid-show medley of numbers such as Just Right (2016) and Talent (2018) saw him descend from the stage to shake hands with the audience. Almost always going with the flow, Xue at times spontaneously passed the mic to members of the crowd to sing lines with him, fulfilling many a fan’s ultimate dream.

2. Joker the jokester

While his competence was undeniable, Xue’s concert was constantly punctuated with jokes and one-liners.

During the first few songs, these flashes of levity came across as distracting and jarring against the emotional register of his songs. But after accepting this was going to be his modus operandi throughout, the trick to enjoying the show more was to just go along with it.

For example, while singing the moving Ambiguous, he suddenly broke character and decided to keep a greater distance from a back-up dancer, fearing he would pass his cold to her.

After the darkly passionate number Wild Heart (2020), he looked at the dancers seated around him and asked: “Is this a mermaid pose?”

His bantering segments showcased even more of this zany brand of humour. After performing Animal World, he broke out into an extended snigger and explained: “Do you know why I am laughing for so long? It is because this platform is being lowered very slowly.”

On several occasions, he even stopped the show to greet audience members who arrived late. Much more uninhibited than his 2018 outing, Xue’s concert was half stand-up comedy, and things never got too serious before the next offbeat remark.

3. Joker the Singapore enthusiast

The Shanghai-born entertainer has clearly spent time familiarising himself with all things Singapore.

He rattled off a string of Singlish phrases, from “wah lao eh”, “steady boh” to “same same”. He even proclaimed, like a true-blue Ah Beng: “All of you are not as ‘yandao’ (handsome in Hokkien) as me.”

He even touched on Singaporeans’ practice of “chopeing” seats using tissue paper, and how it is illegal to be naked at home if one is exposed to public view.

As a special surprise for local fans, he also changed the lyrics on some songs. On What Do You Want Me To Do (2013), “I hope to meet you on another street” was modified to “I especially wanted to come chat with the Merlion”, referencing one of Singapore’s most famous icons.